* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmembers Clarke and Middleton
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
BMore Streets for People
FOR the purpose of calling upon the Department of Transportation to develop and conduct BMore Streets for People, the special and periodic closing of City arteries to vehicular traffic for the purpose of welcoming jogging, biking, skateboarding and other people-engaging activities in temporary closed-roadbed havens; and calling upon the collaborative commitments of the Departments of Transportation (DOT), Health, Police (BPD), General Services and the Offices of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) and Sustainability to engage in formal fashion among themselves, and with co-sponsoring organizations and neighborhoods, to plan and implement regular BMore Streets for People events throughout the City with venues as approved by proposed "host" communities.
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WHEREAS, BMore Streets for People is based on the successful "Ciclovia" concept in Bogata, Columbia, in which the city closes certain streets to traffic every Sunday morning and nearly 1 million people come out to enjoy camaraderie, bicycle riding, walking, and exercise; and,
WHEREAS, The BMore Streets concept has been in limited practice in Baltimore for about 10 years through the annual Jones Falls Celebration, when the northbound JFX is closed one Sunday morning a year; and
WHEREAS, The BMore Streets program will make recreation even more accessible to the community by engaging residents "on the streets where they live," on main roads in their very neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation is authorized to close certain streets for public purposes, from 5K's and parades to festive occasions such as BMore Streets for People envisions; and
WHEREAS, Transportation has long planned to implement a program such as Bmore Streets, hopefully by 2010, and has most recently helped Roland Park Civic League (RPCL) successfully conduct the Sunday Streets pilot event on Roland Avenue on October 25, 2009; and
WHEREAS, The Departments of Health and General Services, the Baltimore Police Department, BOPA, and the Office of Sustainability all worked in concert with the Department of Transportation, and with neighborhood and non-profit organizers of Sunday Streets, to "test" this pilot and begin to assess "lessons learned" for institutionalizing BMore Streets for People on a Citywide basis; and
WHEREAS, One Less Car, Skateboarders of Baltimore, the Mayor's Bicycle Task Force, and an outpouring of citizens, young and old, cooperated with RPCL, in partnership with City agencies, in implementing the Sunday Streets pilot and herein join together in urging an organized expansion into multiple neighborhoods across the City; and
WHEREAS, Similar efforts in other cities, both here and abroad, have demonstrated the economic, health and community benefits of the BMore Streets model; and
WHEREAS, A major obstacle to Citywide implementation is the high cost of providing policing, especially for traffic control, which a BMore Streets event requires, making the cost prohibitive for Baltimore City neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, One "lesson learned" with Sunday Streets is that, given adequate planning and training, these costs could be significantly reduced by teaming-up Police Officers with Transportation's Traffic Control Agents and with non-profit and neighborhood volunteers trained by these professionals in basic traffic control; and
WHEREAS, "Host" neighborhood, business, education, and religious organizations must be engaged in potential impact surveys and decisions as to days, times, and routes favorable to positive implementation of each and every BMore Streets' venue; and
WHEREAS, A BMore Streets for People Advisory Committee is recommended to bring City agencies, non-profits, and "host" venue representatives into a cooperative planning and implementation format to ensure successful implementation of BMore Streets for People.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Baltimore City Council supports the 2010 implementation of BMore Streets for People and calls upon the Mayor, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health, the Baltimore Police Department, the Department of General Services, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and the Office of Sustainability to coordinate in taking on this positive initiative in time for Spring 2010 implementation;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council supports the partnership involvement of participating non-profits and "host" venue representatives with these lead City agencies;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Directors of the City Departments and Offices of Transportation, Health, General Services, Promotion and the Arts, and Sustainability, the Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, the Mayor's Liaison to the Baltimore City Council, the President of the Roland Park Civic League (RPCL), the Coordinators of Sunday Streets, and the Presidents and Directors of neighborhood associations adjacent to the "Lake-to-Lake" routes (Montebello-to-Druid Hill) originally proposed by City planners as the favored venue for the official implementation of this initiative, now called BMore Streets for People.
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