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Health & Fitness

Toileting The Circle

Toileting the Circle - A Message or, Just Art?

I coud see it off in the distance.  An odd shaped form rising up from the center of the traffic circle at the intersection of Guilford Avenue and 32nd Street.  As I got closer I could see that the circle had sprouted a white porcelain toilet.  Adorned with sweet spring flowers and presented with an empty bottle of fine champagne, the installation makes quite the statement.  But, is it meant to be a work of art, perhaps the latest work of one of the MICA students living in the neighborhood?  Or, is it the Baltimore Department of Transportation's newest idea on how to make the circle more visible.  Or maybe it's a statement, meant to convey disdain for the circle itself?  Based on the comments of the neighbors that joined me in the gawking, I think it's the latter.

One neighbor, Tom, shared that he had lived in the area for most of his long life.  He believes that there has never been a need for a traffic circle or all of the  bike path striping that's being added to Guilford Avenue.  He strongly dislikes the circle and says it's caused more accidents than it has avoided.  His solution?  Park the cars on the sidewalk and let the people take the streets.

Others mentioned that the circle was so poorly marked that last week, a car bounced off of it and hit a parked car.  I also heard comments about how the circle would impede the flow of the runners participating in the annual Baltimore Marathon that runs through Charles Village. Waste of limited city resources, using common sense while walking and driving and the "good ole days" when cars were cars and bikes were not and the two did not share the road peppered the conversation.  Interesting conversations, all inspired by a lonely looking toilet and and empty bottle of bubbly!

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I must confess, I remain an avid fan of the circles on Guilford.  They're not at all hard to miss and are actually a very cool way of reversing direction in order to grab the rare parking spot that pops up on the opposite side of the street. But today's display has me convinced I'm in the minority here.  No matter though.  I think we can all agree that the toilet, champagne and flowers are a hilarious way to send a message.  Or, maybe, it's just art? 

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