The Gazette had a great article about cyclists and pedestrian safety in Prince George's County.
More pedestrians and bikers (285 bicycle and pedestrian deaths between 1994 and 2003) are killed Prince George’s County than in any other jurisdiction in the region, according to a report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Flaws in road design contribute to many of these deadly collisions, experts say.
‘‘You’re 10 to 15 times more likely to be injured riding a bicycle than in a car ... there’s a great lack of understanding or lack of awareness,” said Bill Kelly, co-founder of the College Park Area Bicycle Coalition.
Drivers are only faulted in about 20 percent of these fatal accidents, according to the State Highway Administration.
They mention a few improvements that are being planned
A plan is also on the books to expand the College Park Trail, which runs along Rhode Island Avenue, and provide an alternative to Route 1.
Residents in the southern part of the county scored a victory when the developers of National Harbor agreed to add bike lanes to Oxon Hill Road, where one person was killed in late 2005. The new Woodrow Wilson bridge will also include bike lanes, which will feed into trails leading up to it.
In the case of many new roads, Shaffer said, bike lanes are being built in. Other older roads are being re-striped to make the vehicle lanes smaller, and the bike lanes bigger.
It's also the first time I've heard that the PG County BTAG isn't defunct (it's just they don't update their website)
Quick fixes like these have been part of the focus of a county panel called the Bicycle and Trail Advisory Group. It also has sought long-term solutions since it was formed in 1998.
Two years ago, the group sent a list of county roads to the Department of Public Works and Transportation that needed minor but critical upgrades. The group requested continuous shoulders, re-striping and resurfacing. Spokeswoman Susan Hubbard said the department has tried to include these recommendations when they resurface or repair old roads.
Another list of needed state road improvements was transmitted to the State Highway Administration in July.
The trails advisory group is scheduled to meet with state highway officials in October to review the recommendations made in the July letter.
The weirdest thing in the article is the claim that one accident occurred because the driver had the radio and air conditioning on and thus didn't realize the cyclist was there. Unless the driver was Matthew Murdock, this really isn't an excuse.
It would be nice if the county would appoint a bicycle coordinator (they may have one, but I can't find any evidence of it).
Comments