New Bike Lanes on Moravia Park Drive

Over the past four years, the Department of Transportation has been installing bike lanes with select resurfacing projects.  While many cyclists object to “stop and start” bike lanes, eventually the lanes connect.  The new bike lane on Moravia Park Drive is one such case.  Here, the new bike lane connects to another bike lane on Frankford Avenue, which was installed two years ago.  A block to the east, the State Highway Adminstration has designated Pulaski Highway as a bike route into Baltimore County, complete with marked shoulders & wayfinding signs.  By installing the bike lane on Moravia Park Drive, a small connection is made in the region’s bike network.

City Farm & Garden Bike Tour This Saturday

Join the Parks & People Foundation for the 3rd annual Charm City Farm & Garden Tour! This year’s tour will explore and celebrate gardens of Baltimore’s west side.

Choose from either the bicycle tour or charter bus tour options or just join in the fun at the party afterwards. The post tour garden party will be filled with locally sourced supper, live entertainment, a produce contest and awards for outstanding gardens throughout the City.

Tours will depart from Cylburn at 2:00pm and the party will begin at 5:00pm. Cost for tours are $15 for the bike tour, $20 for the bus and $2 for the party. Space is limited on the bus tour so please RSVP as soon as possible.

Please RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, email charmcitygardentour@gmail.com or call (410) 448-5663 x128.

The Charm City Farm & Garden Tour tour is held in partnership with Baltimore Green Space, Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks, CGRN (Community Greening Resource Network), Farm Alliance of Baltimore City, Parks & People Foundation, University of Maryland Extension (UME) and UME Baltimore City Master Gardeners.

Beach Bike Party Set for Friday!

2 days til Bike Party!  Dress like your riding to the beach!
Meet at Washington Monument at 7pm on Friday and take this spin around B’more

View July Bike Party in a larger map

Baltimore Area Awarded 4 Bikeways Grants

Baltimore City and Baltimore County have been awarded two Bikeways grants each by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

As part of the  Cycle Maryland Initiative, Governor Martin O’Malley announced 28 winners of the Bikeways Program Grants.  The Maryland Bikeways Program, administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation, was established in November 2011 as a program to support planning, design and construction of projects that create and improve bicycle connections in Maryland to key destinations, like work, school and shopping.  Governor O’Malley’s program is providing $3.13 million for this round of grants.

Baltimore City’s awards are for

• the Downtown Bicycle Network design and construction which includes bike lanes and cycletracks ($320,000 Bikeways funding) and
• Baltimore Waterfront Promenade feasibility assessment and design for accommodating bicycles on the Promenade ($50,000)

Baltimore County’s awards cover

• the Towson Bike Beltway: signing and striping roads to improve bike accommodation in Towson ($100,000) and
• the design of Catonsville Short Line Rail Trail and UMBC connections ($100,000)

For more information on the grant awards, visit the Maryland Department of Transportation

For the full list of projects, click here

The Bikes at Artscape 2012

With all the rain, pedaling to Artscape wasn’t easy on Saturday

Not everyone used the bike parking zone

but most prepared for the weather

not all bikes were rideable

MORE Picnic Postponed!

Patapsco Valley State Park and the Rockburn Branch Skills park will be unrideable tomorrow.  MORE has postponed the picnic and will have a new date announced early next week.

Artscape Bike Parking Is Open!

…because it’s not supposed to rain ALL weekend

Wet but Fun Tour de Fed Hill

The tour begins at Race Pace Bicycles with owner Alex Obriecht (center)

Bikes get a mid-ride bath

The first Tour de Federal Hill began outside Race Pace Bicycles on Key Highway under ominous skies.   Rain was threatening during the afternoon but that didn’t deter 50 plus riders from gathering for a spin around Fed Hill & Locust Point before catching “Breaking Away” at the American Visionary Art Museum.  The tour kicked off as the rain did, and the group rounded the Under Armour campus accompanied by lighting flashes and thunder claps.   The pack reached the Fort McHenry Visitor Center just as the skies opened up!  The group enjoyed a local history lesson until the thunder & lightning subsided. The tour continued in the rain towards AVAM dodging downed branches and small lakes along the way.  BIKEMORE provided indoor (but not dry) bike parking at AVAM during the film, before the skies opened up again for the ride home.

2 Rides, 1 Destination: AVAM’s Free Flick “Breaking Away”

Join AVAM & Race Pace Bicycles for the 1st ever, Grand Pre-Flicks: Tour de Federal Hill on Thursday, July 18th! See the local sights & scenery from the seat of your 2-wheeler on this relaxed, evening ride.6:30pm starts at Race Pace, and pedal through Ft. McHenry and the historic neighborhoods and parks of Federal Hill, crossing the finish line at AVAM (around 8pm), just in time to catch the FREE Flicks From The Hill screening of Breaking Away at 9pm. Bring your own bike if you have one, (helmets & locks also encouraged).  Race Pace will have some rental bikes available if you need one.  Please call ahead to reserve as supply is limited: 410-986-0001. After the ride, BikeMore will be providing a bike valet at AVAM (donations appreciated), so you can safely secure your cycle.

For more details, visit AVAM’s site

If you’d rather start from the north, Baltimore Bike Party also has a ride from the Washington Monument.  This ride will take a spin around town, but also end at AVAM in time for the film.  Check out the details on Facebook

Charm City Pedal Mill is Hiring

Charm City Pedal Mill is hiring! We are looking for 2 or 3 people to work part time with us. Your schedule must be flexible as our schedule is finalized on a weekly basis due to bookings. Hourly pay plus tips. Must have a clean driving record! Please email resumes to charmcitypedalmill@gmail.com.