Frederick Bicycle Coalition

Bronze medals are the medals you pull out when mom comes over to see what you have been up to.  They are the medals you look at and think: man, I wish I had gotten the silver.  Or the gold.  They are the bait cast to catch something better, the next time.  We brought home the Bronze from the League of American Bicyclists.  They give out yearly rankings to cities and businesses around the country.  The rankings are as follows: pat on the head, you are doing something right but you got a failing grade, doing ok, and Portland.  We’re one step above pat on the head, and one step below doing ok.  Basically what the League has said is: your heart is in the right place, but your bike infrastructure is not.  Or in our case, almost entirely lacking.

Here is what is working: close ties with the government.  We are lucky.  Frederick is fantastic in that you can actively and influentially participate in the government.  You can hang out with mayor, the aldermen, the transportation planner.  They are all legit, friendly people.  Who happen to be bureaucrats.  This means that they have to work with in the letter of the law, and as with any law, there is due process and that means time.  Change is slow, even when everything looks good, and everyone is on the same page.  There are multiple eggs to juggle, and to keep them all from breaking, that juggle is a slow, careful one.  Large scale projects like bike lanes must be balanced against the other needs of the city.  Everyone that should want to do them is on board, but they are also on board with say, the expansion of the airport and all of the logistics that concerns.

So we play the proactive waiting game, and continue to work toward that silver or gold we can proudly put on the mantel for anyone to see, even your crazy aunt from Portland.  We have our projects: the pump track, the ongoing struggle against codes and committees to put bike racks downtown in convenient places, the expansion of the bike lanes, the revised planning for the east street corridor, but our projects must fit in with an existing governmental frame work, and nothing will happen over night.

Here is what we still need to do: raise awareness.  This doesn’t mean preaching about bike advocacy to people who already know about it, but rather it means riding our bikes more, demonstrating how easy and practical it is to use a bike to get around.  It means helping the neighbor fix their old huffy up so they can head downtown for a bite to eat, or it means fixing the flat on some kids bikes so they can go to the library.  It means talking about bikes as a necessary means of alternative transport, used by tons of service workers in Frederick, to name just a small segment of those who often ride bikes.  We have to approach advocacy and our hopes for the silver and gold metals with an eye towards inclusion, a sense of community, and hope for a sustainable future.

Let’s go for silver here in the next few years, and gold within 10.  We can do it.  All we have to do is pedal.

This will be a cool thing to visit to check out future possibilities are for Frederick recreational bike facilities!

There will be trail work at the Watershed this Sunday.  Pitch in a hand if you can.  For more info Watershed Trail Work

If your interested in being a volunteer guide for the Frederick bicycle history loop you’re in luck.  There will be a training session next weekend.  Contact George Ruszat at 301-694-0879 or ruszatg@comcast.net for more information.  Training sessions should last about 3 hours.

Thanks to all that came out to support the FBC during the workshop. We had a great response to our presentation from the Mayor and Alderman and we will continue to keep the ball rolling on this project!

Join us tomorrow, March 14th, at City Hall for the next Pump Track meeting.  We will be presenting again to the Mayor (however this meeting should not involve a vote).  The meeting is at ‎3:00pm at City Hall- 101 N. Court St., Frederick, Maryland 21701. We meet in the boardroom.  A large turnout helps!

UPDATE: Tonight’s meeting time has change to 7:30

Tuesday, February 14th at 7pm 7:30pm, FBC will be presenting our pump track proposal before Frederick City Recreation and Parks. Come out and show your support for a cool bicycle facility.

What is a pump track? A pump track is a dirt play ground for bicycles, providing a continuous loop with banked turns and rolling mounds of dirt. This allows riders to travel without pedaling by utilizing momentum to keep moving. Pump tracks are used by bicycle riders of all ages to develop essential skills in a low risk environment while also developing fitness. Pump tracks are inexpensive to build, take up a small footprint in the park and require very little maintenance making them ideal for city parks.

The meeting will be at the Talley Rec Center at Baker Park, 121 North Bentz Street, Frederick, MD 21701.

Please vote for you 2012 Board of Directors. Candidate bios are below the poll. Please click the Done button on the survey when you have completed it

Tom Rinker – President
My name is Tom Rinker. I am one of the original founders of the Frederick Bicycle Coalition (FBC) and currently the president of the organization. I am running for that position again.

As a representative of the cycling community, I have promoted bicycling by regularly attending Frederick City and County meetings. I have worked continuously in Maryland bicycle shops since 1995 which provides me a unique perspective on the importance of cycling advocacy. I am the owner of The Bicycle Escape in Frederick, MD. I both personally and professionally support advocacy groups such as Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, International Mountain Bike Association, the Frederick Pedalers, The League of American Bicyclists, the Frederick Bicycle Coalition and more. My shop regularly leads rides, volunteers time for trail maintenance, and supports these and other events by supplying such items as prizes and food for participants.

Since the beginning of FBC, and even before it was established as a non-profit, I have spent considerable time and resources to ensure the health and vibrancy of the organization. As it reaches this milestone I am pleased with our accomplishments and excited to keep going. If re-elected I will continue to work with the cycling community, the FBC Board of Directors, and Frederick government to improve and promote area cycling.

John Thomas – Membership
City of Frederick Resident, John is currently the Senior Transportation Planner for the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission providing transportation planning assistance to 5 counties and the City of Winchester in northern Virginia. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry & Natural Resources Recreation from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the State University of New York at Albany. He is a certified Professional Transportation Planner, a member of the City of Frederick Mayoral Ad-hoc Bicycle Friendly Community Committee and a member of the Association of Bicycle and Pedestrian Professionals. Prior to joining the NSVRC, he worked for Frederick County, MD; the New York (State) Bicycling Coalition; the National Park Service; the US Forest Service and as a private sector transportation planning consultant working on bicycle and pedestrian planning projects around the US. He enjoys cycling, crabbing and skiing with his wife and 8 year old son.

Anna Kelso- Treasurer
A passionate advocate for cyclists’ rights, Anna Kelso dedicates her professional and recreational life to the love of cycling. Anna began racing in 2002 on the University of Georgia Cycling team where she earned a degree in Environmental Economics. After receiving a masters in Forest Resources at Penn State, Anna moved to D.C. where she accepted a job with the US EPA. In 2009, Anna took a leave of absence to work with the League of American Bicyclists as a policy analyst. Today she lives in downtown Frederick where she can easily ride to trails right from her door.

James Johnson- Secretary
James Johnson, Secretary of the Frederick Bicycle Coalition, has been active in the cycling community for 12 years. He has worked in bike shops in the Maryland area for over a decade, and in Frederick shops for 6 years. His work extends to volunteering for local bike safety seminars, trail work, and the founding of dirtdata.org, a website devoted to mapping the vanishing dirt roads in the Frederick area. As the advocacy coordinator for Bike Doctor Frederick, he is working to further the cycling cause for local and visiting riders.

Jeffrey Stevens – Communications Director
I would like to run for the Frederick Bike Coalition board of directors. I am interested in the Communications Director position. My qualifications are:

Assistant Marketing Director for The Common Market Co-op in Frederick MD.
Responsible for the planning, set-up and maintenance of The Common Market Co-op’s Facebook page.
Responsible for the business planning of The Common Market’s social media strategy.
I have created a very content rich Facebook experience for The Common Market “fans”, with a much higher level of fan interaction than local competitors.
Maintenance of The Common Market Co-op’s current website.
Avid bicycle commuter.
Mountain bike enthusiast.
10 years of welding/metal fabrication experience.
Experience in Branding and Brand development.
10 Years of website design and maintenance.
10 years of Photoshop/graphic design experience.
20+ years of photography experience, film and digital.
2 years of professional photography experience.
Use/own professional Nikon photography equipment.
Extensive “photo event coverage” experience.
Digital video knowledge.
Social Media business/demographics knowledge.
Creative writing skills.
Lived in Frederick for 32 years.