Protected Bike Lanes, Vehicle Lane Reductions Cause Stir in Baltimore

“Work is wrapping up on a $55 million, yearslong upgrade of a major downtown roadway serving Baltimore’s developing waterfront neighborhoods,” reports Lorraine Mirabella in a paywalled article for the Baltimore Sun. “But the revitalization of Central Avenue’s streetscape has surprised some business operators and residents.”

Based on the article’s telling of the story, some local businesses and residents were expecting the project to add vehicle capacity—instead the project is eliminating a vehicle lane in each direction and adding a protected bicycle path. Doug Schmidt, a principal with Workshop Development, is quoted in the article saying the “road diet” was never made public.

“Opponents fear the rebuilt road won’t handle current traffic or heavier use as workers return to offices and as new apartments, offices, hotels and stores open in the corridor. They worry about safety, loss of parking, disruption to businesses that rely on loading areas and increased congestion on neighborhood streets,” writes Mirabella.

Proponents, including bike and complete streets advocates, support the changes. The article notes that the political conflict is indicative of similar struggles in other cities—where increasing awareness of traffic safety and climate change is butting heads with the car-centric planning status quo.

The article documents the planning process that produced the road diet for Central Avenue. The process dates back to 2015, with more direct changes implemented by the city’s adoption of a complete streets ordinance in 2018 and public outreach in November 2021.