Pedestrians could also cross at the crosswalks and they can re-locate the bus stops to at the lights---if you look at the pedestrian fatality rates for the county, Georgia Ave from Wheaton to the ICC consistently is 30% or more of the incidents. Almost all of them are as a result of people in dark clothing running across the road late at night or early in the morning, usually at a bus stop.

TaL, your attitude is quite typical of the ignorance of motorists when it comes to Maryland transportation laws.

Under Maryland law, EVERY intersection is considered to have a crosswalk, whether marked or not. It would be nice if motorists would understand this, drive carefully at such places, and not blame the victims of motorist ignorance and/or inattention.

Heathfield Road at Georgia (where Frank Sedwick was crossing) is an unmarked crosswalk. Pedestrians are legally allowed to cross at such places and motorists are required by Maryland law to yield to them.

The 45mph limit does not help matters, especially since motorists regard such limits with scorn and blatantly drive at speeds of 55mph or more, turning what ought to be a road that all people can share into a de-facto freeway where pedestrians and cyclists are bullied off the public right of way and killed when they choose to assert their basic right to get from home to work and vice versa.

Robert, pedestrians, under Maryland law, have the right to cross roads ANYWHERE. They must yield to cars ONLY between intersections. I agree that pedestrians often do not observe pedestrian signals at controlled intersections. Neither do motorists or cyclists. In this particular case, it seems clear that the victim, Frank Sedwick, was crossing perfectly legally when he was struck by a motorist who failed to yield to a pedestrian crossing at an unmarked crosswalk.

Thanks for the kind words, Luv. I hope you and all involved are coping as well as you can with your loss.

As a person who has never owned a car, I have to get everywhere by bicycle and walking, so I know first hand how daunting the roads can be for those of us who don't drive. Sadly, many people tend to view pedestrians and cyclists as second-class citizens on our roads - to many who don't have to walk or cycle transportationally, walking and cycling don't count as useful or necessary activities, but only as recreation, and all too often, this attitude impacts road design, lighting and safety. It's about time these attitudes changed, so that ALL road users got a fair shake on roads that have effectively been expropriated by the automobile.

In my view, if roads were seen as more than 'just for cars', accidents like this would be far less common. Unfortunately, I think local government has a long way to go before it really gets away from the automobile-centric mindset that has been evident since the automobile took over as the dominant force on our roads. Currently, government is all about facilitating speedy commutes, and sadly that seems to mean safety is job #2.

ian: since you havent ever owned a car in your life, have you also lived in a metro area that is bus/streetcar cab accessible? do you have neighborhood grocery stores that you are able to do your full grocery shopping at ?

I am so sorry for your loss

I have not always lived in a metro area that is bus/streetcar/cab accessible. As long as I live within 5 to 10 miles of a supermarket, I can get all my shopping using my bike's panniers (my bike has 5 big shopping bag sized touring panniers). I've done this on a number of occasions, though I prefer living closer to shopping, so when I have to relocate, I look for walkable/bikeable neighborhoods. I've also walked to my local grocery store when it was close enough.

Also, it depends on what you mean by 'accessible'. In my 20s, I would think nothing of walking 3 to 5 miles - lots of services are accessible at that range. As I got older, I tended to rely on the bicycle more, as it can get me three times farther in the same time as walking. Now, at age 50, I like to limit my errands to half an hour each way maximum, so say 5 miles on the bike. But I rarely go out that far, as where I currently live has virtually everything I need within a 3 mile radius, so there's no need.

"...sold it because the roads got dangerous to ride"

I used to feel the same way, so I decided to take the League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling course. Then I took their instructor course. Now I feel in control on any road (I cycled 2 miles along University Boulevard - a 6-lane highway - just yesterday).

Still, I'd like to see speed limits reduced - everyone seems in such a hurry, and mostly in pursuit of getting somewhere they don't really want to be anyway. The frantic pace of motoring has made almost every journey unpleasant for everyone and deadly for some. If we could find some way of making the journey fun and safer for everyone, that would be a real victory, and I feel a change to a slower pace would be a good first step. Then again, virtually no one sees it my way.

Yeah, that's a nice ride. I live very close to the Sligo Creek bike path, so my family and I use it a lot to get to Brookside Gardens. Now that's a lovely spot to enjoy a change of pace - no cars and bikes aren't even allowed in there, so it's like an oasis of peace and quiet.

Firstly, this particular accident was not caused by a pedestrian disobeying signs or lights. This happened at an unmarked crosswalk where motorists are REQUIRED to yield to pedestrians. Blaming the victim by implying that he was as much to blame as the driver that hit him is not helpful.

Also, putting the issue in the context of 'winning' and losing is offensive. The road is not a sports arena and motorists are not in competition with pedestrians. NO ONE 'wins' if someone gets killed.