Maryland approved ambitious plans for public transit expansion around Baltimore in 2002, but almost none of it became a reality. With a new plan in the works, transit boosters assess the loss of a generation's worth of progress.
Josh Kurtz performs a post-mortem on the recent history of transit planning in the state of Maryland—almost all of which never came to fruition.
In 2002, Maryland transportation planners put the finishing touches on a proposal to dramatically expand mass transit in the state. The plan envisioned six new or improved transit lines, with 122 new transit station stops built over 40 years.
Today, only the Purple Line, a light rail project linking New Carrollton to Bethesda, survives. The Red Line, an east-west transit project in Baltimore, came close to final federal approval, but Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) pulled the plug on the project in 2015.
The final nail in the coffin for those grand ambitions came in September when Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's administration announced that it would no longer prioritize the Corridor Cities Transitway, a bus rapid transit line in Montgomery County.
This post-mortem is set against the backdrop of a new transit planning study in the state, however: the Regional Transit Plan for Central Maryland. A draft plan is expected to be complete in a year, so the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Greater Washington Partnership recently held a public discussion on the future of transit in Maryland, but those in attendance couldn't avoid the past and the future.
As noted by Kurtz, several additional public forums on the Regional Transit Plan for Central Maryland are scheduled through the rest of the month.
FULL STORY: On Transit, Pondering What Might Be and Lamenting What Might Have Been
Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan: First Regional Transit Plan for Baltimore Since 2002
Transit planners in the Baltimore area are working on plans for a more reliable, useful regional transit system.
Maryland to Restart Planning for East-West Transit Line Through Baltimore
A plan for the Red Line, an east-west light rail line notoriously canceled by former-Governor Larry Hogan in 2015, is back on the table in Baltimore.
Monorail Study Moves Forward in Maryland
A plan to widen Interstate 270 in Maryland was approved earlier this year under the condition that the state also study a plan to build a monorail along the route.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)