Road better traveled
There’s no room for an ‘us vs. them’ mentality on Baltimore’s roadways
Road safety is not an either/or proposition. It is not a fight between cyclists and motorists, or between motorists and pedestrians. Rather, it is a compact among these groups that requires all sides to do their part, as prescribed by both law and common sense.
Let’s face it: City government has not done a very good job of planning or executing the transformation of Baltimore City into a 21st-century pedestrian-, cyclist-, and public transportationfriendly haven. Such grand designs require study, input from all participants and timely, coordinated communication of — and buy-in to — the design. Experiments in a few trendy neighborhoods, especially with no consideration for their impact on nonresident travelers, are shortsighted.
But cyclists, pedestrians and motorists also share responsibility for making the grand design work; and they share the blame for its failure. Pedestrians and motorists are so busy with their cellphones that they don’t see what’s around them until it’s too late. Cyclists may or may not wear their helmets. But what good is a helmet if the bike isn’t equipped with reflectors on their wheels and headlights on the front of the bike?
This is where knowing — and following — the rules of the road, and using common sense, can make the difference between getting to one’s destination or ending up in an emergency room or, worse, the morgue.
In 1960, when I was 7 years old, I got my first bicycle for Christmas. On Dec. 31 of that year, I went to my neighborhood police station (Northwest) to register my bike, in compliance with the then-current laws of Baltimore City. I received a registration card; a metal, numbered license plate to be affixed to the rear of my bike; and a booklet detailing the bicycle rules of the road. One of the first rules was that a bicycle was to be ridden in the street — not on a sidewalk. (Once, I got a ticket from the police for riding my bike on the sidewalk, near my grandmother’s house!) A cyclist was required to ride with car traffic, and not on the wrong the side of the road. The booklet also had pictures of the correct hand signals for making a left or right turn, and for stopping (at stop signs or red lights). I was required to have a working headlight and either a bell or a horn mounted on my bike, along with reflectors on the wheels, as well as a side-view mirror on the handlebar. At age 7, there was no way I’d be riding my bike at night, but I did have the required equipment. There was no such thing as a bicycle helmet in 1960 ( just as cars were not yet required to have seat belts), but if there were, I would have worn it. We were expected to follow the law. By 1962, when my registration was to expire, the Baltimore City Police Department no longer administered this safety program.
Now, flash forward to 2017. I understand that the world has changed radically over the past 55 years. But what happened to common sense? To be sure, car drivers don’t even follow the rules of the road; I can’t tell you how many times a driver has blithely blown through an obviously red light, or made a turn without stopping at the corner with a stop sign in plain view (but with no policeman in sight).
So, in some respects, I can understand the desire of the 21st-century cyclist to have dedicated bike lanes. But where are the cyclists? Why don’t I ever see them riding in droves in their lanes? Of the few bicyclists I have seen on city streets, and not just in fashionable neighborhoods like Charles Village or Roland Park, half have been riding the wrong way on a one-way street, with no reflectors, and/or while wearing dark clothes at night. Some don’t even bother using the bike lanes.
Pointing fingers at each other won’t solve the problem. Taking responsibility for one’s own actions on the road and paying attention to one’s surroundings would be a good first step.