Pedestrians, Bicyclists Vs. Cars: 12 Crashes in 10 Weeks
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Just 10 weeks into 2013, Montgomery County Patch.com websites have reported 12 vehicle collisions involving pedestrians or bicyclists. Four pedestrians and one bicyclist were killed as a result, with all of the deaths occurring in the middle and eastern portions of the county.
An analyst for Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro (D-Dist 4) described the cluster of deaths in Silver Spring and Wheaton as "simply unacceptable," and suggested police "aggressively ticket drivers who speed or fail to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks." (Read Navarro's blog post here.)
Responses from readers, however, were mixed.
After a 23-year-old Silver Spring bicyclist died after allegedly illegally crossing an intersection in downtown Silver Spring Sunday night, some readers said they observe pedestrians and bikers ignoring traffic signals.
The Action Committee for Transit, a Montgomery County-based transit advocacy group, took police to task Tuesday after three pedestrians were hit by cars within a few hours on Tuesday, March 12, including a woman with small children.
"All three collisions occurred where the pedestrians had the right of way," the group wrote in an email statement. "Yet county police responded with a press release entitled 'Police Remind Pedestrians To Be Careful.'
"Nowhere did the police tell drivers to obey the law, which requires drivers to yield to pedestrians on sidewalks and in marked and unmarked crosswalks."
Determining fault for collision deaths can be a lengthy process, said Capt. Paul Starks, head of the public information office for Montgomery County police. After police's Collision Reconstruction Unit submits a report to the county's state's attorney's office, that department decides if it will pursue charges against the driver, an end that is likely months away for this year's cases, he said.
For less serious incidents, drivers may be ticketed within days, said Officer Robert LaDany, public information officer for police. "Appropriate citations were issued," for the driver that hit a student walking to Watkins Mill High Tuesday morning, he said.
No update yet for the rest of the collisions.
Do you think pedestrian safety is a serious concern in Potomac and Montgomery County? Tell us in the comments.
Joni Williams
8:03 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
I teach my children that as the pedestrian you are the more vulnerable one in the equation of car vs. person. Always wait to see that a motor vehicle is completely stopped before walking into the street, even at a crosswalk. Yes, the law says the pedestrian/bicycle has the right-of-way but you can not always be sure the driver sees you or has the reflexes or time to stop if you dart out in front of them. Also, I drop a child off at high school at 7 am and at this time of year, with the addition daylight savings time, it is still dark and many of teenagers run across the street in random places assuming that the cars will see them and be able to stop - some of the other drivers are less experienced teen drivers. Montgomery County could use more pedestrian training/public service announcements.
David Epstein
10:37 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
It's time that MoCo police start rigorously enforcing traffic laws as they apply to bicyclists. I live in western Montgomery County (near Falls Rd. and Oaklyn Dr.) and bicylists ignore stop signs and traffic lights. They also routinely ride two or three abreast, even when cars are trying to pass them. How about publicizing the laws that apply to the above and get the police to hand out tickets, not just warnings. Accidents involving cyclists will probably plummet once they start obeying the laws!
John Brandt
2:56 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
I'd be happy to see greater enforcement on all violators (bikes, peds, and motor vehicles) of traffic violations that contribute to crashes. That said, MD state law states that a bicycle is a vehicle and is entitled to the full use of their lane when that lane is too narrow to be safely shared with a parallel motor vehicle (there is a 3-foot safe passing law in MD). When that occurs, bicyclists are legitimate vehicle drivers with the right to manage the space in their lane as they see fit. They aren't required to move over to let cars pass any more than cars must pull aside to let other faster cars pass and studies have shown that the "delay" to passing cars is negligible. It is also NOT illegal for motorcycles or bicycles to ride abreast in MD. Yes, bicyclists need to obey traffic laws, for their own safety and to gain the respect of non-cycllng motorists, but non-cyclists also need to know what those laws are so that we can both obey them and co-exist safely and without resentment.
Christina Hersh
12:43 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
I second David Epstein's comments. I live near the intersection of Glen and Falls Roads and every weekend, I see cyclists ignoring all traffic signals and have actually witnessed some of them engage in road rage incidents with drivers having the right of way.
David Epstein
5:48 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
I appreciate John's comment just above and I will assume for now that it is correct. However, if bicyclists (and as a teenager, I bicycled through Europe for two summers and over 4,000 miles) want to coexist with cars, they should not continue to ride two- or three-abreast just because they may. Cyclists should ride single file as much as possible, recognizing that they may need to overtake slower riders. Riding abreast so they can talk to their friends is not appropriate sharing of the road, even if legal. If there were no cars, cycle paths would not tyically be 12-15 feet wide (that is, not the full width of a car lane). So, use the road safely, but recognize that you do not own it, especially on busy single lane roads like Falls Road and use the bike lanes where they exist, especially on Falls Road.