Annapolis Capital Punishment

From a news release from city government:
On Friday, September 28th, the fourth Annapolis Eco Tour will take place as part of the greater Chesapeake Eco Tour which will involve riders starting in New York and ending in Virginia Beach. Annapolis city staff from Planning & Zoning, Public Works, Recreation & Parks, Transportation, and the Department of Neighborhoods & Environmental Programs will be participating in the ride around historic Annapolis. The ride will also be joined by local environmental activists.The tour starts on the sidewalk out in front of City Hall (Duke of Gloucester) at 10 AM and ends back at City Hall at around 4 PM.The 14-mile ride is tailored for people of varying abilities, with stops about every five minutes, so that riders can catch their breath. Riders should, however, have some recent experience riding a bicycle in an urban setting. *Helmets are required.* This tour will allow riders the opportunity to see virtually every type of environmental project under the sun in one day of cycling around Annapolis. There will be opportunities to ask questions about the technical and funding aspects of each project. Trip highlights include:* A large mixed-use development of the old hospital property in the heart of the Historic District;* A volunteer-run Bayscapes garden at a county school facility on College Creek;* A unique partnership at the Navy stadium where walking trails, removal of impervious surfaces, rain gardens, and extensive reforestation have recently taken root;* A cooperative tree planting demonstration project with BGE along the Poplar Trail;* A large green roof built atop one of the city's new landmark buildings at Westgate Circle;* A sensory garden at a county-run facility for the disabled;* Public & private rain gardens galore;* Volunteer projects at several community street end parks where rain gardens & living shorelines have been installed;* Public art along the Spa Creek Trail;* Living walls and compost piles at Truxtun Park, the City's largest recreational facility;* A one-of-a-kind storm water demonstration project with MDE at the region's first "urban" living classroom at Back Creek Nature Park;* Invasive's removal of Phragmites and other non-native vegetation;* An urban conservation easement obtained by the Annapolis Conservancy Board;* The Chesapeake Gateway to local waterways and Thomas Point Lighthouse at the Annapolis Maritime Museum;* A wide range of community GreenScape projects; * Rockfish, a certified "green restaurant" in Eastport;* The Alex Haley/Kunta Kinte Memorial and the historic City Dock area. Parker Jones from Capital Cycle will participate in the ride so that he can assist with flats or breakdowns along the way. Mr. Jones can also rent bikes & helmets to those who do not own their own bikes, or have no way to transport their bike to Annapolis.Trip Leader: Steve Carr (410) 757 5916 / After 9 AM on the day of the event, please call (410) 263-7997 (Mayor's Office

CP Comments: I am trying to keep an open mind about this one, as it is important to recognize what is being done and what can be done to beautify and diversify our ecological resources. Public and private actions deserve recognition and praise and we have a lot of good projects. Anytime we can get folks out on bicycles is worthwhile. However, last time this was done, it costs a couple of hundred bucks to participate and less than a handful showed up--besides city employees. CP is most disappointed that the beautiful native species gardens and landscaping which he was responsible for creating (with volunteer support) at the Department of Transportation on Chinquapin Round Road will not be on the tour. Of course, if it were, all one would see these days is the weeds that have gown back after the DOT, both through willful neglect, as well as intentional destruction such as lawn mowing and plowing over, have ruined forever. This includes killling the Chinquapin chestnuts and destroying the liatrice, eupatorium, coreopsis, etc., etc. Aaah, government--always going a step forward and a step backwards.

CP wonders when the Mayor will ever notice how that happened and how it reflects upon the mismanagement of the entire transportation department which treats most of its public property in the same manner. Of course, for p.r. sake, there might even be a transportation department employee or two on the ride, even though they don't take the bus or walk to work, except there is one stalwart bus driver who faithfully rides his bike. Even the director drives her pickup truck from her nearby home in the city. The marketing specialist comes into town from Severna Park in her BMW or road-hogging SUV and the transportation specialist drives from the historic district. How's that for reducing our carbon footprint, Mayor Moyer?

Again, the goal is not to hold nice bike rides, but to make Annapolis a truly biking and walking city where the role of the automobile will become less important over time.