CPABC is Celebrating their 20th Anniversary - 1988 to 2008
CPABC was formed in the fall of 1988 by a group of College Park residents and Bike Folks who wanted a Better/Safer Place to ride Bikes and knew that with an well-informed organized group of Bike/Ped People working for together they could make things happen.
Twelve to fifteen of us met at the newly opened REI Sports Store at 9801 Rhode Island Ave, in College Park. We thought with being a College Town with the 50,000 population of the UofM, we would have a built-in group advocate Cyclists. College Towns are noted for their great Bike/Ped Support such as Davis, Ca. and Madison Wi. We are sorry to say the UofM never embraced fully our efforts, but the CPABC worked with all the other agencies with great success. We quickly grew to over 125 active CPABC members with a real dedicated core of 12 to 15 who because the driving force in College Park and Prince George's Co that greatly improved Bike/Ped Travel in our busy growing County of nearly 900,000.
CPABC garnished over $5 Million Dollars of ISTEA Federal Funding to build and complete the 26 Miles of the Anacostia Trails System and over $3 Million to complete the six miles of the WB&A Trail in Bowie with the great leadership of Morris Warren. We met with every government officials from the Governor/State Officials on down to the County Level, all the cities in our area and all the Park & Planning Agencies, Businesses, Schools and every person who would listen to us. We helped form the SHA Bicycle Advisory Committee, (several CPABC memembers serving for years) SHA Bike/Ped Master Plan, MDOT Bike/Ped Director, brought ISTEA Funding to the County/State Level, got better access for Bikes on Metro and Bike Racks on all the 1460 Metro Busses, helped in forming One Less Car. CPABC recently published two Bike Transportation Maps and were able to distribute 50,000 Bike Maps across the region.
In our twenty years, the CPABC has been a leader in making things happen for Better/Safer Bike/Ped Travel in Maryland. We want to thank all of you out there who worked along with us during those twenty to make the CPABC and Prince George's County a real leader in Bike/Ped Advancement.
Thanks to all of
you. Bill Kelly - 1998 to 2008
Morris J.
Warren
Memorial Service
Saturday May 17
2008 2:00PM
Laurel, Maryland
Morris Warren of Bowie, Md.
passed away in Fort Myers, Florida on January 4, 2008 of a heart attack.
He was 81 years young. Morris was an Outstanding Bicycle Advocate and
was the Founder and Driving Force behind the WB&A Hiker/Biker Trail in
Bowie. Morris's wife, Marge and his family will be holding a Memorial
Service on Sat. May 17, 2008 at 2:00 PM at the Ivy Hill Cemetery 8103
Old Sandy Spring Rd. in Laurel, Md. (Just north of Route #198). A
Reception is to follow after the cemetery service at the Warren Bowie
Homestead for folks from the DC Area to stop by and pay their respects
and remember Morris. Morris was well known and respected and did great
work to advance Bike/Ped Travel in the DC Area. We will get more info
out to you when they become available. Hold this date open for Morris J.
Warren.
For more details, contact Bill Kelly at 410/480-1909 or E-mail
ws.kelly@attnet .
NEW 2008 Mid-Maryland Bike Map Now Available
The College Park Area Bicycle Coalition (CPABC) is proud to announce that the new 2008 Mid Maryland Bike Map is now available.
Maryland Legislation to Benefit Cyclists
| House Bill 143 would have required motorists to give a cyclist at least three feet when passing and to yield to cyclists in a bike lane. The bill FAILED, but did result in the State Highway Administration agreeing to create a public information campaign centered on educating motorists and cyclists on the need for giving 3 feet while passing on the road. |
 |
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Senate Bill 492 PASSED
and changes the law that prohibits
bicycles on all toll facilities. This will ease
the restriction so that bicycles and pedestrians can
be allowed on new bridges and existing bridges with
improvements to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.
This clears the way for MdTA to consider bike-ped
accommodation on a new bridge being planned to replace
the Governor Nice Bridge on US 301 between Southern
Maryland and Virginia. MANY THANKS to everyone who asked their legislators to support these bills. |
|
11th Annual
Maryland Bicycle Symposium
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The 11th Annual Maryland Bicycle Symposium was Wednesday, February 6, 2008 in the President's Conference Room, Miller Senate Building.
Symposium Schedule:
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7:30 am Exhibitor Setup
-
8:30 am Registration
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9:00 am John Porcari, Maryland Secretary of Transportation
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9:30 am Stephanie Yanovitz, Acting Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, SHA
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10:00 am Update on State Bicycle Master Plan, Michael Jackson Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, MDOT
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10:30 am Visit your legislators office
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11:00 am Panel Discussion - Bicycle Performance Measures
(Bob Patten, Toole Design, Dave Whittaker, Maryland Dept. of Planning & Barry Childress, Baltimore Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee)
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Noon 2008 One Less Car Excellence in Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Awards Ceremony and Pizza Lunch
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1:00 pm Update on Baltimore City Bicycle Master Plan, Jessica Keller-Watson, BDOT
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1:30 pm "Ciclovia in Bogota" video and presentation, Greg Cantori, The Knott Foundation
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2:00 pm A Short History of the Bicycle in Maryland, Randy Mardres, Montgomery County Bicycle Action Group
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2:30 pm Talk to your legislators
This symposium was sponsored by One Less Car - Maryland Campaign for Bicycling and Walking
10th Annual Maryland Bike/Ped
Symposium
Summary from Bill Kelly, February
10, 2007
We just successfully finished our 10th Annual Bike/Ped Symposium in Annapolis on Friday, Feb 9, 2007. This year’s Bike-Ped Symposium was organized by Stacey Mink, the executive director of One Less Car, and Jim and Jane Hudnall of the Oxon Hill Bicycle &Trail Club.
The Symposium was held on a Friday instead of the first Wednesday in February as in the past. This change was so that the Symposium could be on the same day as the annual Annapolis meeting of the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee (MBPAC). Several MBPAC members (Richard Cushwa, Jim Titus, David Whitaker, Sgt. Janet Harrison, Jim Swift, Dave Dionne and Marci Ross) attended the Symposium after their morning meeting at the DNR Headquarters.
John
Porcari (newly-appointed Secretary of Transportation) came into the Symposium
early at about 8:00 a.m. and spent over an hour talking with and answering
questions about Bike/Ped Travel in Md. All were very excited about John
returning to MDOT and carrying on the great Bike/Ped Policies from the Gov.
Glendening Administration.
There were over a dozen displays from around the State with many great handouts and info on local projects. Stephen Franzoni of Harford County was there with a bike commuting display, complete with his loaded bike and bike trailer. St. Mary's County folks had a Three Notch Trail display. Frank Stevens from Bowie (The Best Bicycle City) had an outstanding display of the Bowie's very progressive Bike/Ped Advancements. Fred Shaffer MNCPPC had a very nice update on Prince George's Co. Inventory of past Bike/Ped Completions and Plans in works. Barbara Klieforth from WABA /Met Branch Trail, Adam Schwartz UofMd/ Cooperative Bike Extension, Glen Harrison from WABA was there with the Washington DC Regions Plans/Displays and accomplishments. Baltimore Bicycling Club (BBC), Oxon Hill Bicycle & Trail Club (OHBTC), College Park Area Bicycle Coalition (CPABC), Potomac Pedalers Touring Club (PPTC) and many more groups had very informative displays. You didn't have time to see all of them. Too much good conversation.
During
the Legislative Awards Program, Senator Paul Pinsky presented an award to
newly elected Sen. Jim Rosapepe (a long time Bike/Ped advocate when he was
in the House of Delegates.) Bike-Ped Caucus Chairman Jon Cardin introduced
Delegate Bill Bronrott who presented an award to Delegate Maggie McIntosh,
Chair of the Environmental Matters Committee.
Doug Simmons, Assistant Administrator of SHA, gave a wonderful talk by on the ongoing accomplishments of SHA on Bike/Ped Projects. Doug talked about the new Maryland Bike Map and the mark-up copy that Harvey Muller had brought along to display and asked for comments. The best part of the map was the On-Road, Signed Bikeways (in Kelly Green to Go) on the map that started out to be 100 miles and when all calculated came close to 500 miles. About five years ago there were only 8 miles of Signed-Marked Bikeways in Md. Doug Simmons and SHA received a large round of applause for this monumental achievement.
Doug reconfirmed SHA's commitment to
make all new roads and reconstructed roads Bike/Ped/ADA compliant. He stated
how important it was that STATE LAW was changed by the advocacy groups to
allow state highways funds be used in non-motorized travel. Doug’s talk
was most refreshing as he talked about mass transportation, connecting Bike
Route/Trails to stations/schools/
There were so many talks and conversations/displays
going on that folks had to move between groups to keep up. During this time
many left the Symposium Room to talk with their senators/delegates from
their home districts. While Jim Hudnall and I were walking the halls of
the Miller Senate Office Bldg., we encountered SHA Administrator Neil Pedersen
and had a nice chat. He asked us how the Symposium was going and said he
would try to stop by to visit. We told him about Doug Simmons’ talk and
he reconfirmed SHA commitment to make Maryland more Bike-Friendly. We thanked
for his good Bike/Ped work at SHA and left him with a Kelly Green Bicycle
on his lapel.
One Less Car supplied pizza for lunch, so we didn't have to go out to eat and miss valuable time at the Symposium. The Md. Legislative Bike/Ped Caucus, under the able leadership of Chair Del. Jon Cardin, met in the hallway during this time with 6 to 8 Caucus members to discuss the impending Bike/Ped Bills. We found out that the word "CAUCUS" is an Algonquian Indian word that means when the"Big Chiefs Meet to Discuss Important Matters". This terminology certainly extends to our Legislative Bike/Ped Caucus. We believe there are very few if any other Bike/Ped caucuses across the county; our Maryland one is great. The Caucus discussed HB 173 Bike Safety Bill and were in support of the concept.
In the afternoon Dave Dionne, Anne Arundel County Trails Manager, introduced Terry Maxwell from the National Recreational Trails Program and Mary Keller from Transportation Enhancements Program. Terry Maxwell talked about the $1 million dollars which is available each year from SHA to do small projects ($15,000 to $30,000 per project). We talked about using Rec Trails funds to do our CPABC Mid Maryland Bike Map printing costs. Mary Keller talked about enhancement funds of larger dollar worth of the $800,000 to $1 Million range for bigger projects from SHA sharing Fed Funds. The overall idea was that there are funds available to do many non-auto transportation projects to make Md. More Bike/Ped Friendly.
One Less Car President Offie Clark introduced the final speakers of the day. Andy Clarke from the League of American Bicyclists gave a presentation on the league’s Bicycle Friendly Communities Program. Eric Gilliland from WABA gave a presentation on Complete Streets.
Everyone was very pleased with the Symposium. They were only disappointed that they could not talk with everyone there. There were too many people to see and not enough time to not to visit with everyone.
Thank you to Monica Irmler for working at the registration/welcome table all day. Jim Hudnall’s Maryland Bike-Ped Directories disappeared from the welcome table by the end of the day. If you didn’t get one of these "Yellow Books" you missed out (it’s online at www.ohbike.org/mbpac/directory.)
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this 10th Annual Bike/Ped Symposium the best we have had. Hope to see you in February, 2008
10th Annual Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Symposium
Annapolis plays host to annual
event
Baltimore Examiner article, Feb 10, 2007
by Ron Cassie, rcassie@baltimoreexaminer.com
. . . Friday at the Miller Senate
Office Building in Annapolis, Cardin embraced the 10th Annual Maryland Bicycle
and Pedestrian Symposium, sponsored by One Less Car, a statewide pro-pedaling,
pro-walking advocacy organization. Each year, One Less Car brings together
commuter and recreational cycling, walking and hiking groups, plus environmental,
smart-growth and alternative transportation activists for a day of exchange
and lobbying with various Maryland department officials, state delegate
and senators. . . .
[read full article at
http://www.examiner.com/a-558038~Annapolis_plays_host_to_annual_event.html]
Group encourages more biking
A new map helps riders get away from the busy highways
Gazette Newspaper Article, Thursday,
Jan. 18, 2007
by Dennis Carter, Gazette Staff Writer
Members of a College Park-based
bicyclists advocacy group created and distributed a map of safe bike routes
in 2006, hoping to encourage biking as a viable transportation option.
. . .
[Read full article at
http://gazette.net/stories/011807/collnew204409_31987.shtml]
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CPABC Founder Bill Kelly has Moved On College Park's loss will be Howard County's gain with Bill and Sue now living in Ellicott City. For 39 years Bill lived in North College Park and was a vocal advocate for making Prince George's County better for bicyclists and pedestrians. Bill is featured in a Gazette
newspaper article of February 3, 2005,
"Longtime activist torn about moving." |
|
2006 Maryland General Assembly Ends
Passes Part of One Bike Bill
The amendments removed the part of the bill which would have removed Maryland's restrictions on riding on the roadway where there is a bike lane or a shoulder paved to a smooth surface. Maryland is one of only eight states with either restriction. Although Maryland's mandatory bike lane and shoulder rules have several exceptions, there are other situations when a cyclist should have the discretion of riding on the roadway instead of in the bike lane or on the shoulder.
Senate Bill 871 / House Bill 721 failed, having been given an unfavorable report by the House Environmental Matters Committee. The bill prohibits a driver of a motor vehicle from overtaking and passing a bicycle unless the driver can do so safely without endangering the rider of the bicycle; prohibits a driver of a vehicle from intentionally interfering with the movement of a person who is riding a bicycle; and, the driver of a motor vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a person riding a bicycle in a designated bicycle lane. [...text of the bill]Pedaling alongside the gridlock
Area bikers plan to ditch cars on Bike
to Work Day
from College Park Gazette article, Thursday, May 18, 2006
Like many who crave the serenity
of biking on a quiet morning, Bill Kelly wants others to experience the
joys of pumping the pedals of a bicycle while nearby traffic sits at a standstill.
. . .
‘‘It boils down to the fact that riding
a bike is fun,” said Kelly, chairman of the College Park Area Bicycle Coalition,
reminiscing about how excited he has been on previous Bike to Work days.
‘‘You feel good, you feel uplifted to see all those people out there. ..."
. . .
[read full article at www.gazette.net]
En ‘Mass’
Local cyclists band together to ask for their share of the road
Gazette Newspaper Article of Thursday, October 6, 2005
". . .
One group making headway when it comes to encouraging people to commute
by bicycle is the College Park Area Bicycle Coalition.
The group has been around since 1988 and has proved to be a valuable resource
for many—from the mountain biker to the avid commuter cyclist. Touted as
an ‘‘educational and bicycle advocacy organization,” the CPABC has set goals
to educate and inform people about bicycling. One of the goals is to make
College Park and the surrounding areas more bike and pedestrian friendly.
. . ."
2005 Maryland Legislation for Bicycling
The 2005 Maryland General Assembly considered four bills that would have directly benefited cyclists. One would have provided a tax incentive for commuting by bicycle, two would have reformed Maryland laws pertaining to the rights of cyclists, and one would have restored the full-length, paved trail to the Intercounty Connector project. Other bills would have created a better environment for cyclists by reducing air pollution, establishing criminal penalties for manslaughter by vehicle, and creating the criminal offense for homicide by aggressive driving.
Only one of the bills passed.
SB-551 (Exceptions to Requirement to Stay Right) passed the Senate
47-0 and on April 9 passed the House 128-3.
Thank you to all who sent e-mail or phoned your legislators.
Special Thanks to Senator John Gianetti for sponsoring SB 551.
PASSED:
Exceptions to the Ride to the Right Rule
Senate Bill 551
expands the conditions under which a person operating a bicycle is not
required to ride as close to the right side of the road as practicable
to include:
(1) when avoiding pedestrians or road hazards;
(2) where the right lane is a right turn only lane; or
(3) when operating in a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and another
vehicle to travel safely side by side.
The bill also states that all exceptions to this rule only apply when
a person is riding a bicycle below the speed of traffic at that time
and place. SB-551 brings Maryland law in line with similar language
adopted by other states and the Uniform Vehicle Code.
[ ... One Less Car position paper]
[...League of American Bicyclists statement]
[...International Police Mountain Bike Association statement]
[... Washington Area Bicyclists Association statement]
[... Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club statement]
[...MDOT statement and amendments]
DID NOT PASS:
Tax Break for Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Commuters
House Bill 805 allows a subtraction modification under the Maryland individual income tax equal to 10 cents per mile traveled to and from an individual's place of employment by bicycle or on foot and limits the subtraction to $100 for any taxable year. Senate Bill 549 does not cap the subtraction and does not include walking to work. Both bills require an individual claiming the subtraction to maintain specified travel records and to file specified travel records with the individual's Maryland income tax return and applies the Act to tax years beginning after December 31, 2004.
Repeal of Requirement that Cyclists Must Use Bike Lanes and Shoulders
House Bill 1408 repeals provisions prohibiting a person, on a roadway with a bike lane or a shoulder paved to a smooth surface, from operating a bicycle or a motor scooter on the roadway except under specified circumstances. In most other states, the use of bike lanes and shoulders is optional and never required.
Build the Full-Length ICC Trail
An amendment to House Bill 1352 will require that if the Intercounty Connector (ICC) is built, it must include a continuous, paved bicycle & pedestrian path that runs the entire length of the ICC. HB-1352 is a bill to approve the Governor’s proposal to commit Maryland to $1 billion in GARVEE bonds to be repaid with future federal funds. This funding is needed if Maryland is to build the ICC.
Bill
Kelly Goes to Washington
CPABC Chairman Bill Kelly was one of more than 300 participants from 47 states in Washington this week for the League of American Bicyclists' 5th annual National Bike Summit®.
| Subscribe to CPABC
Mailing List and Yahoo Group
Open to anyone interested in improving Bicycling
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When you subscribe you will have the option of just subscribing
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with access to all the group's Web tools such as Message Archives,
Polls, Files and Photos.
|
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Messages sent to cpabc@yahoo.groups.com are archived and available to anyone to read. Only members of the CPABC Yahoo Group are permitted to post messages or access the group's Web tools.
Take Your Bike on the Bus
Free
and Easy!
24-7!
Every Metrobus can carry two bicycles in a rack on the front of the bus. Cyclists can easily load and unload themselves, following the simple instructions affixed to the racks. The racks also have a locking mechanism to prevent bikes from coming loose. And, for safety, buses have special mirrors that allow bus operators to see the bike racks and customers loading bikes. For more information on using the bike racks, see the Washington Area Bicyclist Association Web site.
Let's make following bicycle
routes on maps easier
Let's establish a national, standardized system of
bicycle map route colors
 |
GREEN for On-Road Routes |
 |
BROWN/TAN/ORANGE for Off-Road Routes |
 |
YELLOW for Caution |
 |
RED for where Not to Bike - Limited Access Highways/Beltways, etc. |
Death recasts focus to safety
[read full article at www.Gazette.net]
A Bike Ride with County Executive
Jack Johnson
Friday, September 5, 2003
 |
County Executive Jack Johnson joined about 40 area cyclists for a nine mile ride on the trails and streets of Berwyn Heights and College Park. The County Executive said he is committed to promoting bicycling because of its benefits to health and the environment. | |
 |
Moonlight Memorial
Monument Ride More than 80 cyclists took a moonlight ride for 15 miles around the monuments and historic buildings of Washington. The ride was sponsored by the Potomac Area Council of Hostelling International-USA (formerly American Youth Hostels) (www.potomachostels.org).
|
"Our local transportation officials should do all they can to encourage bicycle commuting."
Other states build tunnels to make it easier for bicyclists and pedestrians
to get across busy intersections. Md SHA refuses to build a tunnel for the
Route 29 Commuter Bikeway.
Officers of the University of Maryland Police Bike Patrol Program led
more than 30 cyclists on the 2002 Fall Tour of bike facilities in the College
Park area on Sunday, October 27, 2002. Cyclists rode on the new College
Park Trolley Trail, through the campus of the University of Maryland, over
the Anacostia Tributary Trails Network, around Lake Artemesia, along the
bike lanes in Greenbelt, and through the Greenbelt Metro station. Cyclists
returned to REI
for refreshments and a drawing for prizes donated by REI.
The first trail sign marking the East Coast
Greenway through Prince George's County in Maryland was posted on October
15th on the Indian Creek Trail at Lake Artemesia in College Park.