By Gail Landy
In memory of bicyclist Sarah Langenkamp of Bethesda, we must remember that streets serve multimodal transit including zero-emission bicycles, not only cars and trucks. Sarah was hit and killed Aug. 25, 2022, by a driver in a flatbed truck when cycling on protected bike lanes in Montgomery County. Though it is impossible to overlook the tragic deaths that have occurred when pedestrians and bicyclists are struck while in a crosswalk, getting hit and killed or severely injured by a vehicle when cycling on a bike lane never results in a jail sentence which may be incurred when hit on a crosswalk. When the driver pleaded guilty to the life-ending collision in the Langenkamp case, he only received a $2,000 fine and 150 hours of community service.
State Del. Sara Love believed the punishment was much too lenient for fitting the crime and would not deter duplicate careless driving offenses. She introduced MD Bill HB 337, which requires yielding right of way to cyclists in bike lanes or along shoulders of a road. The punishment for this offense is up to $2,000 in fines and a possible two-year jail sentence, depending on the circumstances of the collision.
Maryland laws must protect all forms of transportation that share our roads, not only motorized vehicles. Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Initiative promotes inclusion of both zero-emission vehicles and pedestrian modes of travel in the complete streets provision, which is required for a thriving community.
Gail Landy lives in Silver Spring and is a member of the Maryland Sierra Club Clean Transportation Coalition