Bike safety month starts May 1. Is AAC ready?

"Biking has had a big upswing during COVID-19," said Jon Korin, president of Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (BIKEAAA). "More and more people are biking. It's been a safe way to travel."

Along with the changes in the number of cyclists, has come a change in the technology used to  monitor bike - car interactions. Not only do many cyclists now have cameras on their bikes to record close encounters, but law enforcement has new tech in its toolbox--the C3FT.

The C3FT, which is produced by Codaxus LLC, of Austin, Texas, is a bicycle-mounted electronic system designed for the purpose of detecting, capturing, and displaying the proximity of passing vehicles. It was obtained by the Anne Arundel County Police Department through a grant provided by the Maryland Highway Safety Office.

Representatives from the Anne Arundel County Police Department, The Maryland Highway Safety Office, and the Look Alive campaign were on hand Thursday at an Annapolis event, to provide information about education efforts and to explain the C3FT device functionality.

"It's a handlebar-mounted device with sonar, (which) measures the distance between the handlebars and the car," Korin explained. "The vast majority of drivers will give cyclists plenty of room, but occasionally you'll get a bad driver."

Throughout May, The Anne Arundel County Police Department, along with agencies across the region, will be conducting education and enforcement efforts to inform drivers about bicycle safety laws.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department is teaming up with the Look Alive campaign of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and the Maryland Highway Safety Office in an effort to reduce bicyclist injuries and deaths by calling attention to the “three foot law.” Drivers must give at least three feet when passing a bicyclist.

For more information about the C3FT visit https://codaxus.com/c3ft/c3ft-v3/The Look Alive campaign offers safety tips for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Learn more about the program at www.LookAliveMD.org.

Saturday, April 31, in Glen Burnie, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. there is a planned demonstration of signal people at the crosswalk near Aquahart Road and the B&A Trail, near the Bruster's ice cream shop. 

The participants will be there, dressed in white spandex, to encourage crosswalk safety.

"They look like white mummies," Korin said, 

Awareness has been shown to have a direct impact on road safety. Statistics have shown, Korin said that the more drivers are on the road with cyclists, the more careful both groups tend to become.

"Everybody becomes more accustomed to looking out for one another," he said,

For the first time since the pandemic, BIKE AAA is once again planning its Lifeline 100 charity event. The public is encouraged to registered for this cycling event at LifeLine100.com, which Korin called "one of this year's most inclusive events," for local bike enthusiasts.