Transportation should be top of mind for voters as they fill out their ballots this November. It often receives less attention than topics like crime or education, yet elected officials control how governments invest in transportation. Their decisions shape our lives and our environment in profound ways: a choice to invest in widening highways induces demand and causes more traffic. A choice to invest in transit takes cars off of the road and gives people who can’t afford a car access to more jobs and opportunity.
Our organizations remain committed to holding elected officials accountable for their promises to improve transportation in the Baltimore region. For over a decade, we’ve hosted forums and published questionnaires for city and statewide races. This spring, we also invited U.S. Maryland Senate Candidates Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan to respond to our Transportation Questionnaire by answering the question “What will you do to improve the transportation system for the State?” giving both candidates the opportunity to share their transportation platforms and priorities.
The Alsobrooks campaign responded to our questionnaire and the Hogan campaign did not. We have published the responses here. While it is unfortunate that candidate Hogan did not lay out his platform for transportation in our questionnaire, readers can glean information from the Sun: [Larry Hogan says he wouldn’t prioritize Red Line funding in US Senate, believes project won’t happen – Baltimore Sun].
The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance and the Rails to Trails Coalition conducted polling of voters in Baltimore City and Baltimore County in April 2024. The responses indicated that majorities of independent, Democratic and Republican voters in the region support investments that improve walking, biking, or riding a bus or train.
We urge candidates to tell voters directly how they will shape our transportation future, and we trust voters will make transportation a priority when casting their ballots.
Thank you.
Robin Budish, Executive Director, Transit Choices
Jed Weeks, Executive Director, Bikemore
Brian O’Malley, President & CEO, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance