Excerpts from an article by Loni Ingraham of The Towson Times in Baltimore County, MD:
Mays Chapel resident Judy Sussman is steamed.
Like some other residents affected by ceremonies at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, she is fed up with the traffic gridlock generated by lengthy and elaborate funeral processions for firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty.
Some would think she is being callous considering the loss the families have suffered. But Sussman and others aren’t questioning if they should be honored. She is challenging how they are honored.
“They deserve the utmost respect,” said Sussman, “but it’s a safety issue. We need more concern about the safety of civilians.”
Sussman talks about the traffic backups on Interstate 83 created to make way for the processions headed for the cemetery and the huge exodus of vehicles after the ceremony. “While they are holding up traffic, I’m afraid I’m going to be killed,” she said.
The processions shut down the entire area and affect residents, businesses and unfortunate drivers caught in jams on main roads, she said.
“My concern is nobody seems to be managing it. I think they are just doing whatever they want to do.”
The huge procession for Maryland State Trooper Mickey Lippy in early October left Mays Chapel resident Birdie Kraus stuck in traffic for more than an hour as she tried to cross York Road to get to Dulaney High School.
She was supposed to pick up her granddaughter to take her to Pikesville for an appointment with the orthodontist. Even though she knew the back roads, she couldn’t get to her, Kraus said, so she had to forfeit the $40 fee.
Traffic was backed up for miles on York Road both north and south of Padonia Road, she said. She saw fire engines from Cockeysville trying to get past the mess.
“People were driving up on the curb, pulling into gas stations or parking lots, she said. “They were doing anything they could to get out of the way.”
And it’s another mess when the funeral is over and the traffic disperses, she said.
“Do they have to be honored in this way? Do you really need horses and 50 fire engines? Nobody can imagine the gridlock these funerals cause unless you’re trapped in it.”
A disproportionate number of the processions end at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens because the cemetery offers the families free burial as a gesture of respect.
John Mitchell, whose family purchased the cemetery last year, is proud to continue the tradition.
“Every person is special to someone,” he said, “but when it’s a firefighter or police officer they are special to the community because they touch so many lives. They deserve the recognition.”
There have been four such processions since Aug. 11, according to Mary Auld, who coordinates them for the cemetery. Her husband, as it happens, is a county firefighter.
“It’s important we pay tribute to these people who put their lives on the line each time they go to work,” Auld said. “I understand what they do when they leave the house.
“To me it’s just a short disturbance in someone’s life to sit and wait.”
Not everyone is willing to buck the long-honored tradition of the elaborate funeral processions designed to show solidarity.
Eric Rockel, president of the Greater Timonium Community Council, which represents the area’s residential neighborhoods, said he has never received a complaint.
“We’re well aware of the traffic issues,” said Baltimore County police Capt. Martin Lurz, commander of the Cockeysville precinct. “We don’t want these roads closed any longer than they have to be.”
The department tries to be proactive about informing the public so people can plan around the procession, he said, noting police sometimes uses variable message boards and go to the media to get the word out when a long procession is expected.
People question whether the parade effect is necessary, he said, but “It’s determined by the family’s wishes.”
“We don’t know sometimes until the day of the event how many vehicles are involved,” especially if it originates from a distant point, Lurz said.
Most Recent Comments