Tag: Maryland Transit Administration
State Roundup, January 23, 2020
Former Del. Glenn pleads guilty to taking bribes as names of business ‘associates’ remain sealed; bills seek to put legalizing sports betting to referendum; bipartisan group of lawmakers push for more business-friendly state before Maryland Chamber; Senate President Ferguson touts digital ad tax; lawmakers urge special elections to fill vacancies in General Assembly; bill would make it a crime to cause severe emotional distress to a disabled adult under one’s care; new Transit Caucus pushes for Washington County commuter train service, among other ideas; Sheriff Jenkins can enter into immigration enforcement agreement, but Frederick County doesn’t have to fund it; and who are the Republicans running for Elijah Cummings’ congressional seat?
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Analyzing the proposed BaltimoreLink transit plan and its effect on area transit
Overall, as transit projects go, BaltimoreLink is a fairly sound plan. But questions remain. Most importantly, it’s entirely unclear where the $135 million to implement this plan is coming from. It was not appropriated by the legislature during the past year’s budget negotiation. Despite this uncertainty, the plan’s bus-centric nature is far sounder than the Red Line’s costly rail-based model. Nick Zaiac of the Maryland Public Policy Institute reviews and analyzes each component of the program. For comparison, he also takes a look at some programs that have worked in other cities and states.
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Public questions proposed BaltimoreLink bus system
The Maryland Transit Administration on Wednesday hosted the first of several workshops planned throughout Baltimore to discuss details of Gov. Larry Hogan’s new version of the city’s public transit system.
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“Transformative” transit or Plan Blech: Hogan rolls out ambitious program
Baltimore’s political, business and media leaders are never going to forgive Hogan’s dismissal of 10 years of planning and $900 million in federal transit aid as a “boondoggle.” They criticized Hogan for having no backup Plan B. When he unveiled Plan B, to them it looked like Plan Blech.
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$135m transit plan for Baltimore focuses on new fast bus routes
Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday announced a $135 million investment to improve, expand and connect the transit system in the greater Baltimore area. Hogan said that the current performance of the transit system is “notoriously abysmal,” citing slow buses and long routes that ensure people cannot get from their home to work conveniently.
Read MoreNew MARC cars, commuter buses approved by Board of Public Works
Commuters will be getting an easier ride to Washington, D.C. in 54 new multi-level MARC cars and on additional buses from Charles County, all approved by the Board of Public Works on Wednesday.
Read MoreState publishes new rules for campaigning at transit stations
The state is proposing to relax its rules on political activity at transit stations, a move designed to help settle a three-year legal battle with the American Civil Liberties Union and ACORN that stemmed from the 2006 campaign.
The regulatory change, published for public comment on a state website, eliminates the requirement that groups get permits for “free speech activity” at Maryland Transit Administration facilities. The regulations apply to things like political organizing and demonstrations.
Read MoreACORN, ACLU will continue to sue Md. as panel rejects settlement
The state is refusing to accept a $60,000 agreement that the Office of the Attorney General reached with the American Civil Liberties Union and ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).
The Board of Public Works Wednesday rejected the settlement that would have resolved a long-standing dispute over an Ehrlich-administration Maryland Transit Administration prohibition on political activity at public transportation properties.
Read MoreSenators want more study of Red, Purple lines
Senators are asking the Maryland Transit Administration to go back and look at different options for its three proposed transit lines, two of which are in the early stages of a lengthy quest for federal aid.
When it signed off on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget proposal last week, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee called for the MTA to re-examine reccmmendations to use “light rail” alignments on the proposed Red Line in Baltimore and the Purple Line in the Washington Suburbs.
Read MoreEmergency state mobility contract overdue for review
A new, $4.6 million paratransit contract between the Maryland Transit Administration and a vendor has not yet made it before the Board of Public Works that oversees such transactions, though nearly twice the allowed amount of time has passed since the emergency contract went into effect.
On Sept. 21, the MTA gave the two-year contract to Transcare Maryland Inc., which will serve as the state’s third provider of mobility service. The agency had declared an emergency four days earlier, said spokeswoman Cheron Wicker, in anticipation of a possible a strike by workers at one of the state’s other paratransit contractors, California-based MV Transportation Inc.
Read MoreMTA to start taking credit cards after delays, cost overruns
The Maryland Transit Administration will begin converting its Baltimore Metro Subway payment kiosks to accept credit cards in early November.
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