TOWSON, Md. — Baltimore County police in the Towson precinct will soon be zipping around town on electric bikes, thanks to three electric RADCity bicycles donated by the Towson-area Fourth of July Parade Committee.
The police department said today that the new bicycles will be officially unveiled at the opening ceremony of the Towsontown Festival, at noon April 30.
Donations were made by Towson Hot Bagels, Bread and Circuses Bistro, and Barley's Backyard to help buy the bikes. The Towson Precinct Police and Community Relations Council also bought bicycle duty bags, helmets, locks and air pumps.
The police department noted that electric bikes are being used to step up patrols nationwide.
Spokesperson Joy Stewart said in a statement:
They will also allow for quicker response times in Central Towson and enhance our community engagement. These electric bikes will be especially beneficial in Towson, as the Towson Loop has 3.5 miles of bike lanes and the Towson Spoke has 2.2 miles of bike lanes.
The Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police posted photos of Towson officers attending a police bicycle school, hosted by Baltimore police at the Inner Harbor.
The FOP says the officers "will now be certified to operate the new electrode bicycles that have been donated by several Towson businesses to Precinct 6!"
The "Towson Loop" is a planned "bike beltway" around central Towson, including Bosley Avenue, Towsontown Boulevard, Hillen Road, Goucher Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue. "Towson Spokes" is planned to be a 5.8-mile combination of bike-route signage, bike lanes and shared-lane markings (called "sharrows"), from the Towson Loop to surrounding neighborhoods on parts of Kenilworth, Fairmount, Burke and Putty Hill avenues, and Cromwell Bridge and Providence roads.
Police have stepped up patrols in Towson lately, with Towson University paying for patrols overnight downtown .
