Crime & Safety

Biker, 14, in Stable Condition after Monday Collision

Residents say intersection where accident occurred is dangerous.

 

The 14-year-old boy who was while attempting to cross Governor Warfield Parkway on his bike on Monday was in stable condition Tuesday morning, according to Sherry Llewellyn, a spokesperson for Howard County Police.

Police have not released the boy's name who was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Children's Center after the accident. He was seriously injured after being hit by a 2007 Nissan Murano at the intersection of Governor Warfield Parkway and Twin Rivers Road on the border of Wilde Lake and Town Center around 12:50 p.m. on Monday, according to police.

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"We believe the driver was traveling at or below the speed limit, which is 35 mph," said Llewellyn. On Monday, police said the boy was attempting to cross the road on a red "Don't Walk" signal while drivers had a green light.

After news of the accident occurred, commenters on Patch hoped for a speedy recovery for the boy, while also discussing the danger of the Twin Rivers-Governor Warfield intersection.

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What parts of Columbia do you think could be more bicycle friendly?

"First, I hope the kid will be okay," wrote Derrick Jordan. "Now the pedestrian crosswalk issue needs to really be pressed."

"This cross walk has only one crosswalk on Twin Rivers crossing Gov Warfield," wrote Nicole McFarland. "If you are on the wrong side of Twin Rivers you have to jaywalk, or turn around and walk down to the Wilde Lake shopping center to get to the side of the street that has the cross walk going in the direction you want to go. I hope this is considered during the Town Center redevelopment, since it's supposed to make Columbia TC a more walkable/urban environment."

Although BOH wrote the boy was responsible to make sure it's safe to cross, he wrote, "Twin Rivers @ Gov Warfield and @ Broken Land are pretty awful intersections for pedestrians. I've tried running that area, and it's really dicey."

Columbia is making strides to make the city more bike and pedestrian friendly as part of the "Connecting Columbia" plan. Columbia Association has been developing a strategic plan to improve connections to Columbia's network of pathways.

Currently that plan is being worked on by Toole Design Group who is expected to present a finalized version of an action plan in August, according to CA.

 

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