Transit

A twice-in-a-lifetime celestial event is coming up in June, and on Tuesday, the Space Telescope Science Institute is providing a chance to learn more about it ahead of time. A monthly public lecture will focus on the transit of Venus, in which the planet will pass directly in front of the sun. During a transit, planets can be seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the sun. Of course, as with eclipses and other solar phenomena, they should not be viewed directly. In North America, the transit will be visible at sunset June 5. Look for more coverage here as the event gets closer.

As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on U.S. 50 westbound at the Capital Beltway, due to an accident involving six vehicles. According to the Maryland Transit Administration, light rail service is suspended between the Timonium and Hunt Valley stations due to construction work. A shuttle bus service is available instead. There are no other major delays reported on Baltimore area transit systems.

I read with interest the commentary by Gregory Spencer Jr. ("Connect the lines," Feb. 2) on the need for a transportation hub in Baltimore. There is no question that the convergence of the Red Line, the existing light rail transit (LRT) line and the Charm City Circulator will provide a new day for transportation for Baltimore. Transit and auto transportation is expensive, and as a region we need to continue to support every piece of transit that is affordable. It appears that there is the likelihood of some form of gas tax increase which will add to the cost of commuting.

When his roommate at the Naval Academy said jokingly last year that Andrew Atwill was a homosexual, the midshipman told him to cut it out. His friend didn't know it, Atwill says, but he really was gay — and under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, it could have jeopardized his military career. This year, the first since the Clinton-era policy was repealed, Atwill says change has come to the academy. And talking about his sexual orientation, rather than being a career-ending offense, has rallied midshipmen to his defense.

Maryland is on the verge of missing a golden opportunity this year to promote transit-oriented development and pedestrian-friendly communities. By seeking to establish State Rail Station Overlay Districts, House Bill 948 would have been in keeping with the state's traditions of progressive government and bold experimentation in civic improvement. Although the bill was defeated in the Environmental Matters Committee this year — and there is little hope for its revival — the ideas it contains are worthy of continued discussion and debate.

ONE OF THE nation's largest transit-oriented developments is taking shape along Baltimore's Howard Street, at the confluence of this region's transit lines. And at the Owings Mills Metro stop, the state plans to invest $14 million in a parking garage as part of a 46-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented project. So it's somewhat surprising that the state Department of Transportation only now is aggressively seeking bids from developers interested in building on state land at 10 MARC, bus and subway stops.

Unlike many elected officials and transportation planners, Maryland state comptroller Peter Franchot understands the connection between economic growth and mobility. Mr. Franchot proposed suspending the state's gasoline tax on long weekends during the summer to encourage people to travel. The comptroller's proposal came at the same time Gov. Martin O'Malley's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding considered recommendations to increase transportation funding, including a potential increase in the state gasoline tax. This effort puts the cart before the horse.

I find the statement by Carroll County commissioner Richard Rothschild that "We don't want subways or metro buses" because "they are conduits for crime" ("Carroll commissioners break with past on growth, housing, transit" June 23) to be very short sighted and narrow. Though I am a citizen of Baltimore County, I ride four days a week on the Metro with many Carroll countians. I've been riding the Metro to work since the Owings Mills station opened. Ridership includes many hard working citizens, students, the elderly and handicapped and the occasional homeless person looking for cheap rent for the day. Are there criminals among us?

IN SAN JOSE, Calif., employers can give newly hired workers free bus and light rail passes so they can try out the local transit system. Denver residents can enter a drawing to win a seat in Oprah Winfrey's studio audience by pledging to take a bus to work one day each week. A bus pass in Pittsburgh can also earn riders a discount at participating stores. Across the country, transit agencies are seizing an opportunity: High gas prices can persuade commuters to leave their beloved cars behind and hop a bus, light rail, subway or commuter train to work.

LIKE MILLIONS before him, Rob Vallese three years ago made the big move to a spacious new suburban home. But he did it by going against the last half-century's tide - by moving closer to the city, shortening his work commute and garaging his beloved car. Mr. Vallese, a Montgomery County pension manager, moved from a Germantown townhouse to a luxury home in King Farm, a large mixed-use development rising in Rockville, about 10 miles closer to his downtown...

Loyola and Denver will meet in the NCAA tournament for the first time, but it's the third contest in five weeks between the Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals. The top-seeded Greyhounds (15-1) won the first two meetings and have absorbed just one loss at the hands of Johns Hopkins on April 28, but this is their first appearance in a tournament quarterfinal since 2001. The Pioneers (9-6) experienced this stage of the tournament last May when they stunned the Blue Jays to advance to their first Final Four in school history.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on the inner loop of I-695 near Reisterstown Road, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on I-695 at the Curtis Creek Drawbridge in Baltimore County, Oliver Street and Milton Avenue in Baltimore City, and Darien Drive and Parkland Place in Glen Burnie. A disabled vehicle was blocking traffic on U.S. 50 westbound at the Bay Bridge. Debris in the road was blocking traffic on I-95 northbound at Route 100 in Howard County.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, traffic was slow on Route 543 at Prospect Mill Road in Harford County, due to an accident. Light rail service is suspended between the Timonium and Hunt Valley stations due to construction work. A shuttle bus service is available instead. There are no other delays reported on Baltimore area transit systems.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow on I-95 southbound near White Marsh Boulevard, due to an accident involving two vehicles. Accidents were slowing traffic Reisterstown Road and Garrison Boulevard in Baltimore County, Dorsey Road and Aviation Boulevard in Anne Arundel County, Route 22 at Tudor Lane in Harford County, Wise Avenue at Lynch Road in Dundalk, and Washington Boulevard at Freestate Drive in Elkridge. Debris in the road was blocking traffic on Route 2 northbound near Dover Road in Anne Arundel County.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on I-895 southbound near Lombard Street, due to an accident involving three vehicles. Emergency roadwork was blocking traffic on the ramp from I-70 eastbound near I-695 in Baltimore County. King Avenue was closed near Franklin Square Drive in Rosedale due to repair work on a broken water main. Light rail service is suspended between the Timonium and Hunt Valley stations due to construction work. A shuttle bus service is available instead.

A 9-year-old boy with learning disabilities enrolled in a special school. A 57-year-old man with a kidney dialysis appointment. A 35-year-old disabled woman headed to work. These are typical people helped each day by the Maryland Transit Administration's Mobility paratransit service. For them, Mobility's fleet of shuttles and sedans is literally a lifeline, a way to get to school and to jobs, the means to an independent life and to receive vital health care. Yet for many years, Mobility service has been nothing short of miserable.