Victor Miranda has crashed his bike a few times and once got hit by a motorcycle while biking in Portugal. But safety concerns won't dim his passion for his two-wheeled mode of transportation.
"I'm definitely more careful, and I won't ride on certain streets that I would have in the past," said Miranda, whose daily commute covers about 1.5 miles between his house in Hampden and his office at Druid Hill Park, where he is a GIS specialist, making maps for city parks and forestry projects.
On Friday morning, he took his Surly touring bike on a detour down to Harbor East, where he celebrated Bike to Work Day with other bikers and bicycle advocates.
The annual event is held to put a spotlight on bicycle commuters, celebrating their less-polluting choice of transportation and highlighting the need for both bikers and drivers to be careful when sharing the region's roads.
Bicycle safety has been at the forefront of many bicyclists' minds, especially given recent high-profile crashes that took the lives of cyclists. The state averages about seven bicycle fatalities per year.
In December, Anneslie resident Thomas Palermo was struck and killed while riding in Roland Park on a warm winter day; a former Episcopalian bishop, Heather Elizabeth Cook, has been charged in the case. In 2013, popular Annapolis High School assistant cross country coach Patricia Cunningham was struck and killed on a rural road in Riva the driver was found guilty of traffic violations.
Siri Ming loves biking in Baltimore but often is concerned about safety. "I am a very cautious rider," she said.
Ming works from home in Upper Fells Point, so she doesn't have a daily commute. But whenever she travels in the city, she uses her bike. She also rides her bike to Penn Station to take the MARC train to Washington for a weekly teaching gig.
"I really plan my routes to where I know there are bike lanes," Ming said.
There have been efforts to remind bikers and drivers of the rules of the road, including a requirement that drivers give bikers three feet of space when passing. The Maryland State Highway Administration this week launched a campaign called "We're On This Road Together," which includes safety signs and highlighting bike lanes.
Still, Ming isn't convinced that most people know how bicyclists and drivers are supposed to act around one another.
"I think drivers are still pretty clueless," she said.
At Harbor East, bicyclists were greeted with information about a fundraising ride for cystic fibrosis research, fliers for downtown events sponsored by the Waterfront Partnership and treats including coffee, bagels, hemp-seed energy bars and organic smoothies made with a yogurt-like substance called skyr.
Mary Herbranson, an event planner for the advocacy group Bike Maryland, handed out "bike friendly" magnets. She's car-free and commutes from her home in Canton to the Bike Maryland office in Lutherville via bike and Light Rail. It usually takes her about an hour.
"I would much rather be on my bike and on the Light Rail train than in traffic," she said.
Despite the work of her group and others, Herbranson said the general public is slow to catch on to the need to be aware of the increasing legion of bike commuters.
Not enough people understand that "it's not just a hobby, it's a way of transportation," she said.
Krister Anderson has been commuting by bike for about a year from his home in Mount Vernon to his job with Johns Hopkins International in Fells Point, after getting sick of always waiting for the bus. His office building has showers and lockers and has added more bike racks.
Anderson finds that most drivers are OK, but he still carefully plans his routes to avoid busy streets during rush hour.
"It's just like being a driver," he said. "You expect people not to see you or not do the right thing, and you adjust accordingly."
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council coordinated more than 30 Bike to Work Day events from Westminster to Annapolis on Friday. More than 1,500 bicyclists were expected to participate. The council recently produced promotional videos with the theme of, "I bike because …"
Laura Van Wert, the council's communications officer, said governments and businesses have been trying to catch up with the increased interest in biking. In major cities, bike commuting has increased 80 percent since 2000.
"It's just letting people know that biking is an option," she said.
The Maryland Transit Administration celebrated Bike to Work Day by announcing the addition of a second bike car for MARC commuter trains. The bike cars have designated areas for riders to store their bikes. The bike cars usually run only on the weekends, but the MARC used them on Friday for Bike to Work Day.
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