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November 17, 2006
O'Malley Prevails in Race for Governor, Calls for a 'First-Class Transportation System' that Includes Public Transit On Election Day Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, the Democratic candidate for Governor, prevailed in his race against incumbent Robert Ehrlich. O'Malley, in campaign statements and a detailed response to a questionnaire issued by the BTA, called for a "full range of transportation solutions to combat the state's traffic nightmare." O'Malley will inherit one of the largest transportation budgets in Maryland history but already fully committed to existing projects such as the Intercounty Connector, I-95 widening, and completion of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. He promised to audit the transportation budget, and then appoint a panel of "legislators and experts" to develop a 10-year funding plan. With regard to transit, O'Malley's priorities include continued development of the Red and Green lines in Baltimore; "frequent service" bus lines; and an overhaul of the MARC Train system.
Transit Funding Study Committee Gets Underway Faced with as many as four major rail expansion projects in the next few years, the General Assembly has convened a committee to develop a list of "needs" as well as possible sources of funding. The committee was created by Senate Bill 850 passed during the 2006 session. The committee includes six legislators and the Secretaries of Transportation and Budget. Members from the Senate include David Brinkley, Ed DeGrange, and Rona Kramer. Members from the House of Delegates include John Bohanan, Sheila Hixson, and Maggie McIntosh. Formally known as the Transit Funding Study Steering Committee, the group is charged with issuing a report by December 15, 2006. Among the first orders of business at its first meeting on October 20 was the decision to issue a status report at that time and complete its work a month later in time for the start of the 2007 session. Planned meeting topics include discussion of transit funding needs, including the future costs of operating and maintaining the current system, as well as funding mechanisms used in other parts of the country. Looming over this is a bill pending in Congress that would provide additional funding for the Washington Metro that would need a match from the state.
Baltimore Transit Community Takes its Message to Chicago Earlier this month Baltimore transit officials and advocates shared stories from the region with hundreds of participants at the annual meeting of Railvolution in Chicago. Railvolution is a national organization that promotes investments in transit to "build and sustain livable and equitable communities by providing objective information on the importance of and relationship among land use and transportation planning, economic development, and good general project and transit station design." Some of the Baltimore participants included West Baltimore community organizers Joyce Smith and Rita Fayall, BTA's Henry Kay, and MTA Deputy Planning Director Tony Brown. Using recent experience from Red Line and transit-oriented development planning, presenters discussed efforts to build savvy community leadership and told audiences to allow room in the planning process for relationship building.
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