Downtown Baltimore pedestrians fear safety as reckless driving crashes rise

Downtown Baltimore’s sidewalks and crosswalks are forcing pedestrians to make calculations that should not be part of an ordinary walk to work, dinner, or a transit stop. At East Baltimore Street and North President Street, a hit-and-run killed a man on Aug. 14, 2025. Near Market Place and Baltimore Soundstage, five pedestrians were struck by a vehicle on a Sunday evening in 2025, underscoring how quickly a busy entertainment and business district can turn dangerous.

The concern now is not abstract. Parents are watching traffic more closely, workers are timing their crossings, and people moving through the downtown core are changing routes to avoid stretches of roadway that feel hostile to foot traffic. The repeated crashes have sharpened a question Baltimore officials have heard for years: which safety fixes will actually reach the street, and how soon.

Baltimore City Department of Transportation says the city manages 2,000 miles of roads, 7 miles of highways and hundreds of bridges, and it says its goal is to build a transportation system that is safe, dependable and easy for everyone to use. The city adopted a Complete Streets ordinance in 2018, putting pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders at the center of transportation planning. Its Toward Zero plan is aimed at eliminating serious crashes and deaths on Baltimore roads.

City leaders have also pointed to money and planning as proof that the city is moving. On Nov. 14, 2024, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced a settlement that will invest $44 million into sidewalks and curb ramps over the next four years and create a DOT program focused on pedestrian-rights-of-way improvements. Baltimore’s Downtown RISE 10-Year Vision, released May 22, 2024, and the Downtown RISE Master Plan, released Oct. 9, 2025, both frame downtown’s future around being more livable and pedestrian friendly.

Even so, the latest crashes have left residents and business districts confronting the same basic problem: a downtown that is supposed to be walkable still feels risky on key blocks. City transportation materials say pedestrian-focused street design, including sidewalks, raised medians, better bus stop placement and traffic-calming measures, may reduce pedestrian risk by as much as 28 percent. Whether Baltimore relies on design changes, camera enforcement, stronger police presence or all three, downtown pedestrians are already living with the gap between the city’s promises and the way the streets feel now.