The interaction of cars, bikes and pedestrians in the summer is like a game of Whac-A-Mole with the expressed opposite intent of not hitting anything.
With bike-riders and pedestrians suddenly popping up in intersections and on crosswalks, it’s amazing there aren’t more accidents in the resort between Memorial Day and Labor Day given the surprising lack of common sense of too many people.
This was brought to mind last week after watching a pair of SUVs having to slam on their brakes as a teenager girl on a bicycle slowly rode right through a stop sign on a cross street and right into traffic going both ways, not looking left or right as she nearly got hit. She casually rode on, not signaling the least interest in how her fate nearly was changed.
How many times have pedestrians shown their overconfidence by stepping out into traffic, in or out of crosswalks, without looking left or right? Pedestrians have the right-of-way and it is up to drivers to pay attention to ensure they can safely cross streets in the crosswalks, but stepping out into moving traffic isn’t ever a smart move without a dose of caution. All it takes is one inattentive driver and there is an unmistakable display of physics – how a big, heavy moving object is going to win a confrontation with a human being.
The same goes for car-bicycle interactions.
We know most people – driving, riding bicycles and walking – are paying attention as they navigate Ocean City. That is simple survival and smarts. We also know that as summer rushes onward and the resort gets packed with people, the chances for accidents increases dramatically.
Bicycle riders need the reminder and the caution that they must obey the same traffic rules as vehicles. Bicycle riders must travel with traffic far to the right side of streets, ride single file – and not two or three abreast – and stop for stop signs and traffic lights. This is meant to ensure this bicycle-friendly city is safe for bicycle riders.
Pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks, but that doesn’t mean they should blithely step out into a crosswalk before making sure that oncoming vehicles are slowing and stopping for them. There are so many people crossing streets, many of them on their way to or from the beach, with children and beach gear in tow, that an extra ounce of caution will ensure their vacation remains safe and happy.
Drivers, many frustrated by the constant interruptions of pedestrians crossing streets, have to be extra alert and extra patient during the summer season. As an Ocean City police officer once quipped, people come to Ocean City to relax so why be in such a hurry around town? (This applies to residents and visitors.) Drivers have to remember that not only do some adults and children step out between parked cars to cross streets, others using the crosswalks aren’t always visible when big vehicles park in corner spaces, creating blind spots at intersections.
We want everyone to enjoy a safe summer in Ocean City to make sure to pack that common sense and patience when traveling around town.