Hey, I wanted to let folks know that there will be a presentation of the City's Bicycle Masterplan at the Baltimore Architecture Foundation's Lunchtime Forum Series on Oct. 11.

October 11 :: Fred Shoken - Baltimore City Bicycle Masterplan (http://baltimorearchitecture.org/forumsched.html)

This is a free forum. The series takes place in the Berman Auditorium at the Hopkins Downtown Center (Charles and Fayette Streets). Feel free to bring a lunch.

Thanks for the post. I went to the forum and learned a few things. I found it interesting that at least one member of the City Council (Mary Pat Clarke) showed up for the meeting. Were you there?

Thanks for the post. I went to the forum and learned a few things. I found it interesting that at least one member of the City Council (Mary Pat Clarke) showed up for the meeting. Were you there?

I was there. Mary Pat Clarke is married to Joe Clarke, who introduced Fred Shoken before the forum.

I stayed after to look at the map and chat briefly with a few folks. Were you in that group?

I was there. Mary Pat Clarke is married to Joe Clarke, who introduced Fred Shoken before the forum.

I stayed after to look at the map and chat briefly with a few folks. Were you in that group?

Yeah. I was wearing a red polo shirt, blue blazer and beige cordoroy pants.

Arby has a picture of me in this link. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=59130&highlight=flat You will recognize the neighborhood.

That makes sense. I was the (young) guy in the bowtie.

That makes sense. I was the (young) guy in the bowtie.

Are you an architect? It seems like bowties are common among architects that I know. I used to wear one occasionally in my younger days. But, bowties don't get a lot of respect in the lawyer world that I inhabit.

Yes, I'm an architect, but fewer and fewer people wear them. Everything is on computer these days, so there's no ink to worry about dragging a tie through!

:D

OK...so you guys care to share anything about the master plan? Just curious...is Baltimore going to become a cycling friendly city or something...

OK...so you guys care to share anything about the master plan? Just curious...is Baltimore going to become a cycling friendly city or something...

Well, they've taken the first step. They have a masterplan. It's going to take some time to become fully bike friendly though.

You can see the plan here:

Menu of PDF documents (http://www.liveearnplaylearn.com/Publications/BaltimoreCityBicycleMasterPlan/tabid/98/Default.aspx)

OK...so you guys care to share anything about the master plan? Just curious...is Baltimore going to become a cycling friendly city or something...

Lowecifer has posted a link to the masterplan. Here are my thoughts about the meeting and the plan:

Baltimore has a long way to go before it is a cycling friendly city. Fred Shoken, who made the presentation, and others are doing the best that they can to improve things. But, it is clear to me that the political muscle and resources aren't there. For example, Martin O'Malley is no Richie Daley (Mayor of Chigago) when it comes supporting cycling.

From my perspective, I would be happy if Baltimore just would keep the city's streets in good condition. I find it easier to deal with traffic than I do to deal with old streetcar tracks, potholes, uneven repairs and the like on the city's streets. One RBRer who visited Baltimore last year likened our streets to what he thought the streets of Europe would have looked liked after the Allied bombings in WWII.

I hate to criticize any attempt to make a city more cycling friendly. But, one thing that I think that the planners need to do is focus on a particular audience and put there resources there -- I don't see resources for all of the things in the masterplan. Since my riding in the city is long distance (14.5 miles) commuting from the 'burbs, I would like to see commuting be a priority. But, as a practical matter, I don't see many Baltimore County residents commuting into the city and the city's resources probably could be spent better elsewhere. I was intrigued by one concept that Fred Shoken discussed -- encouraging cycling within a 2 mile radius of downtown. If you could encourage people to use bikes for short trips for which they use cars, that would be a real plus.

One glaring omission in the masterplan and something that Fred Shoken sidestepped in his presentation when asked about it in the context of the Gwynns Falls Trail is the effect of crime on cycling. The proposed bike trails in the masterplan look great on paper. But, things like the extension of the Jones Falls trail into Druid Hill Park are just asking for cyclists to become crime victims. I would risk my life riding on an interstate highway before I would ride at night on a bike trail through Druid Hill Park or Gwynns Falls Park. Political correctness may prevent an honest discussion of crime and cycling paths in Baltimore. But, I can assure you that people will take crime into account when they use (or more like don't use) bike trails in Baltimore. When I commute at night, I ride on well traveled streets -- my feeling is that if other people are nearby, even if they are in cars, I have less of a chance of being robbed or killed than if I am in a secluded place. The other way that crime impacts bike use is theft of parked bikes. I can keep my bike in my office. If I could not keep my bike in a secure place, I would not commute. A bike rack on the street just is not a safe option in Downtown Baltimore. The only way that people will ride bikes downtown either for commuting or for weekend events is if thet have secure parking. In Baltimore that would mean a locked place with an attendant -- like the bike station in Chigago. The city should encourage building owners to let people bring their bikes into the buildings and have locked storage for bikes in the buildings -- I know of at least one downtown highrise that will not let office tenants bring bikes in their offices even if they will be stored in spare offices under the tenant's control.