3-18-11: How Best to Bike

A few weeks ago a 20-year-old Johns Hopkins student was riding his bicycle in the bike lane on West University Boulevard in Baltimore when a car turned right across the bike lane, heading toward a driveway.  The bicyclist, Nathan Krasnopoler, ended up under the car, and in critical condition.  He’s recovering, but the incident underscores the questions:  Despite laws it has passed, how bikeable is Maryland – and what would it take to improve safety for all Marylanders on the roads.

Stu Sirota is  an urban planning consultant and president of TND Planning Group, a Towson-based firm that designs and plans walkable, bikable, and transit-friendly communities. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Bike Maryland, a statewide bicycle advocacy organization. We talk with him about how bike friendly Maryland actually is and what can be done to improve transit for all commuters.