Some of the biggest names in Baltimore business and development have joined local community groups to call on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to save the Charm City Circulator route through Locust Point.
Twenty-six people in all signed a letter to Rawlings-Blake Tuesday saying they are "gravely concerned" about the city plan announced last month to end the Banner Route and its impact on their community.
"As residents, families, investors, and other stakeholders in South Baltimore, we are gravely concerned by the proposal to eliminate the Charm City Circulator's Banner Route," they wrote. "The Banner Route is crucial for connecting city residents and tourists to the Inner Harbor, South Baltimore businesses, sporting events, cultural attractions, and historic sites."
The letter was signed by the leaders of three community groups on the peninsula — Greg Sileo, of the Locust Point Civic Association; John G. Paré Jr., of the Riverside Community Association; and Janan Broadbent, of the Key Highway Community Association — big-name business leaders such as Under Armour CFO Brad Dickerson, institution heads such as American Visionary Art Museum founder and director Rebecca Hoffberger, and major developers such as Mark Sapperstein, Scott Plank and Thomas S. Bozzuto Jr.
Local restaurant, bar and other business owners also signed on.
"This bus service helps make downtown Baltimore accessible and is a critical component to attracting and retaining young professionals, families, and businesses in urban areas faced with chronic parking and traffic issues," they wrote. "Its loss would have a profound impact on important quality of life factors for our residents, and stands in direct opposition to the stated goal of bringing 10,000 new families into Baltimore."
City officials last month announced plans to end the Banner Route as part of a measure to save $3.1 million a year on a free system that has built up a deficit of more than $11 million since its introduction in January 2010.
The Banner Route connects downtown to Fort McHenry and originally was funded through a federal grant related to the bicentennial celebrations of the War of 1812. That grant recently expired.
City transportation officials who recommended the Banner Route be ended said the change would save the city $944,753, and would lead to 392,552 fewer Circulator riders per year.
Rawlings-Blake's office deferred comment to the city's transportation department. Adrienne Barnes, a department spokeswoman, noted the expired grant funding in a statement and said "no additional funding has been identified."
The group's letter says the peninsula has been "historically underserved by public transportation" and that residents have "come to depend on" the bus route, students use it to get to school, seniors use it to get to the grocery store, and tourists use it to get to local businesses and tourist attractions like Fort McHenry.
And, they wrote, the demand is only going to grow.
"As the peninsula continues to undergo a rapid expansion in residential and commercial development, there will be even more increased demand for reliable public transportation to and from the city center," the group wrote. "This year, Locust Point alone has seen nearly 400 announced new residential units underway and 500 new professional jobs being added, not to mention significant development in the rest of the peninsula."
The group asked Rawlings-Blake for an opportunity to discuss alternatives to ending the line.
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