Transit Woes


What's the deal with the Red Line? After the hype about Mayor Dixon's Red Line Summit at the Convention Center back in May there seems to be a lack of reporting on the issue. The website for the project hasn't been updated since April when the proposed alignment was shifted to include Johns Hopkins Bayview and Canton Crossing. http://www.baltimoreregiontransitplan.com/


As a Fells Point resident I am deeply interested in the progress of this transit project. I think the prospect of being able to get downtown, or to Canton, by way of something other than driving, cabbing, or walking would be great. The Metro Subway can get you atleast downtown, but for us in Fells Point we have to walk up to Hopkins Hospital to grab it. For those living in Canton it's not an option.


Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of this and public transit in general, we all know Baltimore needs a fire lit under it for better, more effective, and more diverse transit option. Seriously, the MTA and the City of Baltimore need to keep us all in the loop on this one. I sent an email to their feedback email (mailto:redline@mtamaryland.com?subject=Red ), but never heard anything back. C'mon MTA get on the ball.


Recent news from Annapolis is a cut of $1.1 billion in State funding to Transportation over the next 6 years beacuse of a dramatic drop in state revenues due to the economy and people driving less because of gas prices. Who knows what this will mean for projects like the Red Line or MARC expansion, but as Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said that the high profile projections won't be significantly set back. I guess that's anywhere from 2 to 10 years. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-funds0910,0,151886.story


Anyways, it's Hump Day. Heading into the home stretch for the weekend! Take advantage of Happy Hour and show up hung over for work tomorrow, nothing some coffee and advil won't fix by lunch.


O's take on the Indians at the Yard tonight.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Club One was the House of Welsh

Image
 House of Welsh in 1943. Note the Guilford Elevated streetcar line. At one time, what was 301 Guilford Avenue (at some point over time the address was switched to 300 E. Saratoga St) was called the House of Welsh a long time Baltimore steakhouse and restaurant. Originally opened in 1900 it occupied the corner buildings for 98 years. A 1998 article in The Baltimore Sun details the history of the House of Welsh on the eve of its closure. With the demolition of these three buildings yesterday marks the end of some of the oldest houses that stood near downtown. The houses were build in the 1830s, some of the only other houses of the same period were on St. Paul Street and were demolished to make way for the new Mercy Medical Center tower. Inside these buildings make have taken place some of the more little known, but nonetheless interesting stories in Baltimore's history. In 1904, at the height of the Great Baltimore Fire, a telegraph line was hooked up inside the building...
Read more

Small Improvements to Light Rail That Could Make a Big Impact

Image
S equence lights on Howard Street so trains can move between stations without having to stop at red lights. This would significantly cut down on the travel time between Mt. Royal/UB and Camden Yards. The technology is there, it just needs to be implemented in a more sensible way.  Improve passenger information at each station. This would include updating the maps to reflect the current light rail operation. The maps at most stations outside of downtown are poorly designed and show the light rail configuration when the extensions to Penn Station and BWI first opened in 1997. Way-finding and neighborhood maps showing immediate transit connections and local attractions are a must. Posted schedules should be updated immediately whenever a new version of the timetable is made. Newer Light Rail map at downtown stations. Update signs at all stations. A few years back the downtown stations had new signs that replaced the originals from 1992. In addition the stations feature a sy...
Read more

Where's the New Charm City Circulator?

Image
(photo credit, http://www.yournameyourride.com/ ) It's the summer now, some may even call this the "late summer". It is around this time that Baltimore is supposed to roll out the brand spanking new Charm City Circulator , but where is this free bus service. The one thing I've learned about Baltimore is that press releases, news updates, and service reminders come few and far between in this town. It's mid-August. We got the new name back in June, but no official route map, no official stops, nor schedule. I haven't seen any signs around the downtown area. I live down here now, I haven't seen anything. How do you expect anyone to use this services if it's not being advertised? There were rumors floating back earlier this summer that dedicated bus lanes were going to be painted on Lombard and Pratt Street for not only this service, but the MTA buses that use the same roads, but it doesn't look like that has happened yet. Seems like this thing will ...
Read more