Gov. Larry Hogan's unambiguous decision to kill the Red Line came after the 2015 legislative session, denying the Maryland General Assembly any prospect of redress. What was deemed a fatal flaw — the cost of a needed tunnel under downtown — doomed the project. Governor Hogan has consistently articulated his preference for roads over rail, both as a candidate and now, as the state's top public executive, so the termination of the project came as no real surprise.
A formidable group of elected officials will protest the decision (marking the absence of an alternative proposal) and continue their advocacy for improved transit options. However, a decade is the increment of measurement for major mass transit milestones and setbacks. This is the unforgiving reality of funding cycles driven by a governor's priorities and lengthy design, engineering and construction schedules.
Relieved of the prospect of tunneling under downtown for the foreseeable future, the most pressing engineering challenge will be sustaining the hard-won alignment of community, business and local government interests that had the region on the cusp of building the Red Line. Leaders who understand the value of a robust regional transportation system for Baltimore and Maryland's economy need to achieve consensus around more near-term transportation improvements that can be self-directed and financed, including:
•Resetting core bus service routes. Pete Rahn, the state's transportation secretary, acknowledges the need to critically review bus service. Data from the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance shows residents of economically challenged communities such as Sandtown Winchester and Harlem Park endure the city's longest commutes. Regional employers and employees consistently cite access to reliable transit as a great need. Service changes are controversial, but elected officials, neighborhood leaders and major employers must lean in to influence changes for the better. Rather than resign ourselves to the inadequacy of the current bus service, losing the Red Line should refocus stakeholders on seeking tangible improvements that would decrease travel times on vital routes in underserved communities. The Bus Network Improvement Project, an effort to improve service reliability and connectivity, could serve as the starting point. Tabled in March, the resources now exist to expedite a needed overhaul and make core bus service a reliable commuter option.
•Sustaining the Circulator. While a robust Charm City Circulator will never substitute for the Red Line and a built out regional transit system, it has filled an important niche in a fractured transportation network. It has also helped fuel growth in neighborhoods in and around downtown and has proven a model with a scalable reach. Between growth in the city's Highway User Revenues allocation and local funding intended for Red Line costs, potential funding sources exist to sustain and strategically expand service. There is also precedent for the state modestly supporting Circulator costs, a case bolstered by the Red Line decision.
•Accelerating the build out of bike and trail networks. A master plan unveiled this year by the city calls for adding 90 miles of networked bike lanes and trails to help meet the needs of local commuters. This represents an average annual expansion of just seven miles over each of the next dozen years. It is time to prioritize the completion of contiguous North/South and East/West bike lines and segmented trails and integrate these networks with a wayfaring system and bikeshare program like those enjoyed in other cities.
•Providing more accessible governance and accountability. The MTA is the only means of transportation for many Baltimore residents. Yet a decision as impactful as the cancellation of the Red Line occurred after an opaque internal review process with no opportunities for community input. Del. Brooke Lierman has proposed a board of directors for the MTA modeled after other higher-performing transit agencies. Such a body could oversee the agency's operations and finances, develop long-term plans with community input and better advise elected officials on the needs of transit constituents.
None of these improvements obviate the needs for ambitious long-term planning and advocacy for an impactful regional mass transit agenda. While some dispute the extent of its catalytic impacts, the Red Line was a lifeline for communities needing jobs and transportation alternatives. It could have also begun addressing transit service disparities between the Baltimore and Washington regions, inequities that will grow given the decision to construct the Purple Line.
Building and sustaining such a broad coalition of regional citizens and leaders to advocate for the Red Line was no small feat. This coalition should continue to advocate with the governor for a plan to deal with Central Maryland's transportation needs. But we cannot allow this setback, and the need to address it, to consume all our energy. Instead, let us couple advocacy for an authentic long-term state partnership to address regional transportation needs with immediate action on near-term improvements.
Matthew D. Gallagher is the president and CEO of the Goldseker Foundation and chaired Maryland's Local & Regional Transportation Funding Task Force. His email is matt@goldsekerfoundation.org.