by Donal
…
Investigation pending in accident that critically injured bicyclist
City police are stressing that the investigation into an accident that critically injured a Johns Hopkins University student who was riding a bicycle near campus is still pending. Nathan Krasnopoler, 20, was hospitalized after being struck Saturday by a vehicle being driven by an 83-year-old woman. …
The student was riding his bike in a marked bike lane on West University Parkway at the intersection with West 39th Street when he was hit by a vehicle trying to turn right, police have said. When officers arrived, Krasnopoler was trapped under the vehicle, according to a police report.
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They’re stressing that because the local cycling community is incensed at early reports that the cyclist was found at fault, which happens with depressing regularity. Bike Baltimore responds by citing the law:
§ 21-1209.(d) Yielding right-of-way – Unless otherwise specified in this title, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a person who is lawfully riding a bicycle, an EPAMD, or a motor scooter in a designated bike lane or shoulder if the driver of the vehicle is about to enter or cross the designated bike lane or shoulder.
A few weeks ago, I sat in on a meeting of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee. I’ve been following the Bike Baltimore blog for over a year, almost since it started. Bike Baltimore recently started a Facebook group, which I joined, which got me invited to the meeting. I dithered a bit but the office building is only a short walk from the office. Even though the snow had been cleared from the roads, I was leery of black ice, so I had been walking to the light rail stations. I walked past the red light block on Baltimore Street, where some fellow told me I was passing up the finest show in town. Everyone else at the meeting came by bike, and were allowed to bring them up to the office.
They all seemed to know each other, except for the the invited guest, Police Major Tony Brown, who seemed ill-at-ease at first, but asked very direct questions about what we cyclists felt were the biggest problems facing us. Some of the others offered a few complaints about being harrassed by aggressive drivers at certain locations. I was thinking that we were not addressing the real issue, but being new, I decided to be more of a listener. Someone blamed cyclists that disregard the law, and others blamed bicycle messengers, the buccaneers of pedaling, for pissing off drivers.
I see reality a bit differently. We build roads for traffic. Often the roads have sidewalks. According to the letter of the law, trucks, cars and bikes are supposed to use the roads, and pedestrians and perhaps children on trikes are supposed to use the sidewalks. The law varies as to how bikes may use the road. The old standard was that bikes stay to the right, while newer laws entitle a bike to full use of a lane.
That last part is the fundamental disagreement. Auto drivers don’t even want to slow down for other cars, much less to follow bikes. They don’t even want to change lanes to pass bikes, and cyclists don’t want to be forced into the curb by cars passing in the same lane. But trying to claim the entire lane really ticks off drivers.
One solution is to build separate bike lanes, but even if money can be found, taxis and even city officials park in those lanes. Another is to require that autos and trucks stay at least three feet away from bikes, but enforcement seems unlikely. In some respects I think this will play out like the situation with LGBT rights. I don’t think American drivers will tolerate bikes until more and more of them have cyclists in their family, or in their workplace, or in some way identify personally with cyclists.
https://dagblog.com/social-justice/right-way-9226oldId.20110304100223139
I agree with most of the issues you raised. As someone who often commutes by bike, I have dealt with a lot of crap. Actually, just the other day on Charles Street near Penn Station, a police officer came up behind me, honked, then sped around me (less than 3 feet away) and then rolled down his window when we both stopped at the next light. It was very, very hard to hear him but he told me I was not allowed on the road. I said that as long as there is no bike lane and the speed limit was under 50, I was allowed. Again, it was hard to hear, but I think he said something along the lines of that since there was no "Share The Road" sign, I was not allowed to bike on that road. Then the light changed and he sped off. I was approximately 1/3rd of the lane in so as to not get hit if a parked car opened their door and at the same time, so I would not be forced into a parked car if someone (say a mis-informed police officer) passed too close.
Anyway, I certainly feel the plight of the biker but I also feel it is somewhat of an apples-to-oranges comparison with the plight of the LGBT community, I STRONGLY sympathize with both but one is based of a fight for rights and recognition. The other is about safety. I do think that the driver should have been cited and fined, but I really care much more that she, and every other driver, not needlessly endanger my life, whether the law recognizes that or not.