baltimorespokes

B’ Spokes: If the announcement was along the lines "Let’s watch out for each other" or even better "Bus driver, it’s your lawful duty to yield to pedestrians." or "Driver take your time and don’t turn till it’s safe." that might be cool but "Pedestrians, bus is turning. Pedestrians, bus is turning," that’s just wrong.

Trying to put responsibility on the pedestrian to yield to a turning bus is outrageous! See previous coverage: https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20110322122507481

With apologies to IBTimes but I am going to introduce a lot of satire into their piece:

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Some pedestrians in Maryland are being harassed by buses turning at the street corner — automatically by the bus itself.

The harassment system – already being used in some cities – is being tested on 10 buses operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. MTA’s main bus service area is in Baltimore.

Sensors on the bus detect when the steering wheel turns which is already too late to serve as a warning but works fine just to harass and intimidate pedestrians. A pair of external speakers are used to announce pedestrians that the turn is already underway so run for your lives. There’s also an internal speaker with the same message for the driver.

"Pedestrians, bus is turning. Pedestrians, bus is turning," a loud voice from a pair of speakers outside the bus states.

MTA spokesman Terry Owens says the MTA’s engineers are always on the lookout for ways to boost the ability for bus drivers to drive aggressively and not yield to anything as that just slows down service.

"We are interested in embracing anything that’s going to help put the blame on someone else then on our drivers," he said. "One accident involving a pedestrian where we were at fault is one accident too many. If there is technology that’s available to help teach pedestrians to get the heck out of the way of a bus then we will consider it seriously."

The tests, which were announced last week, will last two months. Systems from two companies – ProTran 1 and Clever Devices – are being considered to roll out the technology on more buses if the test is successful.

Owens says that system installation will cost between $1500 and $2500 per bus, although it’s too soon to tell what the final price will be.

"We want to hear from our operators and certainly from the street, so much so there is no contact info in this press release, if you get my drift." he said.

[B’ Spokes: Again, the above is satire – Witty language used to convey scorn.]

Continue reading “Maryland Tests ‘Talking’ Buses to Warn Distracted Pedestrians Lawfully Crossing in a Crosswalks”

Noon – 1:00 pm: Biking in Baltimore

House Bill 363, which would create a new crime of negligent homicide by vehicle, is up for a vote in the Maryland Senate tomorrow. Bike advocates say the bill is designed to stop motorists involved in fatal bicycle crashes from getting off with a minor traffic violation. The family of a comatose Johns Hopkins University student, critically injured while riding his bicycle last month in north Baltimore, has brought a $10 million lawsuit against the driver whose car struck him. Bike safety and culture in Baltimore:  Will legislative measures and lawsuits be enough to make the streets safer for cyclists? And could the city ever embrace a bike-sharing program popular in Washington, Portland, and Boston, where a network of high-tech bikes and computerized kiosks are available to residents and tourists? Our guests: Nate Evans, bicycle & pedestrian planner for the Baltimore Department of Transportation; Fern Shen, editor and publisher of Baltimore Brew; and Carol Silldorff, executive director of Bike Maryland.
Continue reading “Tuesday, April 5 MIDDAY with DAN RODRICKS 88.1 WYPR”

We have sad news to report regarding Nathan Krasnopoler, our student who was hit by a car and critically injured on Feb. 26. Nathan’s family has informed us that the brain damage that Nathan sustained as a result of the accident appears to be permanent and he is not expected to recover any cognitive function. We are deeply saddened to learn this and ask that everyone join us in keeping Nathan and his family in their thoughts at this very difficult time.

Sincerely,

Nicholas P. Jones
Benjamin T. Rome Dean, Whiting School of Engineering