Yeah, try crossing the street in Maryland as a pedestrian when you have the right away. Cars will run you over because the drivers believe pedestrians have no right away. Police do nothing about it. So, till then, the body count will continue to rise.

The flipside is true, too, though. In the city, the residents there walk out into traffic and between cars with impunity.

The real issue here is that there is NO law enforcement on either side. None, nada, zip.

Does this apply to those people that come to a full stop at the curb before crossing in and then look for oncoming vehicular traffic waiting until the vehicles closest to them have passed and then cross that roadway in as direct and perpendicular route as possible?

If not, then the word "pedestrian" is being misused in this context.

I will vote for whichever mayoral candidate asserts pedestrian rights.

Jaywalkers shouldn't count.

Michael, I want to thank you for sharing my concerns about crossing streets in Harbor East in both your blog and the print version back in January. In a comment on the blog, Jamie Kendrick from the City Dept. of Transportation promised changes would be made "within 45 days" to improve the situation, but I still haven't seen anything in this area.

I think it's time that city police start to enforce pedestrian right-of-way laws. Handing out tickets seems to be the only way to change bad habits.

Politics at work!

Department of Transportation and Councilman Jim Kraft Announce Pedestrian Safety Improvements in Fells Point

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation Director Khalil Zaied and City Councilman Jim Kraft today announced improvements to pedestrian safety for the Fells Point community. These improvements will help residents, small business owners and visitors to enjoy the benefits of walkability in Fells Point.
To improve pedestrian safety, traffic signals at seven intersections within the community will soon provide an automatic “walk” signal between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. These intersections include:
Eastern Avenue at Wolfe, Ann and Washington Streets Fleet Street at Wolfe, Ann and Washington Streets Gough and Wolfe Streets
In addition, area crosswalks will be re-striped and pedestrian countdown signals will be installed at the same intersections. Traffic calming improvements will also be installed along Bank Street at Wolfe, Washington and Ann Streets.
The Department of Transportation plans to work with community associations in Fells Point to examine the possible conversion of Wolfe and Washington Streets to two-way traffic south of Pratt Street. “Pedestrian and traffic safety is our highest priority,” said Department of Transportation Director Khalil Zaied. “These improvements will help to ensure that Fells Point is a safe, walkable community for all.”
Councilman Jim Kraft, who brought local residents and departmental representatives together said, “DOT’s actions are a positive sign of its commitment to developing and maintaining complete and sustainable street and sidewalk systems in walkable neighborhoods.”

Just to note that report averages 2000-2009 if you look at the individual years You'll see Maryland started off with a rank of 20 and the latest is that Maryland now has the 4th highest pedestrian fatality rate in the nation.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

Maryland Highway Safety Office has a lot of crash data reports but to highlight pedestrian issues:
~ 1/3 of all the state's crashes involving a pedestrian happen in Baltimore City. Twice as many as the next highest county.
While traffic fatalities decline, pedestrian fatalities rise

When Baltimore pedestrians decide to use crosswalks, intersections and lights to cross a street, instead of jumping from behind parked cars and walking in the middle of traffic, the numbers will plummett.