Transit Choice’s Campaign to Support MTA’s Transit Priority Initiative
In June 2017, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) – Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) launched the BaltimoreLink bus service. BaltimoreLink represented a major redesign of the previous MTA bus service and a full rebranding of the buses. BaltimoreLink includes 12 high-frequency routes, 43 lower-frequency routes and nine ExpressLink routes which serve Baltimore City and the surrounding area. The redesign of the bus network was influenced by efforts in other metro areas like Houston and Omaha.
Seeking to further leverage its investment in BaltimoreLink, MDOT MTA’s Transit Priority Initiative will work with local jurisdictions and communities to consider how potential transit investments (or treatments) may positively impact bus reliability, bus dwell times, pedestrian and cyclists safety, among other issues in their areas. The agency has utilized a data-driven approach to identify impactful investment opportunities throughout the BaltimoreLink system. Examples of potential targeted investments include:
MDOT MTA has developed a Transit Priority Toolkit to help local officials, transit planners, engineers, and community members to visualize and rank their preferred transit investments. The Toolkit explains MDOT MTA 15 potential investments that will positively impact up to 5 transit factors:
- Travel Time Reliability
- Travel Delay
- Stop Delay
- Signal Delay
- Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety
MDOT MTA is currently working with communities and local officials in several priority bus corridors to gather investment feedback and jointly decide potential targeted transit investments.
Transit Choices recently secured a Local Coalition Grant from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) to raise awareness and support MDOT MTA’s Transit Priority Initiative. Transit Choices will be utilizing digital and direct advocacy to implement the grant. Transit Choices previously won an APTA grant to support its Saving Baltimore’s TIGERs campaign.
We look forward to keeping you appraised of our efforts. Please follow us on Facebook to keep up with the campaign.