Attached is the DOT Roland Ave Study (Draft). This issue and others will be discussed at our next Civic League Board Meeting October 4, 2017, see Agenda; all are welcome to attend. Note the new temporary location for these meetings is North Baltimore Mennonite Church, 4615 Roland Avenue (at Oakdale) the first Wednesday of each month, 7-9PM. Contact a Plat Rep. for updates or to share concerns.
For additional background, see Cycle Track-Next Steps.
by Hap Cooper
BOTTOM LINE: Representatives of the RPCL Board met with Michelle Pourciau, the new Director of the Department of Transportation (DDOT), and her staff to request restoration of curbside parking along Roland Avenue with a wider, safer bike lane. Mrs. Pourciau was very receptive and suggested that our two teams stay in contact over the next several weeks as she digests all the relevant materials. Michelle and her team committed to being ready to recommend next steps in 30 days—which we thought was reasonable given all the turnover in the department.
THE WHOLE STORY: In response to increasing pressure on the BCDOT from the RPCL, Sharon Middleton, convened a meeting on Monday, September 18th with the following participants:
Sharon Middleton (Council Representative, 6th District)
Robert Ginyard (from the Councilwoman’s office)
Michelle Pourciau (Director, Department of Transportation)
Veronica McBeth (Department of Transportation)
Graham Young (Department of Transportation)
Mary Kay Battafarano (RPCL, At Large Plat Rep)
Anne Stuzin (RPCL, 2nd Vice President)
Chris McSherry (RPCL, 1st Vice President)
Hap Cooper (RPCL, President)
The purpose of the meeting was for us to meet the new Director, provide some context, and request her help in restoring curbside parking along Roland Avenue immediately with a wider, safer bike lane.
Graham Young shared the DRAFT BCDOT traffic and intercept study beforehand and we brought copies of our resolution and research for the BCDOT team to take away. Mr. Young committed to having the final study ready for us to disseminate within the next week. Their study contained no surprises and the data essentially mirrored that of the study commissioned by our own committee.
The Director began the meeting by providing her background, which included transportation planning, engineering and community liaison work. She is the former Director of the Department of Transportation in Washington D.C.
Our group provided a detailed history of the Cycle Track discussion, implementation and results. We made it clear that although we welcomed the idea of a cycle track, the execution did not work and the goals were not achieved. Roland Avenue is too narrow, cross streets are too frequent and debris is too prevalent for the track to function as it was envisioned.
Consequently, minor and major accidents have spiked and the community does not feel safe. Many cyclists will not ride in the narrow cycle track and getting out of a car into traffic can be terrifying—especially for seniors and parents with young children. We impressed upon the Director that this is a highly charged and very emotional issue.
We also discussed the many anchor institutions along that stretch of Roland Avenue (churches, schools, clubs, restaurants, stores, the library, etc) and how each of them and their constituents have been negatively impacted by the cycle track—economically as well as from a safety perspective.
The former DDOT, William Johnson, and his staff repeatedly committed to Roland Park that the “cycle track is only paint” and if it doesn’t work, they would restore curbside parking. We reminded all the representatives at the meeting that we were holding the City to that commitment.
Director Pourciau listened intently, took notes and apologized that the Department had not been more responsive (she was not installed until a month after the RPCL Annual Meeting and cycle track vote). She recently visited Roland Avenue to see the street design first hand and confirmed that she understood our sense of urgency.
She told us that she has not seen our study and that the City’s study is not even final yet. She also mentioned that she has been barraged by multiple other priorities since taking office. Consequently she asked if she and her staff could have 30 days to get their arms around all the information. To her credit, she asked her staff members if 30 days would work for them and had each of them commit to that timeline. She also encouraged us to communicate in the interim.
Councilwoman Middleton will reconvene the RPCL and BCDOT in mid-October to discuss a detailed action plan. We will continue to post updates on this site as progress continues.
(For background see Cycle Track Committee page)
During construction at the Presbyterian Church, the September 2017 through April 2018 meetings of the Civic League will be held at the North Baltimore Mennonite Church, 4615 Roland Ave. Meetings will be held at the regular time (first Wednesday of the month, 7 PM.) For dates, times and locations of RPCL meetings, please visit the Community Calendar.
is in need of a new representative for Plat 2. If you’re not sure which Plat you live in, consult our Plat Map or contact Beth Hayes in the Roland Park office.
Requirements for Plat reps are:
– your own property is under covenant,
– you use a computer,
– you are willing to review in a timely manner applications submitted to R&M and to attend monthly evening meetings, held on the 4th Tuesday of each month, year round.
Architects are especially appreciated, but other thoughtful Roland Parkers are welcome. If interested. please contact RMPresident@rolandpark.org
The Roland Park Civic League needs several resident members to form a new Audit Committee whose primary responsibilities include:
Candidates should have strong accounting experience and/or a CPA designation. Prior experience conducting audits is preferred. If interested, please contact CivicLeagueTreas@RolandPark.org
The Finance Committee is looking for a volunteer with strong bookkeeping experience or a CPA designation to join us. The Committee is responsible for the supervision of all business functions including the receipt of and disbursement of monies to and from the Civic League as well as the Roads and Maintenance Corporation. The Committee is also responsible for presenting an annual budget to the board for each entity. The Committee meets regularly (approx. 6 times a year) to review and approve the financials for both the Civic League and Roads & Maintenance. If interested, please email CivicLeagueTreas@RolandPark.org
Every January-March nominations for Plat Rep. openings and Officers are pursued to be elected in May at the Annual Meeting of the Civic League membership. Please submit nominations to the Chair of the Nominating Committee by email: CivicLeague2VP@RolandPark.org
All residents are encouraged to get involved as volunteers are always needed. Please peruse both the standing and ad hoc committees to consider where your interest and experience may be a good fit.
Application–Coming Soon (please check back).
