From the Chairman: Hope you all survived the snow storm of the century! Though we were closed down for almost a week but I still saw many Bicyclists going on their transpiration missions to work and school. The off-road Bike/Ped Trails are still packed with snow and are unuseable except to dog sleds and cross country skiers. We are rushing to get this newsletter out because everyone is playing catch-up both at home and work. Our 10 accomplishments for 2002 show that CPABC has been busy as ever. Our membership dues are payable this month and we have included a stamped envelope to our great membership Chair, Linda Stemmy. If you add a donation we would appreciate your support.

Speaking of great people I have to thank our editor, Barbara Klieforth, for her outstanding work on this newsletter. She corrects all the mis-spellings and grammar and makes perfect sense out of what we are trying to say. She is a busy lady but always manages to get things done. Our next outstanding member is Jim Hudnall who creates and maintains our truly professional CPABC webpage, cpabc.org. Morris Warren, Larry Bleau and Randy Mardres are always there to keep CPABC along with Larry Black to see that we stay on point. CPABC is entering its 15^th year!

We have a new Governor, Robert L. Ehrlich and Lt. Michael Steele, New Prince George's Co, Exec. Jack Johnson, and a new Sec. of Transportation at MDOT Robert Flanahan, a yet unnamed State Highway Administrator, and many new staffers. So we have our work cut out for us. We really can't tell you how these folks feel about Bike/Ped Travel so we must wait and let them settle in and meet with them and try to work together. We are starting a Bike/Ped Caucus in Annapolis with a great assist from the 21 st Delegation’s Menes-Frosh-Moe. So you, our members, will have to be patient with us and wait with us in hopes that these new planners will see bike/ped travel the way we do. Read this newsletter to see what we have been doing. Come out to our next Membership Meeting on Monday March 3, 2003 7:30 PM at REI and become part of the process. We need your help and input in making Maryland more bike/ped friendly. Thank you for your continuing support.

The years sure fly by quickly. Our membership is holding around 125, we lose a few and gain a few. Our dues are still $10, $5 for students. Linda Stemmy has been our membership chair for more years that we want to remember and we don't know what we would do without her. So get your checks and membership forms in the enclosed envelope back to Linda. Any donations above the fee would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all 125 of you for supporting us for these past 15 years. Try to make our next membership meeting Monday March 3, 2003 7:30 PM at REI.

CPBAC’s longtime friend, Jill DiMauro (formerly of REI), is the new proprietor of the legendary Proteus Bicycles on Route 1 in College Park. Proteus was founded in 1972 and has a history unlike any other bike shop. Despite being having faded away from its former prominence, Proteus has remained a nostalgic local favorite. They custom-built premium bicycles, taught frame-building and sold kits for welding frames when very few others in the country did so. Former owner and one of the 3 original founders Larry Dean, whose declining health had kept him from fully tending the shop, chose Jill as a successor because of her boundless enthusiasm and idealism. She is a true bike devotee and bike fit specialist who is dedicated to getting people on perfectly-tuned two-wheeled riding machines. Jill and her small but experienced and dedicated staff are determined to restore the shop to its original distinction. The transformation is already amazing and the shop is a magnet for friends have come forward to help with renovations. For now the shop will be geared towards recreational enthusiasts, though they embrace its higher-end past and allow that the community will shape the character of the store. A number of possibilities exist, including plans to start the frame-building workshop back up. For those interested in contributing to the historic store’s renovation, there will be a ‘Proteus Paint Party’ on one weekend in May (call for details). On April 19, from 10 to 4, they are also offering a Spring Ready to Ride Workshop for those who want to get their bikes into top riding shape (spots are limited, please RSVP). The cost is $80, with lunch and a repair manual included. The shop’s hours for now are Tue-Sun 10-7, Thursdays til 9, but may go up as the weather improves.

Dr. Gridlock has posted several articles from local Greenbelt and College Park folks that they are having their Bikes stolen at the busy Greenbelt that has a large sets of Rack III vice type Bike Racks. These racks work pretty well but there is a problem using your standard Cambridge U Lock. METRO is in the process of having these Rally Racks adapted so you can used both a pad lock and u-lock. We have contacted Sharonlee Vogel, Bike/Ped Coordinator at METRO 202/962-1053 or svogel@wmata.com. It seems that many of these Bike Thieves are not reported for whatever reasons. There were suggestions of using surveillance cameras and placing the racks in more visible locations. We will keep you posted of progress. Call Metro if you have suggestions or stories to tell.

We are fast approaching our next Md. 500 Bike Tour on Sunday April 27, 2003 at 9:00 AM at REI in College Park. This has always been an police escorted ride for the past fifteen years geared for first-time riders. We are thinking about making this kind of pick-up ride without support because of the large volume of preparation involved before and after the ride. It has always been fun but the work-load has been overwhelming. We would like to discuss this change with our members to seek their guidance, suggestions and help. Let us know what you think.

University Blvd/Route #193 has been improved to better move traffic with the opening of the Comcast Center at the U of M. We have had shoulders on #193 from Adelphi Rd. to US#1 for over forty years. At first it appeared that the shoulders would turn into auto travel lanes with no place for bike/ped travel. We have been working with SHA and have slowly developed a travelway where we all can travel safely. We still have the condition that, when there is a major event at the University, autos are allowed (unlawfully) to park on the shoulders. Also unresolved is the intersection of Metzerott Rd and #193 (NE corner) with only auto travel space and no space for bike/peds. We will be meeting shortly with SHA to discuss this important missing link. Check out the "Pocket Lanes" that have been installed along the #193 route.

To fly, "to glide through the either" as in an 1890's article, has long been part of the experience of riding a two-wheeler. It is no accident that the development of bicycling and flying machines are intertwined. The Wright brothers, both bicycle mechanics, used the instability of a bicycle at rest to successfully defend their airplane patent in court. Glen Curtis and many others started with "The Wheel," as early bicycles were affectionately known, before helping man leave the ground in controlled flight. So it’s no surprise that many astronauts bicycle. Not only is flying imagery long associated with bicycling, but cycling on Maryland highways on today's "steeds of steel" creates a blend of mental and physical development, and peace, that is hard to find elsewhere. And it can be done from anyone's front door, every day!

With the tragic loss of the Columbia spacecraft and crew, including David M. Brown, bicycling lost one of its own. NASA's bio says it up-front; "David enjoyed flying and bicycle touring." When David 1st applied to be an astronaut while in Nevada, he was already a Navy surgeon as well as a top test pilot and bicycle-commuted 26 miles a day to fly. By his reckoning, he bicycled 2,500 miles that year. He biked across Nevada and from California to Utah. He later was posted as flight surgeon at the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent Naval Air Station and moved to Ridge in St. Mary's County. He was known to bike to the local café, to help friends, and once rode round trip (100 miles) to Annapolis. After reapplying, he was accepted to the space program. Much more could be said about David, the Columbia crew and all those who go out in ships to live a dream, whether gliding on two wheels or soaring though space. God speed to all.

February 5, 2003 saw hundreds of Bike/Ped Folks at our State Capitol in Annapolis discussing Bike/Ped issues with State delegates and various organization’s representatives. Jim Hudnall, President of the Oxon Hill Bicycle Club and member of CPABC, did an outstanding job with Ellen Jones from WABA and Pete Olsen from One Less Car in pulling all the parties together for a very successful day of promoting Bike/Ped advancement in Maryland. The 30 displays set-up in St. Johns Hallway with maps, displays and hand-outs showing what is Bike/Ped Friendly happenings across Maryland. The most valuable part of the day’s activities was talking to each other and letting our Elected Officials know that there was still an active staple group of Bike/Ped Folks who wanted and needed the facilities to travel in Maryland sometimes without their autos. The high point of the day was the meeting with the newly formed Bike/Ped Caucus in Annapolis who expressed support of working together to promote Bike/Ped in Maryland. Bike/Ped Caucus info in this edition.

We are pleased to announce that our CPABC Web-Page is doing very well. Our Web-Master Jim Hudnall has done an outstanding job in setting-up and maintaining our busy web-site. Our $1000.00 Grant from REI has allowed us and Jim to obtain software that makes our site really first-class. Jim has connected us into many other web-sites that are chocked full of information. One site will connect you with your Md. State Delegates just by typing in your home address. It gives you your three delegates and senator with bios and background. We are amazed every time we surf-in and find what Jim has added. We are hoping that we can work smarter and not harder by using E-Mail -Web-Page. Check out our/your Web-Page www.cpabc.org.

My bike gives me mobility, exercise, fresh air, and easy parking. As icing on the cake, it also helps me be a better car driver. Riding a bike helps one be more observant of pedestrians. In the College Park area, I’m forced to ride on sidewalks a lot of the time because bike lanes are mostly still on the drawing board. Pedestrians have the right of way on sidewalks and bikes are pretty much illegal, but go there for safety. After giving peds the right of way, doing the same is almost second nature in a car.

On a bike, yellow lights can't be powered through with a gas pedal because the only power is you. I learned to live with it and take a little break. That lesson has rolled over to driving. Using a bike means you have to plan some extra time. Given the traffic here, you can seldom count on clear roads, so it pays to allow some extra time for any car trip as well.

On a bike, it's smart to signal for turns, a good idea for car drivers. Too bad more car drivers don't bother to do this. Turn signals are a simple courtesy to others so everyone can be safer. Many bikes do not have head- or taillights, let alone turn signals or brake lights, but there is no technical reason for this. A few partial solution aftermarket systems are available, but need more development. It would not be hard to build a complete, lightweight electrical system for bikes that would have a sealed battery, wheel hub generator, bright headlight and tail light, turn signals and brake light and even a theft alarm. The stereo is optional. Ride safely.

A Biku (Bicycle haiku)

Rural roaming retreat

the bane of urbanite blues

billion bicycles.

Submitted to America Bikes (www.americabikes.org/story1.asp) in support of the new Transportation Enhancement Act, TEA-3. Write or call your congressmen and senators - now - to tell them you want safe bicycle roads and trails and TEA-3 is one way to insure it happens!!

Just as the last issue of the CPABC newsletter was being published, a great loss for bicycling, livable communities, and better education was suffered. Ivan Illich, author, futurist, advocate and visionary, passed on. Ivan led a whole generation of bicycle and transportation advocates, as well as educators and health care providers, with his writings, including Energy and Equity, and De-Schooling Society. He was a philosopher who challenged the status quo wherever he found it. Focusing on the social effects of motor transportation in both developed and developing nations, especially compared to bicycle transportation’s efficiency, made him a valuable resource and ally to transportation and sustainable development activists. Ivan's position was often "more is not better" (more speed, more power, more experts, more energy, etc...), but that reason and common sense could dictate the scale. He understood the bicycle and, more so, the limits of the automobile. He noted that cars are like villas on the Riviera, they’re great to have but only a very few people can have them or the beach would be ruined. Now, 30 years later, we are seeing the breakdown of our highways caused by the traffic congestion and energy waste that he was referring too. Ivan Illich, dead at 76 at home in Bremen, after a career in the US, Mexico and Germany, will not be easily replaced or forgotten.

"Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories. The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well."

THE THREE NOTCH TRAIL, THE NEXT LARGE LOCAL RAILS-TO-TRAIL EFFORT, COULD BE ON TRACK...

...and would stretch from US RT 301, below Bowie, to run roughly parallel along the Patuxent River southeast out to the Chesapeake Bay. The original railroad was built to serve military needs in a time predating a DC-centric road system, when goods were still being carried by water or rail to the big markets of Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk. The trail is proposed to traverse 400 years of local history, from some of our earliest with the landing of the Ark and Dove, through tobacco country that produced some of the best cigar wrappers in the world, the American Civil War, WWI, WWII, and into the space age. The Three Notch Trail should have many historical interpretive features and could be a real transportation boon to rapidly developing southern Maryland.

In light of the Rhode Island night club tragedy (2/20/03) where 96 died trying to get out of a night club fire, we at CPABC, especially Bill Kelly, your chairman with 27 years of service with the DC Fire Department, would like to remind you to find as many exits as you can when in a group situation and resist the impulse to rush with everyone else to the front door. Most patrons try to leave a building from the door they entered, even when an exit is directly behind them. That is why exit doors are pointed out in movie theaters. But bodies have been found directly in front of an exit (and safety) in case after case, as in this one. The majority of patrons rushed the front door while 3 other exits were little-used. Had the Club been sprinklered there would have been no deaths. In the past 100 years, according to FEMA/NFPA, there’s never been a fire death in the US where there was a working fire sprinkle system. Prince George's Co has the strongest Fire Sprinkler Code in the country. All homes and apartments built after 1995 must have an approved sprinkler system. The code has and will reduce fire deaths in our communities.

It’s great seeing all the much needed bike racks on buses (in DC, VA. & Md.). Nearly all of the 1,430 Metro buses now have racks. But we have not yet seen many bikes on these racks. Many potential users are unsure as to how them work or if there’s a charge. There is no charge beside the regular $1.10 bus fare. Approach the rack, hold your Bike with one hand and grasp the "D Handle" with the other hand, pull up and the rack will fold out flat. Pick-up your bike and place front wheel in the marked loop. Reach down and pull up the "J Hook" and let the spring loaded "J-Hook" come down firmly on the front wheel securely locking the bike in place. All sizes will fit and your Bike won't fall off. Give the rack a try and let Metro and our Transportation Departments know we appreciate their good work. Also check www.cpabc.org

It is now the 3rd anniversary of this tragic fatality on US#1 in Beltsville. Mr. Chow was a longtime rider of a blue adult 3-wheeler in the Greenbelt/College Park/Beltsville area before his death on Baltimore Blvd just north of Sunnyside and US#1. The State Police still have no leads on the 2 motorists in a late model Ford who fled the scene after running down Mr. Chow in front of the Amoco station. State Police at the College Park barrack "Q" tell us there is no progress in the investigation. If anyone knows anything at all about it please contact them at 301/345-3101.

The City of Bowie’s adopted its Trails Master Plan in May 2002. It is a compact plan that calls the City of Bowie to identify ways to link various neighborhoods and communities together and connect them to retail areas, schools, parks, and other community facilities via a network of on-road and off-road trails/bikeways. The plan, undertaken by Bowie Senior Planner Frank Stevens, commits funding to build and maintain a transportation and recreational system. The idea is to promote Smart Growth and reduce vehicle trips. It has smartly color-coded maps, one look shows all types of travel: green-on-road, brown-off-road, dotted-brown-equestrian and blue-water-trails. Frank did an outstanding job, it should be a model for other towns and the State to follow. He can be reached at 301/809-3053 or fstevens@cityofbowie.org. Thanks, Frank!

Several of us met with Delegates Menes, Frush and Moe from the 21^st Legislative District to discusses Bike/Ped needs for the 2003 legislative session. The folks in Annapolis have always been supportive of Bike/Ped advancement. The Congressional Bike/Ped Caucus has been effective in Congress under the able leadership of Congressman Earl Blumenhauer (D-OR), so we asked the 21st Delegation if they would be supportive or starting a Maryland Bike/Ped Caucus. The answer was a strong YES! This may be the first State Bike/Ped Caucus in the country! The 1^st year goal is to organize AND review existing laws to check compliance. A letter was sent out Jan. 9, 2003 asking the Legislators to join the caucus. At this writing there are 31 delegates and 7 senators signed-up out of the 184 members of the Maryland Legislator.

Senators	House of Delegates
James Brochin (D-42)	Elizabeth Bobo (D-12B)	Brian Feldman (D-15)	Karen Montgomery (D-14)
Brian Frosh (D-16)	John Leopold (R-31)	Barbara Frush (D-21)	Dan Morhaim (D-11)
John Giannetti (D-21)	John Bohanan (D-29B)	Anne Healey (D-22)	Shirley Nathan-Pullman (D-10)
Leo Green (D-23)	Joseph Boeteler (R-8)	Henry Heller (D-19)	Rosetta Parker (D-47)
Paul Pinsky (D-22)	Adrienne Mmandel (D-19)	Sheila Hixson (D-20	Obie Patterson (D-26)
Norman Stone (D-19)	William Brnrott (D-16)	Thomas Hutchins (R-28)	Carol Petzold (D-26)
	Joan Cadden (D-31)	Mary Love (D-34)	Justin Ross (Chair MBPC) (D-22)
	Virginia Clagett (D-30)	Pauline Menes (D-21)	Theodore Sophocleus (D-32)
	Mary Conroy (D-23A)	Herb McMillan (R-30)	Herman Taylor (D-14)
	Adelaide Eckardt (R-37B)	Brian Moe (D-21)

Check www.cpabc.org if you don't see your representatives listed here. If not there, invite them to join! Otherwise, call and thank those supporting Bike/Ped advancement in Maryland!

Larry & Linda Black of College Park and Mount Airy Bikes are holding a Tandem Riding Day Sunday April 13, 7 AM to 3 PM at the Wells Ice Rink/Linson Swimming Pool on Paint Branch Parkway, just east of the College Park Metro Station and west of Kenilworth Ave/Rt. #201. They did this type of event several years ago with great success. They bring out every type of bike they sell: tandem, recumbent, road, mountain, off-road, folding (Bike Friday), 2-3-4 cycles. You can ride any and all of the Bikes. The site is adjacent to our wonderful Anacostia Trail and open to the untrafficked flat roads to the College Park Airport and Metro Access. Refreshments, fun and games will be had. For further details call 301/441-5151 or go to www.bike123.com.

We have been watching the $162 million dollar, three grade-separated intersections move ahead at Cherry Hill/Randolph Rds, Fairlawn and Briggs Chaney Rds at Rt. #29 which will allow car traffic from Howard Co. to fly down this busy corridor and not have to stop until the traffic bogs down at University Blvd going into Silver Spring. We are still very disappointed that this expensive project will not have a Commuter Bikeway with grade-separated intersections for straight and safe bike/ped travel along this crowded corridor. A Bike/Ped Commuter Way at these intersections would cost about $1.6 Million if built along with the auto improvements, 1% of the total cost. But SHA/MDOT wants to build a circular off-road trail through the neighborhoods and let users find their way from road to road and cross at grade with auto traffic. Grade-separated intersections are where traffic crosses under or above each other without having to stop. SHA did work with Bob McCutcheon for an on-road detour during construction at the Randolph intersection for Bike/Ped Travel during construction. We are appreciative that SHA is going to allow shoulder-use for Bicycle Travel for Adult Bicyclists on Rt. #29. This was a Pilot Project that was extended into permanent SHA policy last year. Thanks SHA. Hoping for a sensible Commuter Bikeway along the entire length of Route #29 someday. We’ll keep trying.

The Maryland Bike/Ped Master Plan (the Plan) was officially released in October 2002, but most Bike/Ped folks were not too happy with the finished product. We requested that a review of the Master Plan be put on the agenda for Md. Bike/Ped Advisory Committee but this has yet to happen. It appears that the Governor/County Execs’ transitions, and change of officers, has put just about everything on hold. We are still trying to make contacts with the new Governor and all the new staffers.

CPABC met with other advocacy groups on Dec. 14, 2002 to work-up a White-Paper for areas not addressed in the State's three booklet Plan. The group came to call itself the "Alliance of Maryland Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advocates" (AMBPA). All felt that the Plan is needed, but lacks commitment and goals for the next 20 years. AMBPA, all Bike/Ped Folks who actually use Bike/Ped Facilities, came up with a list of recommendations to be included in the 3 page white paper (see cpabc.org). The 3 pager has already been instrumental in communicating our needs to the state legislature. AMBPA consists of (so far):


	March 1, 2003 Volume 14 No. 1 Issue #52