CMTA in the Media
via The Baltimore Banner
Here’s What the Mayoral Candidates Think About Bike Lanes, the Redline and Bus Routes
April 14, 2024
“There’s so much that a mayor can do on transportation, especially with how the city controls streets and sidewalks and traffic signals,” said Brian O’Malley, president and CEO of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, in a conversation with The Baltimore Banner after the event. “I look forward to reviewing their responses and seeing how voters digest it all.”
Photo: Danielle Sweeney
via Baltimore Banner
Board Member Commentary: Legislation would require agencies to calculate increased vehicle use and higher emissions
March 9, 2024
We must not continue this madness. Better transit options will help workers get to jobs, such as those at Tradepoint Atlantic and Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, to name just two employers. And many of our children who rely on public transportation to get to school will no longer have to endure commutes of more than an hour.
Gov. Wes Moore and leaders in the General Assembly have expressed support for expanded public transportation and other nonhighway projects. Let’s see if they deliver. Or will their promises go unfulfilled while the status quo remains?
It’s time for Maryland to begin building a balanced transportation system that serves everyone. The Transportation and Climate Alignment Act will help us get there. Let your elected officials know how important this is to you. -- Will Baker, Board Member, Transportation Alliance
Photo: CMTA
via Baltimore Banner
Board Member Commentary: More, not less, investment needed for construction, maintenance of transit systems
February 19, 2024
"While the governor’s partial restoration of funds is certainly welcome, we badly need acceleration of investment, not just restoration of proposed cuts. In fact, in 2022, the MTA estimated its capital needs at $512 million annually merely to maintain a “state of good repair” for existing facilities and equipment. That doesn’t include the promised east-west Red Line, the Purple Line or other needs beyond “state of good repair.” It also doesn’t account for increasing costs and the effect of inflation, which may double the number. And while all transit advocates should applaud the state’s increased funding for the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority, we should be seeing similar support for MTA in Baltimore."
-Jon Laria (board member Transportation Alliance)
Photo: Danielle Sweeney
via Route 50
Lackluster Revenues Force Maryland to Trim Transportation Services
February 15, 2024
"O’Malley is particularly concerned about the cuts to Baltimore’s transit service, which he said could weaken Maryland’s case when applying for federal grants to help build the Red Line. It’s hard to convince federal officials that you can afford to build and maintain a new transit line if you’re cutting your capital budget beforehand, he said. Plus, transit cuts will likely result in lower ridership, which is another metric federal officials consider when deciding which cities should get construction grants, he added.
But O’Malley is also worried that the cuts Moore proposed don’t change the state’s underlying transportation priorities.
Wiedefeld’s plan to cut all agencies by 8% “sounds fair,” O’Malley said, “but it assumes things were fair to begin with, and they weren’t. There’s been a bias for decades towards widening roads and highways.”
“Gov. Moore and MDOT seem to be taking as a given that MDOT will continue to spend like it has before,” O’Malley said. But with the climate crisis and Moore’s campaign promises to use transportation to promote equity, he said, “MDOT must change its priorities and spend differently.”
“The Maryland climate goal is to achieve 60% climate pollution reductions."
Photo: DREW ANGERER (via Getty Images)
via Green 2.0
ACTIVISTS TACKLE TRANSPORTATION’S ROLE IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS
February 15, 2024
The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance was formed in 2007 as a diverse coalition of corporate and civic leaders uniting business, philanthropic, and institutional sectors around a common agenda: improving and expanding transportation options for the citizens and businesses of Central Maryland. In this blog, President & CEO Brian O’Malley discusses recent efforts to pass more climate-friendly transportation legislation in the state, including the Transportation and Climate Alignment Act.
Photo: CMTA
via The Baltimore Banner
Why are so many Virginia License Plates on Baltimore Streets?
February 13, 2024
"Only about 55% of Baltimore-area households in 2023 were spending an affordable and sustainable amount of their income on housing and transportation combined, according to the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance’s recent report card. For the affordability metric, the alliance gave the Baltimore region an F.
Torrence hopes future legislation can help change that, and that insurance companies will stop considering outside factors such as marital status and homeownership when adjusting rates.
“We have to talk about where accidents are actually placed, too,” Torrence said.
If a driver who lives outside the city of Baltimore causes a crash within the city limits, Torrence doesn’t think Baltimore should be deemed less safe for insurance purposes. "
