A new way to get around downtown Baltimore will be previewed today -- a shuttle bus that planners hope will relieve a parking crunch and show that a car is not essential in the city center.
"Public transit is not a court of last resort, but something that's a good option," said Michele L. Whelley, president of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc., who will unveil the plans at a news conference today. The business advocacy group is a partner in the Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH), funded with a $5.9 million state grant.
Eight brand-new buses will begin rolling March 4. They will serve two groups: workers who, through their employers, will pay $50 a month to park near PSINet Stadium and ride to the office or anywhere else on the DASH system; and "leisure" riders who will pay 50 cents to go from, say, the Inner Harbor to Mount Vernon.
Neither the name nor the idea is new. Shuttle buses have worked in other American cities, experts say, and neighborhood shuttles in Baltimore's Hampden and Mondawmin areas have proved successful.
"It really shows that providing quick, efficient and reliable service to get people to the places they most need to go really works," said Brad Rogers, program manager at 1000 Friends of Maryland, a statewide group that pushes for "smart growth."
Whelley said she understands some people's reluctance to sign on to an untested program. That is why efficiency and reliability will be emphasized. In fact, the rush-hour route has been limited to make sure the buses will reach the stops every five minutes.
No employers have committed to the program, but the University of Maryland, Baltimore and a half-dozen other large downtown entities are finalizing one-year contracts, Whelley said. The goal is to have 300 or 400 riders initially, and about 1,000 after a year.
The downtown partnership sees many benefits to the shuttle. Although several parking garages are under construction or planned, Whelley said, a "significant" number of new parking spaces will not be available for 18 months.
Even so, "we all know we can't ever build enough parking garages," said Lisa Raimundo, the partnership's vice president of economic development. Nor, she added, would it be desirable.
By offering a cheaper parking option, planners hope to encourage businesses to stay and expand in the city. Downtown parking typically costs between $150 and $220 a month per space. Many companies subsidize those spaces, some spending $100,000 or more annually.
