Mta

As the bus rumbled through the streets of East Baltimore, Dana Seibert proudly displayed his handcrafted creation of bright green and orange paper. It read: "My homemade Christmas card to a very special mom. " Seibert, a downtown resident who was taking the No. 35 bus on the way to see his mother, was one of many Baltimoreans whose Christmas activities were made possible by the Maryland Transit Administration — whose employees were working on a morning when many Marylanders were home opening presents under the tree.

I would like to make a suggestion to the Maryland Transit Administration in light of the agency's recent report on a possible fare increase ("MTA says fares may increase 65 cents," Dec. 20). My husband and I ride the light rail from Timonium frequently. We purchase tickets, but I can't tell you the large number of people we see ride for free. They never buy a ticket. Once or twice I have been on the train when someone comes and verifies if we have purchased a fare, but not often.

Although many of us of us are affected by the current economic doldrums, the Maryland Transit Administration Police are raising the bar to challenge those of us who are able to take care of ourselves and our families. Recently, 15 families at Northwood Elementary School in Baltimore City benefited from the generosity of the MTA Police. Under the leadership of Officer Stan Smith and with their own money, these officers gave these families among the best holiday seasons ever. Every wish list of every child was filled with major gifts such as bicycles, computers, Wii video game systems, art supplies, clothing, scooters, athletic equipment, dolls and games.

Raise fares on Baltimore's bus, light rail, and subway (and perhaps even on MARC commuter trains), and ridership will likely fall, particularly given the economy and the fact that so many transit riders live a hand-to-mouth existence. Cut service, and there's no doubt about it. That's why one of the smarter decisions of Gov. Martin O'Malley's time in office has been to preserve existing Maryland Transit Administration fares and routes. Anything that prevents people - particularly poor people - from getting to work, school or job training would run counter to Maryland's ongoing economic recovery efforts.

The Maryland Transit Administration has told the General Assembly that it would have to raise Baltimore-area transit fares by 65 cents next fiscal year — a 40 percent jump — in order to meet state revenue goals without cutting service. Such an increase would have to be followed by another 25-cent increase two years later to meet "farebox recovery" targets. Maryland law requires that transit systems cover 35 percent of their costs through passenger payments, though that goal is missed more often than it is met. The report doesn't necessarily mean fares will go up by that amount, but it sets a baseline for discussions of an increase — which critics argue would disproportionately affect many of the Baltimore area's poorest residents.

A woman died Monday after she was struck by a northbound light rail train on the Central Maryland corridor just north of Lutherville. Maryland Transit Administration spokesman Terry Owens said the woman was struck around 7:15 a.m. on the tracks and pronounced dead at the scene. Owens said he could not provide information about the identity of the victim or why she was crossing the tracks, but he noted that she was not near a light rail stop when she was hit. Baltimore County Police Detective Cathy Batton said the woman has not been positively identified.

b's signature rants: Real comments from Baltimoreans. Share your rants! Comment here; post on  facebook.com/bthesite ; Tweet @bthesite ; text your rant to 70701 (keyword: rant) or call  410-332-6660 . You need money to go shopping? i am broke trying to keep a roof over my head and my daughter! Thank God we survived Hurricane Irene. What pisses me off is the person who stole my T-Mobile Sidekick with the picture of my baby on it from the 20 bus. It's a damn shame a veteran has to just about be dead before they get any attention.

As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, traffic was slow on the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at I-795, due to an accident. A downed tree was impeding traffic at Conowingo Road past Sandy Hook Road. The Maryland Transit Administration's light rail has regular service from North Avenue to the Cromwell and BWI Marshall Airport stops on Tuesday, but the MTA is using buses to take passengers between North Avenue and Hunt Valley because workers are repairing damage to power lines and removing fallen trees along the route.

As of 9:30 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow on southbound I-95 near Mountain Road, due to debris in the road. Route 175 near I-95 in Aberdeen is slow due to an accident. An accident is causing traffic problems at Route 24 and Bel Air South Parkway. Signals are out at Route 140 and Royer Road; at Smith Avenue and Greenspring Avenue; at Northern Parkway and Coldspring Lane; at McCormick Road and Shawan Road; and at Belair Road and Reckord Road. Wires are down near New Battle Grove Road and North Point Boulevard in Dundalk.

The Maryland Transit Administration is warning passengers to plan for delays Monday on the MARC Penn Line and modified service on the light rail line at least through Tuesday as the agency operates in "storm recovery mode" following Hurricane Irene. The MTA issued a statement saying that all of its systems were operating for the Monday morning commute but that the Penn Line will operate a limited service schedule so certain repairs can be made by Amtrak, which operates the line for the MTA. Passengers were advised to consult the MTA website to see which trains are running and when.