How bike friendly is Baltimore?

[slowlane]

Check out the website for the Baltimore Bicycling Club - they may have special maps or can refer you to someone who can advise you - or ask for information in any bicycle shop.

[are you kidinme?]

Check out the list of Most Bicycle Friendly cities. http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/b...r_list_web.pdf

Hint: Bmore is nowhere to be found.

[jonjj]

NPR in Baltimore has been running a regular series on biking in Baltimore. Maryland ranks 16th in states according to some study. They also interview bikers for transit to work and have other details. You can listen to the series here:

2-3-10: Bikeability « Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by are you kidinme?

Check out the list of Most Bicycle Friendly cities. http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/b...r_list_web.pdf

Hint: Bmore is nowhere to be found.

Odd. Not sure how they came up with that study. Boston isn't on the list and biking, walking, or transit were my only options there. I didn't even own a car. I notice a number of other large cities missing also. Oh well. I still don't think it's any more difficult here than Philly or other places.

[mass_biker]

Moved to Bmore last summer from Boston. In Boston, I commuted by bike pretty much every day (Cambridge -> downtown Boston). I now live a little further away from my office (about 7-8 miles one way), but manage a commute in at least a few times a week, weather permitting.

BMore has fewer bike lanes etc. than Boston, but the traffic density is a lot less. I find the commute in to work pretty straightforward, and can stitch together a decent route between bike lanes and less-traveled roads (Fallsway).

The commute home (in darkness) usually finds me threading my way up Charles St. North past JHU and then weaving through the less-trafficked streets in Guildford.

Traversing the waterfront East->West is pretty easy with the shared bike lane along the edge of the Inner Harbor.

I find the city riding/commuting to be just fine, but you are talking to someone who didn't own a car in Boston for close to 10 years, so don't take me as a representative sample.

Away from bike commuting, the regular (road) riding in Baltimore, particularly Baltimore County, is nothing short of spectacular. Once you get out of the City Limits, the roads in/around Cockeysville, Oregon Ridge Park etc. are really remarkable - it's some of the best road riding I have ever done, and I've ridden/raced in a lot of places.

Last note - in Boston I used to commute on a beat up touring bike stripped down to one gear (39x16). For my commutes here, especially lugging stuff around, I have had to break down and use a bike with more reasonable gearing. That's been fun.