BALTIMORE — Around this time five years ago, in the Baltimore City Council chambers, councilmembers approved the Complete Streets ordinance, with the stated goal of granting more priority to bikes, pedestrians, and public transportation passengers.
"It's about people," explained Corren Johnson, director of the Baltimore City Department of Transportation. "So it integrates people, and it puts safety over speed; it balances the needs of all transportation modes."
Presenting to the council at a Thursday hearing, Johnson said more than a quarter of the city doesn't have access to a personal car. The changes, Johnson said, will allow Baltimore to improve traffic safety and equity.
Supporters and opponents of the plan attended Thursday evening, sharing their thoughts with the council.
Some opponents in attendance Thursday argue the rollout has taken place without their acceptance or feedback. In their view, the bike lanes hurt business, parking, and emergency services.
"What we are seeing is a culmination of poor leadership throughout the city," one neighbor commented.
Former City Council President Lawrence Bell spoke at the Thursday hearing, joining a coalition of neighbors raising concerns over the projects.
"It affects residents; it affects businesses; we're losing parking. And not only that, we feel it's dangerous because we have firetrucks, ambulances that cannot get through freely," Bell told WMAR.
Cyclist and Bolton Hill neighbor Bob Matha rides a bike every day to get around and tells WMAR the city needs bike lanes for safety.
"The bike gives me access to a lot of places I need to go, and the bike lanes make it safer," Matha said. "So I take bike lanes wherever I can because I'm a lot safer on my bike than when I'm not in the bike lanes; it gets pretty dangerous."
Some councilmembers and neighbors each expressed a desire for greater community involvement in projects moving forward.
Over the next year, the DOT will host in-person open houses to educate the public on Complete Streets. At the hearing, the DOT director pointed out that community engagement needs to be stronger.
