The Traffic in Baltimore . . .

I had an experience yesterday. It centered around enjoying Baltimore afternoon traffic. It was not a good experience.

Baltimore, apparently, is one of those cities that continuously strives to confuse traffic patterns and drivers thereby snarling traffic for no apparent good reason. 

During my afternoon sojourn into the city, I experienced random lane closures which were responsible for a horrific accident which saw the back end of a car removed from the frame by a large tanker truck. I did not take an image of the accident because I was driving.

But as if that was not enough, on another of the major arteries into the city, Howard Street, lanes are closed and side streets randomly closed to accommodate construction of a larger than life casino. This situation turns the Baltimore-Washinton Parkway into a parking lot for the last miles as it empties into the city.

In my case, a trip that used to take 15 minutes, now needs 45 to ensure an on time arrival. And that, sadly, is not all!

I-95 leaving the city is fraught with lane closures which snarl even the lightest traffic into a maddeningly slow event trying to escape the city and return to the relative sanity of suburbia. 

And to complicate matters last evening, the closure of Interstate 70--yes a whole interstate due to emergency bridge repairs, left travelers stranded in with few options to get home.

Three major arteries into and out of the city: The Parkway, I-95, and I-70 were closed or restricted yesterday and for the near future. RECOMMENDATION: Avoid Baltimore or get a hotel room!

I have experienced insane traffic planning and patterns in other cities--for instance Ithaca, NY, but never on a scale like Baltimore.

The traffic in Baltimore is terrible.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD