More bike lanes first, then bike racks. As a driver, it makes me nervous to drive alongside a biker ... and as a result, I'm afraid to bike anywhere in the city.

more bike parking would be great but, to be honest, this is not really an issue in baltimore because there are not enough cyclists on the roads yet. We need better bike lanes and driver awareness to promote cycling. then comes the cyclists and then the bike racks that they require. that said, more racks would be nice.

Amazing that in Rehoboth Beach, where quite a number of visitors and locals get around via pedal power (even along Route 1), bike racks are few and far between (except for the main drag). For a beach resort, this is a no-brainer! I always think about where I can lock my bike and plan accordingly - and yes, that means not going to certain places. Lost count of how many times in the past few years I've asked the folks at The Crystal restaurant to install a bike rack.

I recently rode my bike to jury duty from Mt. Washington. I had my lock with me, but as I got downtown I was thinking that I was taking an awfully large risk with my $1,100 bike. There really is no place to park a bike securely at any price. Luckily I ran into the guy who manages bike issues for the City's Transportation Dept and he let me leave my bike in his office. I'd be much more likely to ride downtown if I knew that there was a secure place to leave it unattended all day.

The bike racks on buses are a joke - have you ever seen anybody actually use them?

I think the main deterrents to bicycling in Baltimore are weather (it's crazy hot out to be biking), fear of bike theft, and bike-unfriendly streets/traffic.

Yes, we need more bike lock-up racks. There are never enough. And always more paths and bike awareness for sure education,.
To above poster Aaron, I am baffled that anyone would consider biking their $1,100 bike and leaviing it out unless they were bringing it inside with them, or were locking it within easy eye-shot (while in a cafe?), or they had one of those new york fuhgetaboutit really hard-to-crack chains tethered to something hard-core.
Being inside for jury duty means inside all day possibly, leaving things quite vulnerable. My two cents, that's all. Then again, I ride a bike 1/2 the cost of yours(expensive for me, my only bike and transpo) and I've taken chances too, so I guess I understand.

bike lanes really need to happen in baltimore. you take you life into your hands when biking downtown.
but beyond that, secure locations to leave your bike are critical. this year artscape provided a police manned bike parking station that was highly successful. we need more of that, especially in tourist areas.

To SC: I have witnessed plenty of people using the bike racks on the buses. I am not sure they are on *all* buses. Anyone know?

We need bike lanes and a public education campaign about cars and bikes sharing the road first and foremost. There are plenty of street signs and other places to lock up your bike. I am a very experienced cyclist and I can't tell you how many people tell me they are afraid to ride their bikes in the city because there isn't a safe lane to do so.

I would not ride an expensive bike and leave it locked up in Baltimore. I would recommend purchasing a used bike. You can find them at Baltimore Bicycle Works or Velocipede. These are great for winter too.

Absolutely, Baltimore and the suburbs need more safe and accessible bicycle parking facilities. Major activity centers should be offering bicycle parking, not merely a rack located out behind the building. Think about this for a minute. If you want to promote less single occupant vehicle use or vehicle miles traveled by car why does a facility have lots of free auto parking? Shouldn't bicycle parking and transit usage take priority? Baltimore should have secure bicycle parking garages at its transit centers. Secure bicycle parking should also be available at all parking grages in the city and suburbs.

Echoing the bike lanes first, not to mention the absolutely atrocious quality of some of the pavement which literally makes it dangerous to ride on - I'll chain my bike to whatever's around, but if getting there is terrifying it won't matter one bit.

The city is striving to make biking more accessible by adding bike lanes and bike racks. This infrastructure goes hand in hand. No point adding lanes if you have nowhere to park once you arrive. Many aspects are considered before bike lanes are installed including pavement conditions, traffic volume, traffic speed, and road width. Many bike lanes are added as street are resurfaced. 14+ miles in 08 and 4.5 so far in 09.

This year, the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has added over 100 bike racks including 1 on-street bike parking in Charles Village - converting 1 car parking space to park 10 bikes. DOT and the Parking Authority are collaborating on a secure bike parking facility in the Baltimore St. garage. This area will provide parking for bikes inside a fenced area with a keycard pass. When parking your bike anywhere, use U-locks securing the frame and both tires to the rack. Cable locks are easily snapped with bolt cutters.

The bus bike racks are incredibly easy to use and used quite often. Racks are on all MTA buses as of Sept. 2008. By adding the cycle component, racks help expand the transit system by decreasing car dependence. Bikes are also allowed on Light Rail and Metro.

I ride my bike to work 3 to 4 times a week weather permitting. Fortunately for me I work at a government building that provides bike racks in a secure area. I have also used MTA buses with bike racks and have been pleasantly surprised how effective they are to use. My biggest concern is the lack of dedicated bike lanes. The lack of a bike lane forces me to ride on the sidewalk for short segments of my commute. Recent road work in my neighborhood widened the roads, added a sidewalk, but took away the meager shoulder lane cyclist once used.

This is a great idea. I ride a Montague Swissbike folding bike, so most times I don't need a rack since I can fold up my TX and take it inside, but if there were more racks around more people would definitely ride. I fully support it.

The bike racks on the buses are great, I've used them in bad weather and to get home when I got a flat tire.

Good, well-designed bike parking is very important and also makes a visible statement about the City's commitment to cycling.

As a daily bike commuter I'd say there are challenges on the street, but by riding sensibly and picking the correct streets, you can ride most anywhere safely.

More bike lanes would be great, but most of Baltimore's streets are relatively narrow and in some places we'll have to take a parking or travel lane if we want a bike lane, and I don't think we're there for public support.