Cyclist run over by ice cream truck - Don't ride on the sidewalk
Don't get me wrong, I am empathetic to those of you who do not feel comfortable riding in the street but when a driver of an ice cream truck (trained to watch for pedestrians) hits a cyclist, well that should sound some alarm bells. One of the reasons why I report pedestrian issues on this site is that behaving like a pedestrian does not make you safer in the slightest around here.
To gain some confidence riding in the road try riding with other cyclists
Biking in B'more meetup group: <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Biking-in-Bmore/">http://www.meetup.com/Biking-in-Bmore/</a>;
Baltimore Bicycling Club: <a href="http://baltobikeclub.org/">http://baltobikeclub.org/</a>;
Sidewalk riding is illegal in the Baltimore Metro Area, if you must ride on the sidewalk ride WITH the flow of traffic as studies show that has a lower risk then against the flow of traffic (but most studies show that riding on the road with the flow of traffic is even lower in risk.) And remember the danger of sidewalk riding is at every driveway and intersection you cross, so approach with caution.
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Cyclist run over by ice cream truck: <a href="http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20110527/NEWS/705279923/1064/burke-cyclist-run-over-by-ice-cream-truck&template=fairfaxTimes">http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20110527/NEWS/705279923/1064/burke-cyclist-run-over-by-ice-cream-truck&template=fairfaxTimes</a>;