A collision between a bike and a van on Route 2 in Annapolis yesterday has highlighted concerns about bike safety in Anne Arundel and could be indicative of a looming problem as motorists find themselves sharing the road with more bicyclists.
Though some avid bicyclists said any road can be dangerous, riding a bike along a road in the county is typically safer than hitting the streets of more urban areas, such as Baltimore.
Yesterday's collision, which took place during the morning rush, happened when a 2005 GMC van was driving northbound on Route 2 behind a school bus. When the van switched lanes in order to turn onto Route 665 west, he hit a bicyclist from behind.
The bicyclist, Matthew Preston, 53, of Edgewater was alert and conscious when firefighters reached him. He was taken by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he was treated and released. Mr. Preston could not be reached for comment.
The accident will only add to a growing number of bicycle-related accident on state roadways. There are an average of nine fatal crashes and 767 bicycle crashes a year in Maryland, according to figures from a Baltimore-based advocacy group One Less Car. The group's Web site says Anne Arundel County is overrepresented in the number of crashes, but it does not provide a specific number of incidents.
A representative from One Less Car could not be reached.
Officials from the city and county fire departments said they do not track specific numbers of accident involving bicycles. County police officials said they couldn't provide figures by press time.
Bicycle use appears to be increasing as more people opt to leave their cars in their driveway to help beat high gas prices. For instance, rentals from the city's bike borrowing service, Free Wheelin', have doubled compared to last year.
Battalion Chief Matthew Tobia, a spokesman for the county Fire Department, said there is definitely "an uptick in the number of those calls" during the summer.
The most recent fatal bicycle accident in the county happened in October when Jose Sotto Marquez, 31, of Laurel was killed after being hit bay a car. The car was heading through a green light and Mr. Marquez was not in a crosswalk.
Chief Tobia said it was "critically, critically important" for bicyclists to use proper safety habits, including wearing helmets and reflective shirts in order to be visible to drivers. He said a major cause of both bike and motorcycle accidents with cars is the inability of drivers to see the biker.
Jim Claffey, president of the Annapolis Bicycle Club, said the county is generally safe on back roads, although "you occasionally get a nut who wants to go 75 mph an inch from your handlebar."
He said the most important improvement would be to add more shoulders to roads in the county, although the process can be difficult depending on who owns the road.
"On the whole, we haven't had major problems," Mr. Claffey said.
Mike Calderone, a Baltimore resident who works as a guidance counselor at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, said he has been hit by cars twice while biking in Anne Arundel County. Once was on Main Street in Annapolis, the other in Glen Burnie.
Both times, he was thrown more than 15 feet and his bike was wrecked.
"I was obeying the rules," he said, biking on the right side of the road, wearing a helmet and reflective clothing. But drivers often don't respect the rights of bicyclists, he said.
"They're mad just because you're on the road," he said.
Mr. Calderone said more bike lanes are needed to increase safety, as well as an increase in driver awareness of bicyclists.
Still, Mr. Calderone said, Annapolis is a lot better than Baltimore for biking.
"Annapolis is safer than Baltimore," he said. "Baltimore's a nightmare."
More than a quarter of all bicycle crashes in Maryland happen in Baltimore City, according to One Less Car's Web site.
