BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Traffic moves fast along Hilton Street, and some neighbors say drivers “fly off Gwynns Falls Parkway and just keep on going” during rush hour. Now, a city proposal to redesign the busy four-lane road into two lanes to add bike lanes is drawing opposition from residents who say they were caught off guard by the plans.
At a community meeting, transportation engineers presented preliminary plans that would eliminate two vehicular lanes and add bike lanes. Denise Henderson, who’s lived on Hilton Street for 60-years can’t recall the last time she saw a bicycle on the street. “We don’t even have people riding bikes like that around here.”
“I see more people riding in NY in one day than I see riding in Baltimore in one year,” another resident told city officials.
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A city engineer said bicycle use is increasing. “We do see bike counts go up every year. So we know people are riding in the city,” the engineer told residents attending the meeting. “People maybe aren’t riding here as much because we don’t have the infrastructure to keep them safe.”
Residents questioned why they had not heard about the proposal earlier, saying they only learned about it after community president Anita Cathcart found the plans online. “I think the ball is already rolling and that’s why we’re here today. We’re here to stop that ball from rolling. They’ve already planned everything out… but they haven’t shared it with us,” Cathcart said.
A DOT representative vowed to incorporate the residents feedback into the project. “Now that we’re getting the feedback we hear what you’re saying we need a approach this is a different manner.”
The city has scheduled additional community meetings. One opponent asked, “What if we say no… where does that factor in.?”
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