Category: Biking in Baltimore

Open letter to Reliant Fish Co:

This is to inform you that one of your drivers came very close to causing me a great deal of harm. Please inform your drivers that making a right on red requires a full and complete stop before proceeding (and that is at the first line you come to at an intersection not the last one, that is the crosswalk.) State law also requires yielding to any pedestrian lawfully in a crosswalk. This is NOT done by veering left a bit so the front part of the truck avoids the pedestrian and then sharply turning right so the rear of the vehicle can mow down the pedestrian.

Please help make Maryland with the 4th highest pedestrian fatality rate safer.

Thank you.

The family of a Baltimore man who was killed last year when his bicycle collided with a large truck has settled a lawsuit against the alleged hit-and-run driver and Potts & Callahan Inc. Trial in the case was scheduled to begin on Monday. However, attorneys for John R. Yates’ survivors and the defendants struck the […]
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[B’ Spokes: That’s all the info available to those who don’t subscribe (pay) to the Daily Record so I hope that is good news and justice was done. (Trucks turning across the path of a cyclist without signaling and not being at fault makes my blood boil.)]
Continue reading “Latest on Jack Yates”

42% of Baltimore residents have a Walk Score of 70 or above.

Baltimore’s most walkable neighborhoods are Federal Hill, Downtown, Inner Harbor. Baltimore’s least walkable neighborhoods are Wakefield, Franklintown, Hunting Ridge.

76% have a Walk Score of at least 50—and 24% live in Car-Dependent neighborhoods.

Continue reading “Explore Baltimore’s Most Walkable Neighborhoods”

Letter sent to the Mayor:

On 11-21-10 at 7:33 PM as a pedestrian I was crossing lawfully (wearing a reflective jacket) Reisterstown Rd at Seven Mile when a Police car #09(8)117 made a left turn from Seven Mile to go South on Reisterstown heading directly into me. I yelled and they came to a stop a few feet into the crosswalk almost hitting me. So I said loudly "Hang up and drive." to which the officer just smiled/laughed and then drove off. This is no laughing matter! Maryland ranks the 4th highest in pedestrian fatality rate, Baltimore City 42% of all traffic fatalities are pedestrains, Baltimore County the 2nd highest count of pedestrian fatalities.

Please understand that I am a very shaken over this event, It was Baltimore City Police but the intersection falls in Baltimore County. I would love to request a crack down on drivers that fail to yield to pedestrains at this location as there have been weeks where it’s been a daily occurrence for me. And please, tell your officers to hang up the cell phone and drive safe.

Thank you.

I ran into a expert witness for the John Yates court case last night. If it goes to court it will be 11/29/2010, note that there is a possibility they will settle outside of court. He viewed the video and it clearly shows the truck at fault and indeed it was the truck that struck the cyclist, not the other way around.

Now I would like to remind our readers of the statement made by the police:

I am the commander of the Traffic Section within the Baltimore Police Department. I supervise the Crash Team and therefore the e-mail you authored to Mayor Sheila Dixon was forwarded to me for a response.

I was at the scene of this tragic crash and I know that this incident was investigated thoroughly from the very beginning as a very serious issue, as all fatal crashes are. We have obtained a video of this incident that shows the entire event.

There are only some aspects of this case that are public record. I will tell you that the video clearly shows the cyclist to be at fault. There is no “right to the road” as a cyclist. You have the same rights as a motor vehicle and also the same obligations. The cyclist was not operating within those parameters. The tanker truck that the cyclist struck was a large one. The cyclist struck it in the rear. There is no evidence to support that the driver was ever aware there was an impact. Do not believe what the media reports as entirely true regarding this or any event.

The investigators within the unit are very educated and experienced in all types of crashes and have attended several schools specific to the physics of a pedestrian crash and a cyclist fatal crash. With regard to the question of it being investigated as a hit and run accident, not only was it investigated as such but the truck was located by investigators within a few days of the incident.

Please feel free to contact my office if you have any further questions.

Lt. Leslie Bank
Traffic Commander
Baltimore Police Department

First I wounder if this is the same error MVA made but without “the responsibility to move aside and let you pass.” Or per MVA’s correction a cyclists “has exactly the same rights as any other vehicle … and is subject to all the duties required of the driver of a vehicle”. This simply is not true, as this rule as stated in 21-1202 has exceptions, and one of those is unless there is a bicycle specific rule. So for cyclists position on the roadway. The law says a cyclists “shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway” and we are allowed to move further left if we can find a lawful excuse. Certainly for safety we encourage cyclists to be aware of how far left they are lawfully allowed and why but the assertion that we are required to be as far left as legally allowed is false and goes against MVA’s advice to move aside and the guidance in the State’s Drivers’ Handbook “A bicycle should be operated as close to the right side of the road as practical and safe.” or the police are asserting that it is unlawful for a cyclist to ride right or be courteous and move aside. And remember it is a fact that the truck did not signal its turn.

Is it really too much to ask that all levels of government supply a consistent message to cyclists? It’s a very bad joke to tell cyclists to be courteous and ride out of the way of motorists so you can be at fault in a crash. Which is it, are we legally obligated to get out of the way (per MVA) or not (per Police)? And also note the confrontational tone in the underlined portion. If a cyclists is riding lawfully then we do have rights and it is unlawful for another vehicle to violate the right-of-way of another, especially without giving warning (signaling.)

Lastly I’ll show some screen captures from MDOT’s Bicycling Guide for Adults that show Yates’ approximate road position +/- a few inches (He was riding 3′ from parked cars (outside the door zone (a hazard.))

Keep in mind that I have not seen the video of Yates’ crash, but is riding the “line” unlawful? The line certainly qualifies in concept as a far right portion of the roadway. Or maybe Yates was a few inches further right then what’s shown here so now it becomes so outrageously unlawful the Police have to make an outcry of the wrongness by stating There is no “right to the road” as a cyclist” Seriously? Cyclists can’t lawfully ride out of the way of motoring traffic?

Watch MDOT’s video here (click Roadway Riding.) And see if “Riding (slightly) in an area where parking is permitted is illegal.” For a video that highlights riding in Baltimore you would think that they would mention that.

Certainly for safety we recommend cyclists ride further left to help prevent scofflaw motorists from illegally turning in front of cyclists. But the inverse is not true “If a motorists turns in front of a cyclists then the cyclists was not lawfully riding far enough left.” Which seems to be the police’s implication. Driving with your lights on improves your safety but failing to follow safety advice does not make you at fault in accident just because you didn’t have your lights on. In the same way riding further left may improve your safety but to make a case not left enough by a few inches seems incredulous to me. Or maybe it’s a case of “passing on the right” read Bob Mionske on that subject for clarification of another incredulous claim.

So in prep for the informational hearing, cyclists all over Baltimore are wondering how in the world could a truck that fails to signal and kills a cyclist when turning right not be at fault? And then we get yelled at “There is no “right to the road” as a cyclist” besides being an incorrect statement, it fails to explain anything and is extremely inflammatory.

I will strongly assert the law does not work by saying lawfully the cyclists could have been somewhere else so that’s where they should have been. The law does work by asking does the law allow the cyclists to be where he was? And I dare the police to state in no uncertain terms that a cyclist has no right to ride far right on the roadway.

by
Sue J

I want to be excited by the news that Baltimore leaders are trying to make this a more attractive city to those who might be considering moving here, and I really want to get excited at the prospect of riding my bike around town to do errands and not get run off the road by angry motorists. The rest of the world includes bicycles in their transportation planning, because they have to. Do we have to wait until we are as congested as Vietnam or China, for example, before we decide that maybe bikes deserve to be on the road, too?

But some of the comments at the story in the Baltimore Sun, really have me wondering what is wrong with people. Bicycles should be banned? Cyclists should be Tased, maced, and clotheslined?

Baltimore City Council passes Cyclists’ Bill of Rights

The most sensible comment I’ve heard in a long time is from the person who notes that motorists who complain that bicyclists don’t obey the law are simply not aware of the majority of bicyclists who are doing just that. It’s only the errant cyclist — the one cuts you off/ runs a red light/ zooms past pedestrians on the sidewalk, etc., etc. — that’s the one who becomes your idea of a bicyclist. Most bicyclists are very safe because they are well aware of the huge disparity of weight between them and you, barreling down on them in your SUV. (Full disclosure here: I have an SUV as well as a bike.)

If you agree with me that there’s too much traffic on the roads, think about how much it would help if some of those cars were replaced by bikes. I think it would make a tremendous impact. Here’s what the City Council Resolution calls for:

• equal access to city streets
• greater involvement in planning by bicyclists
• greater awareness of bicyclists’ rights in accident cases
• improved bike parking and mass transit access for bicycles

 I think we can live with that. What do you think?

image: Jean-Marie Hullot

Continue reading “Bicycling in Baltimore: Will it get better?”

Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee: this Tuesday, November 16th, 6 pm in the Department of Planning’s Conference Room (417 E. Fayette St, 8th Floor). We’ll be meeting with Councilmember Mary Pat Clarke, who championed “the Bike Bills”, on how we can assist the city in future street projects.

Also at the meeting, we’ll need your help with

* Preparing for the informational hearing with the Baltimore Police Department
* Requesting areas of enforcement for vehicular traffic parking in bike lanes
* Making recommendations to the city for adhering to the Cyclists Bill of Rights
* Representing biking interests in the B’more Streets for People program

Many hands make light work! Come help your city and fellow cyclists make Baltimore more bikeable!
Continue reading “Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee: this Tuesday, November 16th”

If you want change, make your voice heard!

Read more at: https://www.bikebaltimore.org/had-a-bad-bikebus-experience-mta-wants-to-know/

"Bicycle traffic and safety was discussed. Mr. Ledebur recounted that floating bike lanes and sharrows along York Road are impractical as long as there is restricted parking/travel lanes along the corridor. It was also explained York Road is not considered a major bike corridor in the City’s Bicycle Master Plan, and that Old York Road is also a viable parallel alternative for bicycle traffic. The City has directed the Design Team to include “Share the Road” signage within the project corridor to increase awareness and safety of bicycle traffic."
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[B’ Spokes: This is all well and good but still I would like to see the City make use of the "Bikes May Use Full Lane" signs. IMHO share the road signs are more appropriate in rural areas and less appropriate in urban settings.]

Continue reading “Third Public Meeting Minutes – York Road Streetscape Project”

We received a lot of great feedback which we will incorporate into the final plan. In general, communities want a more pedestrian friendly street, slower traffic, and a “Main Street” character to Belair Road which serves the needs of local businesses and residents rather than capacity expansions for pass-through traffic. Here’s a brief summary of the concerns we heard:

* Intersection of Parkside and Belair – lots of cars running into fixed objects and buildings
* Intersection of Belair and Erdman – dangerous left turning movements, cars running into sidewalks, high crash numbers. Community recommended left turn lanes/signals and bollards on sidewalk
* Crosswalk needed somewhere between Erdman and Sinclair Lane. Bus stops, shopping mall, and large gap between pedestrian crossings (3500 ft.) causes people to jay walk at mid-block
* Need handicapped parking somewhere on Belair Road
* Need better pedestrian lighting near businesses
* Median/bumpouts/beautification needed near commercial districts to slow traffic down and create safer, walkable areas
* Consider streetcars as a long term goal. Streetcars down the middle of Belair Road would improve businesses visibility, vitality and act as traffic calming for cars.
* New crosswalks should be stamped concrete or asphalt and painted with bright colors to slow traffic down and make crosswalks more visible.
* Consider bumpouts near intersections to improve driver/pedestrian visibility and prevent cars from parking right up against intersection
* Speeding traffic hurts businesses – drivers speed like they are on a highway, creating an intimidating place for pedestrians.
* Broken/crumbling sidewalks throughout Belair Road
* Pinch points (places where sidewalk width is less than 5 feet) causes people who use a wheelchair to ride on street
* Speed cameras at Gardenville Elementary School at Belair & Frankford
* More frequent buses on Moravia and Frankford intersections needed
* Traffic calming needed on cut through roads in upper Belair Road corridor
* Short term implementation items should be:
– o Traffic/pedestrian safety improvements at intersection of Belair and Erdman
– o ADA compliant curb ramps and widening “pinch points”
– o Rebuilt and more visible crosswalks
– o Pedestrian paddles in middle of street
– o Portable speed cameras/displays
– o Pedestrian countdown timers

Continue reading “Belair Road Corridor Improvement Study”