[B’ Spokes: This is too good not to be posted here as well. I will also note it is a shame BDOT will not even do a temporary study to see objectively if bike lanes will work here or not. All we are getting is that the City is afraid of change and that is not of acceptable.]
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\n\u201cThe bottom line here is that at least some parts of DOT do not want to inconvenience cars for even a minute, no matter the costs in safety to cyclists and pedestrians. This is a completely backwards policy suited more to 1962 than 2012. I don\u2019t know the numbers for sure \u2013 I\u2019d certainly love to see them \u2013 but I would be shocked if the current average traffic volumes on Mount Royal were high enough that removing a lane of traffic in each direction would result in a complete traffic standstill.\u201d
\n– Chris Merriam<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m far more concerned with the safety and quality of life that complete streets (and a dedicated bike lane) will bring residents, students, and cyclists on Mount Royal at all hours than I am with how quickly county residents can get to and from work at rush hour.\u201d
\n– Jed Weeks<\/p>\n
\u201cStudies in New York, Seattle and other places clearly demonstrate that added bicycle infrastructure and increased bicycle traffic reduce crash rates and severity for ALL users, including pedestrians AND vehicle occupants. Pedestrians cannot legitimately be used as any kind of excuse for prioritizing motor vehicles over bicycles.\u201d
\n– Bad Planner<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s a good idea: Get rid of the median. It\u2019s just wasted space. Scrunch the road together and there would be plenty of space for bikes and would reduce the excessive crosswalk lengths. Then get rid of all left-turns, which add conflicts and rob needed capacity. Anyone wanting to turn left should be on one of the one-way streets.\u201d
\n– Gerald Neily<\/p>\n
\u201cThe median is not wasted space. It prevents the street from being hideous. That\u2019s not a waste.\u201d
\n– Robert T.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the big picture: The thousands of excess cars per day need to be moved out of the Mount Vernon corridor, and over to the Jones Falls corridor for which it is suited. Instead, the city puts a bikeway on The Fallsway, where the cars should be, with the full acquiescence of the bike community. The Mount Vernon neighborhood has been fighting and losing this battle with the city for decades. The city needs a plan which puts neighborhoods first.\u201d
\n– Gerald Neily<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still dead wrong on the Fallsway, Gerald Neily. If it were well suited to do that job the giant viaduct superhighway wouldn\u2019t have been built on top of it. Motorists have been ignoring that option for decades, because they know it is slower than the other options available. The bicycling community acquiesces on the Fallsway separated bike lane because there is no reasonable question as to whether or not it is in there best interest. It clearly is. There is no other option available for a genuine and authentic transportation route for cyclists. Transforming Mt. Vernon into some sort of pedestrian paradise, which seems to be your chief concern, would not connect cyclists with their jobs downtown and their residential communities.\u201d
\n– Dukiebiddle<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is nicely shown by the photo \u2013 cyclists don\u2019t take a proper position in the road. They want bike lanes because they don\u2019t want to learn how to cycle effectively \u2013 or safely. Trust me, bike lanes aren\u2019t going to make people like the guy in the photo any safer. Learn to ride properly and you don\u2019t need a bike lane to be safe.\u201d
\n– Ian Brett Cooper<\/p>\n
\u201cAsking cyclists to take the lane there, especially less experienced ones, is unrealistic. There is a hill there and it can take some cyclists a while to make it up that road, causing drivers to honk and get really aggressive. Easy to sit behind a computer and ask people to do something which is actually very intimidating because drivers get very aggressive very quickly when they feel inconvenienced.\u201d
\n– Liam<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to take Mr. Cooper\u2013and our DOT officials\u2013on a bike ride through Baltimore. Ride along with us as we get cursed at, cut off by trucks, stumble over broken pavement, narrowly avoid giant potholes, blow a tire on broken glass, and still get to our destination before cars traffic. Bike transit is super efficient, but way too dangerous and stressful with little support from our city planners.\u201d
\n– Rose Reis<\/p>\n