The new bike lane setup on Cathedral Street is, in the opinion of many living in the Mount Vernon area, an unmitigated disaster.
First, everyone I've talked to was completely unaware of what was being done when the city crews began to paint the odd-looking striped areas along the street. I had to find out from my mailman what was going on.
All of my neighbors say the same thing: No information was disseminated, it just "happened."
While I'm sure there was some semblance of public announcements and perhaps interface with the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association, there was either no or very poor prior communication with nor input from area residents.
As a result the city has reduced a main snow emergency route and high-traffic street to one vehicle lane. In addition to automobiles, there are buses, large trucks and other vehicles that are prone to make frequent stops that essentially block the street and make traffic a nightmare.
The city has created the most ridiculous street parking situation imaginable by moving cars from the east side of the street to the middle of the street, which is a definite safety hazard for getting into and out of vehicles adjacent to the single remaining lane.
While many would probably like to make Baltimore a bike-friendly city, the fact is that it is not a city with high bicycle use. Cities like Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash., have lots of bicycle commuters. Even in those cities recreational riders mostly use designated off-road bike trails, not city streets.
And in most bike friendly cities the designated bike lane is to the edge of the road and clearly marked by double lines and signage so as not to disrupt vehicle traffic.
It seems as if Baltimore City is not responding to a need but rather trying to create one. That is a mistake. Neighborhood residents are shaking their heads that such a laughable, poorly planned, disruptive and clearly unneeded project has been forced upon such a beautiful and historic neighborhood. We clearly need a referendum and an opportunity to vote on removing this nightmare.
Jerry Cothran, Baltimore