The Maryland Department of Transportation is pleased to present the first issue of its new pedestrian-focused newsletter titled "Walk this Way." This bi-annual newsletter is intended to serve as a community forum, to help highlight issues and initiatives to support safe walking opportunities, and to promote walkability for all of Maryland. We look forward to bringing you updates on new legislation, awareness campaigns, and important
planning efforts, as well as helping to highlight great walking facilities and walk-focused events throughout the State.
This issue includes contributions from key partners across the State, including the University of Maryland Extension, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Made You Look, and Friends of Queen Anne’s County Trails.
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Follow the Story Path in Frederick County
By: Carrie Sorenson, University of Maryland Extension
Looking for a fun activity to get your kids moving this spring/summer? Check out the Story Path in Frederick County, Maryland! Story Path is a new adaptation of a program that has been implemented in all 50 states and 13 countries. The idea is to use exciting and interesting books to encourage kids to move along a path. Pages of the book are placed on signs located along a path. If you walk down the path, you can stop at each sign and
read the book as you go.
Carrie Sorenson, with the University of Maryland Extension (UME) in Frederick County, heard about a version of the program being implemented in Kansas. In this case, educators used a story path approach to showcase books with a financial literacy theme. Inspired by this example, Carrie reached out to LiveWell
Frederick (a partnership of local agencies focused on encouraging healthy behaviors) to suggest a similar idea with healthy eating and physical activity themes. LiveWell Frederick, UME – Frederick, the Frederick County Public Library, and Frederick County Parks and Recreation worked together to get the program off the ground.
Now, throughout the summer and into early fall, you can find Story Path at various parks in Frederick County. The book changes every two weeks and has showcased titles like Giraffes Can’t Dance and Rainbow Stew. It has been well received by the community and has been a fun way for kids to get moving and enjoy a good book!
You can check out more information about the original idea here.
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The State of Maryland has undertaken some key initiatives to signal the importance of walking and walkability, not least of which is the designation of walking as our official state exercise! For several years, MDOT collaborated with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and many other partners, to heighten awareness of this fact by helping support “Walk Maryland Day.” Last year, this effort was expanded as MDOT hosted, in
partnership with other state, local, and private organizations, the first-ever Walktober.
October 2020 was officially designated as “Walktober” by Governor Larry Hogan. The initiative featured a month-long series of walk-focused events, to heighten awareness of the health, transportation, and environmental benefits of walking, and to highlight the importance of safety and accessibility in achieving the vision of a more walkable Maryland. Informed by public health concerns related to the pandemic, this inaugural effort entailed social media for several self-directed walk
opportunities, as well as four free webinars ("Walkinars"), and a series of registered walks around the State on Walk Maryland Day.
We are happy to say, Walktober was a huge success with thousands of Marylanders from across the State participating in the Walkinars. Thank you to all of our partners who helped host and promote the campaign; the presenters who provided exciting and informative sessions on pedestrian safety, health, tools, and initiatives; and the countless Marylanders who participated in the Walkinars or joined by walking on Walk Maryland Day. We hope that these Walkinar
sessions helped generate some new ideas and energy to support walking and walkability in your communities. If you missed any of the Walkinars, you can view the recordings here.
We are already working on plans for 2021’s Walktober campaign and would like to hear from you. Keep an eye on our website to be the first to know about planning strategies, partnership opportunities, information on upcoming Walkinars throughout the month of October, to be held every Thursday from 10 am - noon, and registration for Walk Maryland Day 2021 walks.
Please email us to share your suggestions for the 2021 Walktober campaign, or to provide your perspective and feedback on other walk initiatives for 2021 at: [email protected].
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Walkability Equals Access
By: Owen Bailey, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Farmer's Market demonstration project in Chestertown, MD
Photo courtesy of the Chestertown Farmers’ Market
Walkability seems like a simple idea, and yet the benefits can mean everything to a community and its residents. A community that includes more walkability is one that has more livability for residents, more value, and a cleaner environment. Generally, residents are healthier and happier as walkability creates more equitable access to parks, schools, and other basic services without the financial burden of car expenses.
One of the best tools to reduce society’s dependency on automobiles is by pursuing demonstration projects that allow citizens and business owners to try out new ideas and solutions for flawed street designs. Through cultivating partnerships between residents and their local governments, communities can design and implement demonstration projects safely and effectively with inexpensive materials, allowing designs to be tested and perfected before investing in
more permanent infrastructure.
Many communities are already deploying a demonstration project approach without necessarily calling it that. By blocking off streets for special events or creating “pocket parks” for outdoor dining, residents and motorists can try new ways of using roadways and sidewalks to support and improve the safety and accessibility of connections to business centers, parks, schools, and other basic services.
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Walking is a great way to de-stress, get physical activity, and boost productivity while following social distancing guidelines. Though walking can be a lot of fun, it is important to stay safe by following these safety tips:
- Wear bright, reflective colors
- Use sidewalks and crosswalks
- Stay alert
- Walk defensively
- Look left, right, left before crossing the street
For other great tips and resources, please click here.
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Made You Look's Art in the Right of Way Toolkit Launch
By: Vilde Ulset, Center for Social Design
Made You Look is a collaboration between the Maryland Institute College of Art's (MICA) Center for Social Design and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office. The goal is to make Baltimore a safer place for pedestrians and bicyclists by increasing visibility on two levels: (1) raising the visibility of individuals walking or biking in the City and (2) making local safety concerns visible to policymakers.
In March 2021, Made You Look will launch an Art in the Right of Way Toolkit, which has been developed in partnership with Baltimore City Department of Transportation. The toolkit is meant to make the process of installing traffic calming art easier to understand and to provide a step-by-step guide for Baltimore communities to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. Along with the launch, they will host a series of workshops on how to use the toolkit.
If you are interested in learning more about Made You Look, attending a workshop, or joining the newsletter distribution list, please reach out to [email protected].
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Marian Vessels Appointed as a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Member
On February 12, 2021, Governor Larry Hogan appointed Marian Vessels as the newest member of Maryland's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (MBPAC).
MBPAC is the state’s statutorily defined body for advising state agencies on bicycles and pedestrian initiatives. It is currently chaired by Jon Morrison and holds quarterly meetings that are open to the public. To strengthen its pedestrian focus, the group is looking forward to a more pedestrian-focused, ad-hoc subcommittee to inform MBPAC actions. For more information on MBPAC, or to join our next meeting on April 23rd, please click here.
Marian Vessels will bring a new perspective and significant expertise to MBPAC’s work. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Accessible Resources for Independence, and is an appointed member of the Howard County Commission on Disabilities. Marian previously served as the Director of the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, where she acting as the Center's liaison to business, employers, hospitality venues, and disability coalitions in
the six-state Mid-Atlantic Region (MD, VA, PA, DE, WV, and DC).
Prior to her role with the Center, Marian was the Executive Director of the Maryland Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, as well as the Director of the Maryland Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities. She has served as an Executive Board Member for the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She was appointed to the Maryland State Rehabilitation Council. Since her retirement four years ago, she has been actively engaged in
transportation and pedestrian initiatives in Howard County.
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Walking Trails Near the Bay Bridge
By: Leslie Sandoz, Friends of Queen Anne’s County Trails
Did you know that as you drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, you pass many great walking trails in Kent Island and Kent Narrows?
Stevensville, Chester, and Grasonville comprise a six- mile stretch along eastbound Route 50, that offer several trails that are perfect for walking during the spring and summer months. Terrapin Park offers the eight-mile Kent Island South Trail that leads to Matapeake and Romancoke Piers, the six-mile Cross Island Trail, and the Cross County Connector Trail.
There are many beautiful trails over the bridge to discover as you continue to practice safety guidelines this year.
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Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP)
Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) is a recognized Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) program, having produced valuable resources and providing technical assistance on proven countermeasures for pedestrian safety. Learn more by clicking the button below.
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Follow and like the new WalkCycleMD social media pages to get the latest bicycle and pedestrian news from MDOT. Please send any pedestrian initiatives or news that you would like to see on the pages to [email protected].
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We would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to this edition of Walk this Way: Carrie Sorenson, University of Maryland Extension (Follow the Story Path in Frederick County), Owen Bailey, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (Walkability Equal Access), Vilde Ulset, Center for Social Design (Made You Look Art in the Right of Way Toolkit Launch), and Leslie Sandoz, Friends of Queen Anne’s County Trails (Walking
Trails Near the Bay Bridge).
If you would like to be a guest author in a future edition of Walk this Way, please email Francine Waters at [email protected].
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