Public Transportation

Public transportation won't improve until the public demands itI am delighted by The Sun's leadership in devoting a series of editorials to the Baltimore region's woefully inadequate public transportation system (Dec 12-14).Access to living wage jobs, revitalizing neighborhoods through integrated transit and community development projects and improving our region's air quality in the face of future population growth are just some of the challenges an expanded, better coordinated, better financed public transit system would address.

Without job training or a car, Vonzella Riggs struggled for two years to find a stable job in East Baltimore, where she lives."I could never look for work in the counties, because I didn't have any way of getting there," she said.A report released today says thousands in Baltimore share a similar unemployment trap.More than a third of all entry-level jobs in the Baltimore region can't be reached by public transportation, a daunting hurdle for people trying to move off welfare and into the work force, says the study by the Citizens Planning and Housing Association.

Arundel Mills shows myth of land-use controlPlans for the super-regional Arundel Mills "shoppertainment" complex in Anne Arundel County demonstrates the need for a mechanism to evaluate projects that will impact the regional economy, air quality and transportation systems.Large-scale projects such as Arundel Mills illustrate the shortcomings -- and the myth -- of local land-use control.Arundel Mills will generate approximately 75 million additional vehicle miles annually in the region and attract shoppers from up to 200 miles away.

Carroll residents have repeatedly rejected plans to bring public transportation to the county, but state transportation officials have defined a need and continue to make a case for mass transit.Mass Transit Administration officials met with about 30 county administrators and residents in Westminster last night. They reviewed a proposed 20-year Transit Master Plan and asked for suggestions to improve local transportation. Similar sessions are taking place across the state."This is our first attempt to produce specific local projects and give a statewide perspective," said Harvey S. Zelefsky, MTA planning manager.

Keep mass transit in the single state transportation trustHouse Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr.'s recent proposal to remove mass transit from the Transportation Trust Fund is counterproductive and unsound public policy ("Taylor seeks changes in mass transit funding," Nov. 19).Designed in the early 1970s to help Maryland meet its diverse transportation and infrastructure needs, the Transportation Trust Fund is one of the most innovative and flexible transportation financing mechanisms in the nation.

Carroll County must develop public transportation between its major population centers and connections with other metropolitan areas if it is to avoid gridlock on its major roads, according to a report by the Mass Transit Administration.But getting residents who have consistently opposed public transportation to accept the plan could prove a major marketing challenge for MTA. Opponents have said they fear bus lines will bring crime into the county."We must preserve, improve and expand on the existing system," said Harvey S. Zelefsky, MTA planning manager.

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan coalition of senators has hammered out an agreement to raise spending on mass transit by $5 billion over the next six years, an accord likely to have an important impact in Maryland.The agreement resulted from efforts by senators from Northeastern states who are concerned that public transportation needs are being slighted as Southern and Western lawmakers try to steer highway dollars to their regions.Key senators resolved the dispute through a familiar Washington maneuver -- they placated the sides by increasing money for highways and public transportation.

MY CONFIDENCE in Howard County's enigmatic bus system was at a low point a few months ago.After waiting more than a half-hour for a bus that didn't come to my Ellicott City neighborhood on a chilly September morning, I had to forget about taking mass transit to work in Columbia that day. I drove instead; the next bus was not scheduled to come for hours.The frustration of waiting in vain for a bus and the indifference shown by a transit system operator when I called to complain made me reluctant to try again to catch the bus.Fortunately, I have the option of driving, unlike many riders of the Howard Area Transit System (HATS)

Carroll County residents have consistently opposed bringing public transportation in from Baltimore, but they might support expanding Carroll Transit, a bus system that operates 19 vans in the Westminster area.The concept came from a forum organized Friday by state transportation planners in Westminster. Many of the 30 participants viewed Carroll Transit, a private, nonprofit company that primarily serves the elderly and disabled, as the answer to public transportation needs."We should connect all major activity centers in all municipalities," said Janet Gregor, county transportation planner.

PHILADELPHIA -- During rush hour on Philadelphia's Schuylkill Expressway, traffic is as knotted as the soft pretzels this city is famous for.So it was hard to tell by driving this snarling path last Thursday whether this city's week-old transit strike, affecting 450,000 daily riders, had brought city traffic to a standstill.I was in Philadelphia to see how a major metropolitan area functions without a key portion of its public transportation.As Baltimore area officials grind out a long-range transportation plan, they could learn something from Philadelphia.

Baltimore commuters have a big stake in the fate of the American Clean Energy Security Act, also known as the Waxman-Markey bill, which passed the U.S. House in June and heads to the Senate this fall. This landmark legislation is the first attempt of the federal government to drive the United States to a clean-energy economy with lower greenhouse gas emissions, more jobs in new clean energy industries and less dependence on uncertain oil supplies. It will lead to important new investments in energy efficiency to save consumers money, and new forms of generating clean electricity, such as solar and wind.

Our 'dieting society' hides healthy weight It is really hard to be "happy and healthy at your natural weight" when it is not entirely clear what that is, and when society sends out a completely different message: The skinnier you are, the more beautiful and more successful you will be ("Compulsive eating and bingeing differ from overeating," Oct. 20). So what is our natural weight? Is it the weight that teenagers see in the 90210 stars, or is it the weight our physician approves of? We live in a "dieting society" that worships super-skinny people and leads us into diets and eating disorders.

House Democrats raised the ante on the latest potential economic stimulus plan by endorsing a one-time boost of up to $300 billion in federal spending with much of it going to roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Congress ought to invest in public works, especially transportation - but only if elected officials can somehow be restrained from larding up the measure with earmarks, tax cuts and other goodies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues have shown signs of going bullish on pork by including aid to states and extra money for food stamps and unemployment insurance.

Turn transit options into practical realities As ridership has increased on Maryland's MARC commuter trains, the state has wisely decided to purchase additional rail cars to allow more passengers to ride ("New cars may ease MARC crowding," Aug. 20). However, as gas prices remain high and congestion gets worse on our streets and highways, it will take more than 13 new rail cars to accommodate the public demand for better transportation options. That's why we must revaluate the way we fund transportation in the United States.

Continue the work to house the poor Although tensions between church and state make for interesting reading, we fail to see a reason for conflict in The Sun's article "City renews effort to clear camp, citing health risks" (June 10). The article notes that the city has adopted a "Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness" based on a Housing First approach and that church officials pledge to continue their admirable work to get homeless people back into the mainstream. This sounds more like a match made in heaven than a standoff of warring factions.

IN A DRIZZLY SUNDAY IN PORTland, Ore., I had no immediate obligation other than to became one with the languorous and the buzzed at World Cup Coffee and Tea. There, over an economical Americano, I contemplated the city's appeal, particularly for budget travelers: Portland is its own piece of performance art, a place where everyday life is a public spectacle and the price of admission is negligible. It's lifestyle as theater. Commuters ride skateboards to work, tricksters post amusing dog portraits on public bulletin boards, and sidewalk-cafe society materializes as soon as the sun comes out. In most cases, flying to the West for a long weekend on a $500 budget might seem farfetched -- even with the advantage of a $240 (including tax)

After 6 p.m. and on weekends, those who rely on Harford County's public transit system cannot catch a bus ride anywhere. The nine bus routes that crisscross the county stop running at the end of the day and at the end of the workweek. That will change as early as July 1, when Harford Transit Service, the county's public transportation agency, adds two new 20-seat buses and begins evening and Saturday hours. With some pre-arrangement, a passenger might be able to travel from Darlington to an event in Bel Air or to an evening class at Harford Community College.

The idea of mass transit hasn't exactly been popular in Carroll County, where leaders traditionally have viewed big, costly public transportation systems as big-city concerns. But that might be changing. Carroll leaders are backing future regional transit projects in exchange for help with a more pressing highway dilemma just across the border in Howard County. Carroll officials want to double the width of Route 32 running north from Interstate 70 in Howard to Sykesville to boost a developing business park on the grounds of the former Springfield Hospital Center near the county line.

Harford County Transit hopes to take advantage of a state tax incentive program for commuters to boost ridership. The Maryland Transit Administration offers a tax credit, known as the commuter choice program, for those who leave the car at home and join a van pool or ride the bus or the rails for their daily trek to work. Participating companies make passes or vouchers available to their employees, who can save as much as $2,000 annually on the cost of getting to work. The program allows businesses a tax credit on the cost of providing commuter benefits of up to $50 per month for each employee.

City a leader in commuter use of public transit, walking Baltimore is among the nation's top 10 cities where commuters take public transportation or walk to work, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau analysis of data from its 2005 American Community Survey. About 19 percent of Baltimore commuters ages 16 and over use public transportation, ranking it seventh in the analysis of the nation's large cities. Baltimore also ranked 10th for the percentage of commuters who walk to work - 5.4 percent.