In response to Colin Campbell's most recent article on road construction in Baltimore ("Downtown road work, detours galore driving commuters crazy," Sept. 24), I can only echo and amplify his sentiments that it is nearly an untenable proposition to drive from place to place in Baltimore in a timely, safe fashion.
I recently participated in a charity motorcycle ride to benefit prostate cancer research involving 40 motorcycle enthusiasts riding to various tourist destinations in the city including Fells Point, the Inner Harbor, Washington Monument, Camden Yards, The Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens and others. Fortunately, we all survived the 30-mile trip on public roads unscathed, but only due to extreme skill and diligence and a high consciousness for safety of ourselves and the riders around us. Baltimore's streets are in a disgraceful state of disrepair including potholes, ancient trolley tracks that serve no purpose, cobblestones that have been haphazardly repaired or left fallow, manhole covers that are either worn smooth and sunken four inches below grade or raised six inches above it, bridge expansion joints wide enough to lose a tire in, broken chunks of concrete, huge metal plates above construction excavations left six inches above surface grade — the list goes on and on.
I challenge the city leadership to give up their comfortable, highly-padded and sound-proofed SUVs for a day and trade them for a more pedestrian mode of transport like a motorcycle or small sedan and try traversing the city as we did. I guarantee their feelings about accelerating road resurfacing projects would change dramatically.
We are in desperate need of capital to improve infrastructure and constantly bemoan the lack of tourism and low visitor turnout for events in the city, yet when they finally work up the courage to brave the shooting gallery and come to Baltimore by car, they are met with roads in such bad state of repair as to force them to turn around and leave without having spent a dime — except on vehicle repairs when they get home. If we want people to visit the city and see some of the wonderful things we have to offer, wouldn't it be nice to make it feasible for them to get there safely and comfortably without risking life, limb and vehicle?
David Poulos, Sparks