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May 22, 2006
"End-to-End" Alternatives Give Truer Sense of the Red Line At workshops held along the Red Line this month MTA presented new thinking about possible station locations as well as "end-to-end" alternatives to be studied in detail over the next year. The end-to-end alternatives link together now-familiar segments, but provide a better sense of the range of possible projects. The seven "build" alternatives cover a spectrum from lower cost/lower benefit projects to higher cost/higher benefit projects. By developing detailed information about a range of options the project gives communities and decision makers the opportunity to see how much additional incremental benefit can be gained by additional incremental costs. "Low end" alternatives range from souped-up local bus service to new light rail or Bus Rapid Transit service on dedicated lanes. "High end" alternatives include light rail and bus tunnels downtown and elsewhere. To see maps, click here.
New Law Requires Study of Transit Needs; Funding Sources Among the bills enacted following the legislative session is SB 850 which requires the Maryland Department of Transportation to study transit needs in Maryland and how transit in funded elsewhere in the country. The study will be overseen by a steering committee comprised of six legislators and the secretaries of Transportation and Budget. The department must then issue a report in December, presumably in time to influence budget decisions in the 2007 legislative session. It has been more than five years since any effort of this kind has been undertaken, and the "unconstrained" needs will likely far outstrip any projected revenues. Finding new transportation funding sources will take on an increasing sense of urgency over the next year as the Red Line in the Baltimore region and the Bi-County Transitway and Corridor Cities Transitway in the Washington region reach a point where finance plans are required. There is no funding in the current budget to build any of the projects.
Event Alert: Public Policy Seminar on Transit Oriented Development Coming June 30 BTA and the Baltimore Neighborhood Collaborative are pleased to announce a public policy seminar on new developments in transit oriented development in the Baltimore region to be held Friday, June 30 at GBC from 8 to 10 AM. The seminar will feature a panel of distinguished speakers who will address the status of TOD in the new Baltimore City comprehensive plan and the role of TOD in a larger community development strategy as well as a panel addressing exciting new projects under construction or in the planning stages. Register online at www.gbc.org or call 410-727-2820. For more information, contact Henry Kay at 410-727-2820 or email henryk@gbc.org.
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