From a letter sent out last night.
Throughout the years, Bike Maryland has been an active voice for bicyclists in Maryland, passionately advocating for safer bicycling through better infrastructure, legislation, education and enforcement. With your generous support, we believe we have helped to make a difference. However, revenue has not kept up with the costs of doing our mission, and with great disappointment, we have recently laid off our dedicated and talented paid staff.
The Board of Directors is working to maintain Bike Maryland as an all-volunteer organization supporting state wide advocacy and bicycle safety education where grant funding is available. To support the administrative costs of these efforts, planning for Larry's Ride will continue, and we intend to ensure the seventh year of this key bicycling event is the most successful one ever. We hope you plan to attend or volunteer for this fun fall ride.
We are appreciative of the support we have received from our members, sponsors, donors, and event participants. With your continued support, Bike Maryland will be an effective voice for cyclists in our great state. We look forward to reaching out and engaging our cycling community in this important endeavor.
It's surprising to me that a state like Maryland can't support a professional bicycle advocacy organization. Cyclists who ride in Maryland will be worse off for this turn of events.
Virginia Bicycling Federation is all volunteer. This keeps their mission very focused in Richmond--for better or worse.
Posted by: KWest | July 08, 2016 at 08:44 AM
I have to say, as a cyclist in Maryland, I haven't really seen much that Bike Maryland has done for me.
Posted by: Crickey7 | July 08, 2016 at 10:34 AM
They do a lot of advocacy in Annapolis. They're the reason there is a 3-foot law in MD, for example.
Posted by: washcycle | July 08, 2016 at 10:54 AM
Crickey: I used to say the same about WABA, until people on this blog told me how wrong I was. I was wrong, and rejoined WABA and got more involved.
Posted by: SJE | July 08, 2016 at 10:59 AM
Of course they cant get anything accomplished. Look at Baltimore...
Posted by: Mabel | July 09, 2016 at 11:05 AM