Starting its 36th season, the Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar returns April 7 at its weirdly iconic home underneath the Jones Falls Expressway at Holliday and Saratoga streets.

For 2013, the farmers' market and bazaar welcomes several new Baltimore farms, including Big City Farms and Five Seeds, as well as the Farm Alliance of Baltimore City.

According to the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA), the market moved to its current location in 1985, after originally launching at Market Place. On peak Sundays, more than 8,000 people attend.

For anyone who hasn't been — and we can't imagine who at this point — here's a description of the market, which runs through December, from BOPA's website:

"While strolling through Maryland's largest producers-only market, shoppers can revel at the sight of a vast quantity of foods, including crisp fruits and vegetables, poultry, seafood, beef, pork, lamb, bison, goat, rabbit, fresh baked goods, flavorful herbs and organically raised and produced milk, yogurt, butter, eggs and cheese products.  Additionally, dozens of food vendors add spice to the market with multicultural cuisine such as popular pit beef sandwiches, omelets and breakfast burritos, crepes, wood fired pizzas, pies and quiches, soups, noodles and dumplings. Vegan items are sold as well.

The bazaar offers shoppers a variety of unique crafts and collectibles including jewelry, handbags, hair accessories, clothing, rugs, pottery and wooden items, stained glass and photographs."

The General Assembly approved Gov. Martin O’Malley’s transportation initiative Friday, legislation that will raise gas taxes to rebuild the state’s depleted highway construction and repair funds, as well as move forward on long-term light rail projects.

Citing legislative analysts, the Washington Post reports that motorists will likely pay an additional 13-20 cents per gallon by mid-2016.

Essentially, the legislation creates a wholesale tax that will be indexed to the price of fuel. The current 23.5-cent gas retail tax in Maryland hasn’t been raised since 1992 and is not adjusted to inflation.

The legislation ensures that revenues generated from the new gas tax will be dedicated for transportation projects. Currently, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metro region commuters suffer from some of the worst congestion in the country, costing the state an estimated $3 billion annually, according to a transportation study funded by state business groups. The legislation is expected to raise $4.4 billion in revenue for transportation projects over the next six years.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell also recently passed a massive transportation bill in his state, albeit with a different funding mechanism, to help alleviate congestion in the Hampton Roads area and Northern Virginia.

Among other projects, the revenue from the transportation bill will enable plans for the 14-mile Baltimore City/Baltimore County Red Line and the proposed 16-mile light rail Purple Line from Bethesda to Prince George's County to continue moving forward.

“With the passage of the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act today, we will support more than 57,000 jobs, ease traffic congestion, and build a 21st century transportation network,” said Gov. O’Malley in a statement. “Maryland has now recovered nearly 95 percent of the jobs lost during the Bush recession, and today’s vote will help us put even more families back to work.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is requesting a total of $922,000 in federal funds for the implementation of a Baltimore City bikeshare program and a feability study of a similar program in Howard County.

MDOT is requesting $882,000 to implement a bikeshare program in Baltimore City and $40,000 for the Howard County feasibility study, according to an announcement Monday from the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB). Baltimore's bikeshare program, according to the BRTB, is aimed at providing an affordable and healthy transportation option for residents, tourists and employees in and around the city's core neighborhoods. Currently, 35 percent of Baltimore households do not have access to a car and local bike counts show a 35 percent increase in commuter bicycling between 2009 and 2010, according to the BRTB.

Charm City Bikeshare plans include placing stations in a variety of areas, including low-income neighborhoods near downtown, with initially 425 bicycles at 44 stations.

At the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting earlier this month, Nate Evans, Baltimore's bike and pedestrian planner, said the city has continued to look for a way to bring a bike-sharing program to Baltimore after negotiations with B-cycle fell through last year. Evans said Baltimore City was seeking approval from MDOT and the State Highway Administration to begin contract talks with the bicycle-sharing company Alta, which operates the very successful and ever-expanding Capital Bikeshare program in Washington, D.C.

The Capital Bikeshare program in Washington, D.C., Alexandria and Arlintonton, VA, now includes over 1,670 bicycles at more than 175 stations. The bikes have been used to make nearly 3 million rides in the two years since the program was introduced. There are now also plans to expand the Capital Bikeshare program to Montgomery County.

In Howard County and Columbia, preliminary demand analysis indicates a strong likelihood for success, according to the BRTB. "A week-long survey to gauge community support received 700 responses with 77 percent expressing strong support for implementing a bikeshare program," according to the BRTB press release.

Welcome, March equinox! With the official first day of spring at hand, it seems like a good time to post some links to upcoming Baltimore bicycling events and activities — mostly pure fun.

1) Baltimore Bike Party, March 29: Last Friday of every month ride around the city, including after-party. This month's theme is Superheroes and Supervillians.

2) Project Clean Stream, April 6: Nonprofit MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts) and the Department of Public Works team to clean up the Loch Raven Reservoir area. Post-clean up barbeque.

3) East Coast Greenway Conference, April 26-27: Friday Happy Hour reception and ride, followed by day-long conference at the Inner Harbor's World Trade Center. From their blog: "The East Coast Greenway is a developing trail system, spanning nearly 3,000 miles as it winds its way between Canada and Key West, linking all the major cities of the eastern seaboard. Nearly 25 percent of the route is already on safe, traffic-free paths." More info on Greenway network here.

4) Kinetic Sculpture Race, May 4: Sponsored by the American Visionary Arts Museum, simply the wildest bicycling event in Baltimore. Maybe anywhere. Check the photos of last year's bicycled-powered, amphibious "race."

5) Bike to Work Day, May 17: Organized in the Baltimore area by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and includes events in Columbia, Annapolis, Towson and Bel Air. Last year, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined in the fun.

6) Bike Jam, May 19: Annual day of men's and women's bicycles races, including the Kelly Cup Pro Race, and family activities at Patterson Park. International and local racers competing. Two casual, recreation rides around town, a 12-miler and a 31-miler early in the morning.