February 12, 2010|By Michael Dresser and Timothy B. Wheeler | Baltimore Sun reporters
Mass transit will continue to be gradually restored today. The MARC Penn Line will run on a limited holiday schedule, but the Brunswick and Camden lines won't run.
Bus service, which began to come back Thursday, will continue to be restored with a goal of having all routes running, Maryland Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley said. She added that the Baltimore and Washington Metros are expected to run to underground stops only. Mobility service for the disabled will be provided for dialysis patients only.
Light rail will run at 30-minute intervals. Jawauna Greene, a Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman, said additional stations will open as the platforms, sidewalks and parking lots are cleared. Greene said the MTA will update its Web site, www.mtamaryland.gov, every hour with the latest information. Riders can also call 410-539-5000 or toll free 1-866-RIDE-MTA.
Though the Phase III ban on nonemergency vehicles on city streets was lifted, Baltimore remains in a Phase II snow emergency, meaning vehicles must be removed from snow emergency routes. Since the storms began last Friday, the city has towed or removed 514 vehicles, a Transportation Department spokeswoman said.
City public works officials announced that trash and recycling collections, which had been canceled through the end of this week, will resume Tuesday. Drop-off centers, however, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.
Gov. Martin O'Malley urged snowbound Marylanders to use the snowstorm as an opportunity to get to know their neighbors - and help those who need a hand digging out. But some residents didn't need a push from the governor.
In Baltimore's Oakenshawe neighborhood Thursday morning, a father of three managed to get his Honda Odyssey van out of its parking spot so he could take his two young sons sledding, but got stuck again as he tried to back down the street. Two other area residents, one a stranger, pushed and pulled until he was free.
An hour or so later, Wyman Park residents who in some cases did not know each other were also helping out cars stuck in snow. After several days of practice, such acts were coming naturally.
"People are getting tired of the repetitive nature of all this snow," said Daniel Krall, a 33-year-old illustration teacher at the Maryland Institute College of Art, "but they're definitely talking to each other more than usual. Most people can relate to having to share a common task - it's primeval."
In the suburbs, elected leaders were asking their constituents for patience too.
Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold said "100 percent" of the county's arterial and collector roads are passable, though some are still slushy or even snow-packed. About half the residential streets are passable, he said, but it will take at least a couple more days to reach all roads.
In Baltimore County, roads chief Tim Burgess said he was pleasantly surprised by how much snow county crews and contractors had been able to clear the day after the latest storm. He said the county had rented about 150 loaders to supplement its usual fleet of 300 plows, loaders and trucks.
All main county roads were at least partially cleared of snow, Burgess said, but he urged motorists to drive with caution.
"Keep in mind, a lot of them aren't fully open, they're partial lanes or lanes that end," he said. "I'm hoping by the weekend, everybody can go everywhere they want - maybe not quickly, but they'll get there."
County crews will be working into next week to reclaim snow-covered lanes, he said. "It's going to be a long operation." As for next week's forecast of more snow," Burgess said, "I refuse to look that far ahead." Carroll, Harford and Howard county officials said they were contending with wind that was blowing snow back onto plowed roads in some areas.
In Carroll, gusts forced crews to revisit plowed secondary roads and kept them from getting to neighborhoods, said county spokeswoman Vivian Laxton. Officials hope to start on them today, she said.
"It's going to be a day or more before some areas have been opened up," warned Bob Thomas, spokesman for Harford County Executive David Craig.
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said he saw gusts Thursday afternoon blowing snow back onto plowed roads. He described the experience as "like driving through a car wash filled with blowing snow."
Baltimore Sun reporters Meredith Cohn, Larry Carson, Nick Madigan, Liz F. Kay, Julie Bykowicz and Liz Bowie contributed to this article.
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