BALTIMORE — A 47-year-old bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run over the weekend. Neighbors say crashes are a common occurrence at the intersection where it happened. That's evidenced by the sea of car parts strewn across the side of the road.
Julian Lipscomb has only lived near the intersection of West Franklin and Payson Streets for a few months. But already, he's grown used to seeing crashes here.
“Actually like 20 minutes ago, There was an accident, a fender bender. There was a five car pile-up maybe like four or five days ago. It always happens right there. In a month, it's probably been like four accidents right there," Lipscomb said.
This past weekend's hit and run happened after midnight Saturday into Sunday. The male victim hasn't been identified yet, and police have not released any information about the driver's vehicle.
Advocacy groups like Bikemore say people have reached out about this intersection before. It's where the “Highway to Nowhere" exits onto West Franklin Street.
“I mean it's like a highway off-ramp into a neighborhood with houses right on the corner. You basically have cars transitioning from highway speeds into suddenly a residential area. So i think intersections like that need significantly more traffic calming and they also need automated enforcement to ensure that drivers are ticketed for running red lights."
Bikemore Executive Director Jed Weeks says this is emblematic of a larger problem with the way city streets are designed.
This wasn't the only hit and run this weekend. On Saturday night, a 9-year-old was injured after being hit by a car at the intersection of South Stricker and West Baltimore Streets.
“Across the nation we've seen a tremendous increase in bike and pedestrian crashes with cars, post-pandemic. In Baltimore, it's actually been a little bit better than most places because of our investments in ‘Complete Streets' but it's pretty clear we need to do a lot more. Biking is increasing in the city, we’re one of the top 10 cities in the nation for cycling growth - 56% growth since 2019. So we’re gonna see more and more people biking on our streets, and we need the infrastructure to support that, like other cities are investing in,” Weeks said.
Weeks says he’s been a part of larger conversations regarding the Highway to Nowhere: “And how we can transform it into less of a scar on the community, and more of actually a community asset. I know the city has some federal dollars to explore that, and it just can’t come fast enough.”
Last year, lawmakers announced $2 million in federal funds toward redeveloping the corridor.
The Baltimore City Department of Transportation sent us the following statement regarding the intersection:
The Baltimore City Department of Transportation in collaboration with MTA is seeking to improve the erratic traffic behavior along and near this intersection. The Franklin and Payson intersection is proximate to the West Baltimore United Project and the East-West RAISE corridor study, this entire area is a candidate for a redesign that prioritizes cyclist and pedestrian safety. The Baltimore City Speed Camera Division has already begun preliminary site evaluations at the following intersections for Red-Light Photo Enforcement at N. Smallwood St and W. Mulberry St and N. Pulaski and W. Franklin St. There is not a Photo Enforcement unit located at Franklin St and Payson St, However, the intersection is being reviewed to retime the signals for slower speeds and to potentially lower the speed limit on this road.
If you have any information about either hit and run, you're asked to call Baltimore Police. at 410-396-2606 or dial 911. Those who wish to remain anonymous should utilize the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP.