Since July 9, county emergency crews have responded to at least five incidents involving a pedestrian or bicyclist struck by a moving vehicle.

Firefighters and police in Anne Arundel County have been busy in recent days responding to several incidents involving pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Here are five incidents just in the last 10 days. 

July 9 – A firefighter from Station 26 in Glen Burnie was hospitalized after being struck by a car while on the scene of a fire on Telegraph Road. Police are looking for the driver of a black Mercedes-Benz.

July 12 – Kara Micciche, 17, of Pasadena died after being struck by a car while crossing Ritchie Highway nearly the Earleigh Heights Fire Station in Severna Park. Another teen, 19-year-old Sean Snyder, remains hospitalized. The teens were reportedly not in the crosswalk. Police said they do not anticipate handing down charges on the driver.

July 13 – Robert Ashworth Brown died after being struck by a pickup truck near Montevideo Drive and Montevideo Road in Jessup. Charges are pending against the driver of the truck, Keith Edward Harrell of Jessup. Police said speed and alcohol may have played a role in the accident.

July 14 – Baltimore resident Alex Canales Hernandez, 25, was killed after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle on Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park. Police are looking for the driver of a black midsize sedan, possibly a Hyundai Sonata or similar vehicle.

Also on July 14, a Glen Burnie man was struck while riding his bicycle north on Crain Highway. Mario A. Garcia, 41, was taken to the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and police are still searching for the driver of a small gray sedan, described as a white man with a beard wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a baseball cap.

[B' Spokes: Sharrows are used when there is not enough space for a bike lane, sometimes sharrows can create a quasi safe place for riding side by side with motoring traffic and sometimes not. But it is noteworthy to point out that in Maryland sharrows are used on roadways where it is legal for a cyclist to use a whole lane. So use your best judgment, avoid the door zone of parked cars which means avoid the sharrows as well (if minimal guidance is followed, which it usually is, see pic)
by Dan Gutierrez

So without further ado here is the City of Annapolis' take on sharrows (but major kudos for being the first government agency to try to get at least this much info out there):

What does a SHARROW mean for motorists and bicyclists?

Motorists

• Expect to see bicyclists on the street
• Remember to give bicyclists at least three feet of space when passing
• Follow the rules of the road as if there were no SHARROW

Bicyclists

• Use the SHARROW to guide where you ride within the right hand side of the lane and with the direction of traffic
• Remember not to ride too close to parked cars
• Follow the rules of the road as if there were no SHARROW

Encouraging motorists and bicyclists to share the road
Sponsored by the Annapolis Police Department and the Department of Transportation

The Give/Get Respect campaign educates motorists and bicyclists in the City of Annapolis on how to participate in proper road conduct. Choosing a bicycle for transportation is a great idea and it has never been more important to learn to share the road. Promoting calmer, safer, more respectful behavior by all road users in the City of Annapolis is an important part of the City’s ongoing campaign for safer streets and more livable neighborhoods.

The key messages of the campaign are as follows:

1. Reminding motorists to leave at least 3 feet of space when passing bicyclists, and to pass slowly and carefully.
2. Reminding bicyclists to ride predictably in the roadway and ride with traffic, not against it.
3. Reminding motorists to check their side mirrors for approaching bicyclists before opening their car doors after parking.
4. Reminding bicyclists to ride at least 3 feet outside of the dangerous door zone - the area just next to parked cars, where doors can suddenly and dangerously fly open.
5. Reminding motorists that blocking a bike lane or SHARROW is illegal and forces bicyclists to swerve into moving traffic.
6. Reminding bicyclists to yield to pedestrians and stay off the sidewalks.

The three goals of the Give Respect Get Respect campaign:

• Educate motorists to share the road — and give cyclists the space we deserve.
• Educate cyclists not to ride on the sidewalk, ride in the direction of traffic, not to ride in a way that threatens pedestrians.
• Educate Police Officers about the laws that protect cyclists.

Give/Get events will happen several times a year. The Department of Transportation joins with City police officers to educate cyclists and motorists about proper conduct on the road.

Police Officers hand out information to motorists detailing activities that endanger cyclists, and pass out multi-lingual educational flyers to educate cyclists. The first of these events for 2010 occurred on Wednesday May 19th at the intersection of Bay Ridge Avenue and Madison Street/Eastport Shopping Center. Over 700 flyers were handed out to motorists and cyclists. Further events will be scheduled, stay tuned for upcoming locations.