New Jones Station Crossroads Sign Highlights Trail Networks, Honors Local Cyclist

Elected officials, county representatives, cyclists and community members gathered near the intersection of Jones Station Road and the Baltimore-Annapolis (B&A) Trail in Severna Park for the unveiling of a new sign installation on May 29. The Jones Station Crossroads sign was designed to inform passersby about various trail networks and to honor the life of an avid cyclist who was tragically killed while doing what he loved.

Arthur Carter Jr., a Hanover resident who frequently biked along the B&A Trail, was a husband to wife Candy, who spoke at the late May ceremony, as well as a father, grandfather, Air Force veteran, friend and adventurer. On March 8, 2020, he and six fellow cyclists – including Severna Park resident Jon Korin, president and a founder of Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (BikeAAA) – set out on a group ride that crossed Jones Station Road on the B&A Trail and continued along various roads to Sandy Point State Park.

On their return trip, the seven experienced cyclists were riding single file on the correct side of the road along East College Parkway, according to a press release from the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, when an impaired driver passed out, crossed the double yellow lines, and struck the first two cyclists head on. Carter was killed instantly, and Jeffrey Adler, the second cyclist, was airlifted to University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries. The five other cyclists sustained minor injuries as well. The driver, an Annapolis man in his late 60s, was sentenced to 20 years of active incarceration and five years of supervised probation.

The new Jones Station Crossroads sign was installed in April and dedicated in May. In one corner, a photo depicts Carter with his bike on an overseas trip. A brief bio emphasizes that he was a devoted family man and reads, “When he wasn’t tackling the majestic climbs of Europe on his bike, Arthur could be found logging many miles along the B&A Trail and on the roads of Anne Arundel County and Maryland.”

The sign also bears descriptions of three large trail networks – the East Coast Greenway, which stretches 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, the 1,500-mile 9/11 Memorial Trail, and the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail – informing cyclists, runners and walkers that the intersection at which they stand provides access to regional and national routes as well.

“The idea was to try to depict something that would show that that location is an important junction locally – so we have some of the local destinations: Annapolis to the south, Baltimore to the north, Sandy Point State Park to the east – as well as the long-distance networks that really help depict just how far you can go from that spot if you follow these national routes,” Korin said of the wayfinding signs that top the installation. From that location, Cape Henlopen, Delaware, is 100 miles away; Key West, Florida, is 1,764 miles away; and Point Reyes, California, is 4,650 miles. For those who wish to stay local, Annapolis and Sandy Point are just eight miles away.

The sign was designed by Kathleen Hayes, group rider number three on the day of the fatal crash. She is a professional landscape architect and graphic designer with experience in trail wayfinding. Arthur Carter’s family designated BikeAAA for donations in his memory to create a tribute to him. The ensuing crossroads sign was the collaborative effort of BikeAAA, Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks and Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails.

Referencing the sign and looking ahead to the anticipated completion of the Broadneck Trail, Korin said, “We’re always looking for how we can bring some good out of tragedy and maybe bring some good in a way that could even help prevent the next one, and certainly trail-building and the fact that a trail will soon traverse the section of road where the crash happened is also very fitting.”

The 13-mile B&A Trail, which stretches from Glen Burnie nearly to Annapolis, attracts about 2 million users annually, according to BikeAAA. To learn more about its mission to promote safe cycling, as well as the Jones Station Crossroads sign, go to www.bikeaaa.org.