A People’s Plan for Baltimore Transit

Crises Confronting Baltimore Transit Transit investment hasn’t focused on promoting affordable housing, driving job creation, or reducing violence Our city is paralyzed by slow bus service and lack of service expansion to those who need it The people of Baltimore never had a say in BaltimoreLink Our deteriorating, unsafe rail system desperately needs repair Divestments like Hogan’s Red Line cut must be rolled back

Why is transit in Baltimore unreliable? Traffic Congestion Boarding Delay #1. Paying the Driver #2. Dealing with Steps Intersection Delay Speed restrictions due to poor infrastructure maintenance Fleet too small Long routes Weak operational control

Why is transit in Baltimore unreliable? 2. Boarding Delay #1. Paying the Driver Passengers boarding Rt. 91 at Lexington Market, >2 minute delay #2. Dealing with Steps

Why is transit in Baltimore unsafe? Persistent rodent infestations in stations expose passengers and workers to transmittable diseases Flooding of critical safety and operational equipment in stations Faulty wiring and exposed conduits in work and public areas that can lead to electrocution Inoperable fire management systems

Our People are Physically Isolated by Unreliable, Unsafe Transit The six-line system we were promised became a one line, north-south system The Red Line, our desperately needed east-west connection, was cancelled by Gov. Hogan Our bus service and light rail are slow, infrequent, and fail to connect Baltimoreans to each other & to jobs Our Metro Subway is in dangerous disrepair BaltimoreLink is a PR plan, not an investment

Why is BaltimoreLink Not Enough? Important Severed Connections Route 19 cut Route 15 cut Route 7 Cut Blue lines are CityLink routes, green lines are LocalLink routes, and grey lines are the current bus routes Routes 11 and 27 Cut Route 20 and 30 Cut BRT Planning International, 2016

How Can We Do Better Right Now? Invest in maintenance and public sector manpower needed to bring existing rail systems to a state of good repair Invest $300 million in a true Bus Rapid Transit system, a people’s alternative to BaltimoreLink

What would true BRT in Baltimore Look Like? Dedicated right-of-way Dedicated lanes in the middle of the road avoid conflicts with turning vehicles, deliveries, bicycles Off-board fare collection Passengers buy a ticket at a vending machine. No delay paying the driver All-door boarding Passengers can enter through all doors at once and step on at-level with the bus floor Intersection treatments Transit signal priority and left turn restrictions to cars

Dedicated Right of Way What would true BRT in Baltimore Look Like? Dedicated lanes in the middle of the road avoid conflicts with turning vehicles, deliveries, bicycles Cleveland HealthLine BRT BRT Planning International, 2016

infrastructure be built? Where could BRT infrastructure be built? BRT Planning International, 2016

infrastructure be built? Where should BRT infrastructure be built? Where neighborhoods are decaying Where violence needs reducing Abandoned properties (red) And Homicides in 2013 (green) BRT Planning International, 2016

Has BRT Actually Worked Anywhere? Cleveland’s HealthLine BRT: 9.2 miles Build cost: $65 million Investment generated: $6 billion For $1 invested, $114 generated Highest ROI of any transit project in the nation 13,000 new jobs; 4,000 new residential units 7.9 million square feet in development

But Would BRT Work in Baltimore? True BRT in Baltimore: 14.35 miles Build Cost: $287 million Ridership: ~154,000 daily riders vs Cleveland’s 15,000 Baltimore BRT would perform well under FTA cost effectiveness analysis. Average old bus boarding time: 4 seconds per passenger; 110 for PWD Average new BRT boarding time: 0.3 seconds

Conclusion With true BRT infrastructure, we can improve bus frequency and eliminate the delays that leave bus riders stranded every day With dedicated funding for maintenance in our existing rail system, we can save lives and improve service quality for subway riders With investment in our existing rail system and a true BRT system, we can help: connect Baltimoreans to job centers, expand areas where affordable housing is viable, reduce unemployment & unaffordability that contribute to violence With a plan drafted by transit workers and their allies, we can replace and improve BaltimoreLink in a way that actually serves the people of Baltimore