Commuters question 'no shortcut rules' near Bay Bridge

By ERIN COX and E.B. FURGURSON III Staff Writers

Published 09/05/08

Frustrated drivers roll from stop to standstill waiting to cross the Bay Bridge each evening - their favorite shortcuts limited to "local access only."

Now some of them are starting to cry foul.

"I want to know, am I local?" Paul Placek, a 31-year commuter, complained at a community meeting this week. "I live here on Kent Island. I am not going to the beach."

Anne Arundel County Police last week began restricting traffic on the two service roads flanking U.S. 50, a popular route for skirting the eastbound backups and hopping back onto the highway closer to the bridge. Officers in marked and unmarked patrol cars monitor traffic patterns on the roads, and have so far issued 14 tickets and eight warnings to motorists trying to dodge the miles-long delay caused by safety inspections on the bridge.

While County Attorney Jonathan Hodgson said Anne Arundel has the authority to keep those roads clear in the interest of public safety, Annapolis attorney Gil Cochran, who specializes in traffic offenses, questions whether they'll stand up in court.

"I would welcome litigating those tickets," Mr. Cochran said, explaining he was baffled at how the officers could have probable cause to stop the motorists. The offense - failure to obey a traffic control device - is equivalent to getting a ticket for running a red light, he said.

Drivers following police instructions to keep off the local roads report that they've seen commuter buses cruising the access roads and other line-hoppers taking the shortcuts when police are not around. Spokesmen from both Anne Arundel police and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, whose jurisdiction includes the Bay Bridge area, said no business or individual has been issued a special exemption.

"We're not able to get everyone," police spokesman Sgt. John Gilmer said, adding it is a bad idea for scofflaws to use the roads if they don't see a police presence.

"It's a huge public safety issue," Sgt. Gilmer said. "If everyone has that mindset, traffic is going to back up really quick."

All sides agree the police department has authority to direct traffic in the interest of public safety. Despite some public misconceptions, the county does not restrict the roads to local residents. Rather, they restricting them to local access. A driver from California with plans to visit a restaurant can use an access road. But a driver from Cape St. Claire can not use the shortcut to bypass traffic and hop back on U.S. 50.

And although technically any vehicle is disobeying the posted "local access only" signs by taking the access roads without going to a business or home directly off them, the law has only been enforced when severe traffic backups cause problems for area residents.

Mr. Cochran said were police simply turning people around and making them get back in line then "it's exactly what you want" and "it's almost like keeping a fire lane open."

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Access mess - September 9, 2008

My wife loved it when she saw officers sending people the other way on College Parkway. She had to take our daughter to dance class from one side of the access road to the other side and was in traffic for 40 minutes. With all this past mess and future mess predicted...why hasnt anyone thought about putting up a barrier wall for the residences along 50 and the bay bridge? Our homes are alot closer to 50 than the million dollar homes located near the Severn River bridge (their barrier walls were more of a priority...)