In the loopy world of blogs, this is the first post you'll see. For us, it's the last.

From the time this blog launched with several contributors, it has always been in a bit of a gerrymandered space between the sports and health worlds, with some transportation and food thrown in.

We've lost some voices in the year since then, so it's with some relief that those of us still active move to Picture of Health this month. We hope you'll come with us so we won't have to miss you.

It's been fun. Thanks for all the comments!

Photo credit: Getty Images

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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The Rails to Trails Conservancy sent out an e-mail blast to supporters this morning in hopes of giving Sen. Ben Cardin an earful from walkers, runners and cyclists.

Here's a piece of the missive:

Continue reading "Conservancy to Cardin: Don't defund us, bro" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bicycling, Outdoors, Politics, Running, Safety, Traffic, Walking, Washington
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James T. Smith started the rebuilding of this pedestrian bridge in Baltimore County. It will now be up to Kevin Kamenetz to finish it.
Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox.

Last week's gubernatorial election results will influence a bunch of well-documented transportation issues, including construction of the red and purple lines and the completion of the ICC. Michael Dresser wrote about the transit part of that last week, and he covered the ICC topic in today's paper.

On a more local level, here are a few projects that are likely to be influenced by election results:

Continue reading "A week after election, Maryland walking issues remain" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bicycling, Politics, Running, Walking
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As cyclists gain clout, one commenter notes that new laws go both ways. (2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

Today's paper had a nice Mike Dresser piece on bad bike behavior. It described the usual standouts -- ignoring signs/lights, hopping up on sidewalks, etc.,. -- but what really caught my eye was an interesting entry in the comments section. Here's what it said:

I have checked with the county police on the 3 foot buffer law and - as all traffic lasw do - it applies to the cyclists as well. How many of you cyclists have squeezed yourselves along a row of cars to be first in a line? That is a violation of the law. How many of you have skirted through red lights? Ran stop signs? turned right on red? I think Mr. Dresser is kidding himself if he thinks only a handful of cyclists are bad eggs. (Bold was swapped for caps -PM)

Continue reading "An interesting corollary to the 3-foot rule" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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While not offering specifics, U.S. Marine Col. Dan Choike called the measures -- being developed in conjunction with the FBI and local authorities -- "robust" and said there would be no delays to the race schedule.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Marine Corps Marathon, Politics, Running, Safety, Washington
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Several new Maryland laws take effect today that benefit cyclists.

• The 3-Foot passing law requires motorists to give cyclists a three foot buffer when passing.

• Cyclists are no longer required to ride on the shoulder of the road.

• Maryland is required to construct sidewalks or bike paths in areas where their absence is a public safety risk or impediment to public access.

• The state is also required to provide a balance of funding for pedestrian and cycling projects alongside new highway construction in transit oriented areas.

These new laws will help make Maryland a safer place to ride. But, the law I see making the biggest difference for everyone who uses Maryland roads is the ban on handheld cell phones. The law is only a secondary offense, but as a cyclist, I will feel a little safer sharing the road with a smaller percentage of distracted drivers.

Posted by Jerry Jackson at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Bicycling, Politics
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This morning's print edition of the paper included this piece by Andrea Walker, discussing a city campaign for healthier living. Ray Rice is among those helping with the effort.

For those who are interested, the kickoff event starts in about an hour at hour, with the mayor guiding a walk from City Hall to the Harborplace Amphitheater.

To read more about the event and surrounding Healthy City Days initiative, check out the full article.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: City of Baltimore, Politics, Walking
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