Gilmore said Cantori and city officials are scheduled to make a presentation to Mayor Sheila Dixon on the proposed Sunday Streets program next month.
Let's hope the mayor is in a receptive mood. This city could stand to slow down and have a little fun on Sundays.
If Baltimore acts quickly , it could become the first major U.S. city to make a ciclovia a regular event. It would be a welcome change to become known for a Colombian import that didn't contribute to the body count.
Where are markers?
Sandra W. McLeskey, professor and assistant dean at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, wrote in with all the directness you would expect from an R.N. with a Ph.D.:
I am writing to complain about the lack of reflective lane markers on [Interstate] 95 in Baltimore County and Baltimore City. When you approach Baltimore from the south, in Howard County, there are reflective lane markers that help immensely on a day ... when it is pouring rain and trucks are throwing up clouds of spray. In those conditions, painted lane markers disappear into the mist.
However, as you get into Baltimore Co., the reflective markers become sparser and they are essentially absent in Baltimore City. Ironically, as you enter these areas, there is more congested traffic, more spray, and more difficulty in discerning the painted lane markers. So the areas that really need these markers the most don't have them.
Could you inquire of the state agency that maintains I-95 why the lane markers are not present on these stretches of I-95?
There are two state agencies that maintain different stretches of I-95. So we asked both of them.
First up is Lindsay Reilly, spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority, which maintains the stretch of I-95 north of Caton Avenue:
Raised pavement markings are not generally replaced or repaired during the winter months as they can be damaged by plows and cannot be installed in the cold weather.
We expect to repair the markings ... on I-95 in Baltimore City when the weather warms. Work is planned for the 2008 construction season. Also, our operations team plans to refresh the line striping on our roadways after winter.
Next comes word from the State Highway Administration, which runs I-95 south of the city. Spokesman Dave Buck writes:
SHA last year completed a resurfacing project along I-95 between [Route] 32 and [Route] 100, which included new reflective pavement markings (RPM's). This is the area where the letter writer seems to be pleased.
Interstate 95 between MD 100 in Howard County and I-695 in Baltimore County was last resurfaced in 2001. In the interim, each year our traffic engineers identify areas where RPM's may need to be replaced or repaired. I have asked our ... traffic engineers to add this area along I-95 to be included this spring for RPM repair and/or replacement.
gettingthere@baltsun.com
