7
STATE OF MARYLAND
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MARYLAND TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
BaltimoreLink Public Hearing
MedStar Harbor Hospital
3001 South Hanover Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21235
January 10, 2017
MICHAEL HELTER, Hearing Officer
LAURA GETTY, Hearing Secretary
Proceedings recorded by electronic sound recording; transcript produced by Free State Reporting, Inc.
FREE STATE REPORTING, INC.
Court Reporting Transcription
D.C. Area 301-261-1902
15
I N D E X
Page
Opening remarks by Michael Helter 3
Rules and procedures by Laura Getty 4
Speakers:
Diana McGee 7
P R O C E E D I N G S
MR. HELTER: Let the record show that it is now 6:00 p.m. on the 10th of January, 2017. I call to order this public hearing conducted by the Maryland Transit Administration, as required by Title 7 of the Maryland Transportation Article. The Maryland Transit Administration, also known as MTA, is a transportation business unit of the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Good evening. I’m Mike Helter, MTA’s manager of project development. Serving as the hearing officer this evening is Laura Getty. I welcome you to the public hearing, and I thank you for taking the time to attend. If you have not already done so, please silence your cell phones now.
The purpose of this hearing is to accept testimony pertaining to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration’s proposed service changes for the next phase of implementation of the BaltimoreLink transit network redesign. The proposed changes would become effective on or about Sunday, June 18th, 2017. Full details of the proposed changes are presented in a two volume document available at the registration table.
The role of the hearing officer and the secretary is strictly to take testimony. We are unable to answer questions while the hearing is in progress. Please address any questions you may have to the MTA representatives just outside of this room.
The Maryland Transit Administration is committed to ensuring no individual is excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of its transit services and programs on the basis of race, color, or national origin, as protected by the Title VI Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Ms. Laura Getty will now state the rules and procedures for this hearing.
MS. GETTY: Good evening. The procedures for this hearing are as follows.
1. Individuals desiring to testify should register in the lobby area.
2. Speakers are required to provide their name and address. If representing a group, its name and address should also be provided.
3. For this hearing, all statements should be directed to the hearing officer, and must be related to the subject matter of the hearing as outlined in the proposal.
4. Questions should be addressed to MTA representatives outside of this room. The hearing officer cannot respond to questions while the hearing is in progress.
5. Speakers are required to limit their statements to three minutes.
6. These proceedings are recorded by a court stenographer. 7. Prepared statements or literature pertaining to the subject of the proposal may be submitted to the hearing officer or to the MTA Office of Customer and Community Relations. For those who prefer to submit comments in writing rather than verbally, comment forms are available at the registration table. MTA staff is available to offer assistance. Comment forms can also be downloaded by visiting www.baltimorelink.com.
Written statements may be submitted for the record by submitting to MTA staff at the registration table, mailing to the address listed on the comment form, or emailing comments to , with written testimony as the subject heading. All testimony received by the February 21, 2017, deadline will be considered before the proposals are finalized.
MR. HELTER: Notices regarding this hearing were published in 2016 as follows: December 5th and 12th in The Baltimore Sun; December 27th, The Jeffersonian; December 28th, The Towson Times; December 29th, The Dundalk Eagle and East County Times; December 30th, The Sun’s Weekend and El Tiempo Latino. Notices published in 2017 include January 4th, The City Paper; January 6th, The Afro-American, The Sun’s Weekend, The Baltimore Times and The Jewish Times; January 9th, The Baltimore Sun; and January 11th, The Catonsville Times and The Arbutus Times.
At this, I would invite any elected officials to comment.
Okay. It doesn’t seem we have any here at the current time. So, as I call your name, please step to the microphone, state and spell your name and provide your address for the record.
Diana McGee.
MS. McGEE: My name is Diana McGee, and my address is 224 Bar Harbor Road. That’s B A R, H A R B O R, Road, in Pasadena, Maryland, 21122. Ready? First of all, I’d like to thank the MTA for providing an opportunity for us to share our concerns regarding the proposed BaltimoreLink bus redesign. Secondly, I’d like to explain that the concerns I express this evening are representative of a great many current Bus No. 64 riders, many of whom could not be here this evening.
I’ve already said my name, but I’m considered -- my name is Diana McGee, and I am considered by many to be the unofficial spokesperson for the Bus No. 64 riders. Our concerns are not specifically with the BaltimoreLink redesign, but with the proposal to reduce the number of runs to the Riviera Beach leg of the 64 route. Currently, there are nine bus runs in and out of Riviera Beach on weekdays, four in the morning, one midday, and four in the evening. The current proposal is to reduce the number of Riviera Beach runs to four on weekdays, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. We strongly oppose those reductions for the following reasons.
1. Reducing the number of Riviera Beach runs from nine to four equates to a 44 percent reduction which, in our opinion, is way too drastic a change for those who depend on the 64 to get to work and school each day. Some of those riders have no personal vehicle, or alternate means of transportation.
For those patrons who can drive, picking up the 64 outside of the Riviera Beach area presents its own challenges. Specifically, there are serious safety and security issues at the Brooklyn Park and Ride, including broken beer bottles, loiterers who threaten our personal safety and several incidents of property damage, including catalytic converter thefts and broken car windows. Parking at the Energy Parkway site is limited and presents its own safety issues, including poor lighting, heavy truck traffic and no sidewalks.
Some riders depend on the 64 on an irregular basis, but for critical purposes such as doctor’s appointment, court hearings, job interviews, et cetera. For this group, the midday run is critical. Without that midday run, they would have to stay downtown for an entire day for an appointment that might last an hour or two. That would not only be inconvenient, but also tiresome, especially for the older patrons.
4. In an ideal world, buses will arrive on time and complete each scheduled run. But if we’re going to be perfectly honest, and consider more realistic conditions, there are many factors that prevent the MTA from completing each run efficiently, some of which are out of their control. Weather conditions, traffic, operators calling out, bus breakdowns, and inexperienced operators can all cause specific runs to be cut on any given day. Currently, if one or more of the morning or evening runs to and from Riviera Beach don’t make it, there are at least a couple of alternatives. However, if there are only two runs in the morning and two in the evening, and one of those runs doesn’t make it, the possibility of picking up an alternate run is greatly reduced. In addition, missed runs make the next run more crowded, with sometimes standing room only on the buses.
5. The distance between the first major stop after Riviera Beach, at Energy Parkway, and the primary bus stop in Riviera Beach is only two miles. This seems to be a negligible distance when compared to the total length of the 64 route. However, two miles is too much to ask a person to walk to be able to pick up the 64, especially for the elderly population.
6. The benefits of keeping our current Riviera Beach schedule benefits not only the riders but also the operators. The termination of the No. 64 run at Riviera Beach community provides the MTA operators with various options for food and restroom facilities during their brief overlay, opportunities which are few and far between during the remainder of the route.
For these reasons, we strongly request that the MTA maintain the current schedule to Riviera Beach. Bus service is not a luxury for us. It is a necessity. Our service on weekends and holidays has already been completely cut. Additional reductions in service to Riviera Beach would create a serious hardship for too many hardworking citizens of the Riviera Beach area. Do I have to stop?
MR. HELTER: How much more do you have?
MS. McGEE: Just another page.
MR. HELTER: Okay.
MS. McGee: We would prefer that the complete run through the Riviera Beach neighborhood remain intact. However, if cuts must be made we would reluctantly be willing to cut the runs into the Riviera Beach neighborhood, keeping the bus stop on Greenway Road and the one on Fort Smallwood Road in front of Lauer’s Supermarket. In truth, many of the operators don’t make the run through the neighborhood anyway, because unless a rider specifically needs to go deeper into the neighborhood they don’t usually even know what the route is.
So -- finally, I would like to add that some of the riders of Bus 64 contend that my speaking at this hearing is a waste of time. I do not agree. In fact, I gave them two examples when the MTA did listen to our concerns and complied with our requests. Specifically, back in 2008 there was a proposal to completely eliminate the Riviera Beach leg of the 64 route. At that time I spearheaded a petition, spoke at the hearing and encouraged riders to contact the MTA to ask that the route be maintained. Our collective voices were heard, and we were able to keep the Riviera Beach runs.
Again in 2013, when the Riviera Beach run was interrupted by the closure of the Fort Smallwood Road when the Stoney Creek bridge was under construction, we again submitted petitions, wrote letters and requested support from our local politicians. Our efforts paid off again. The MTA coordinated with the Maryland Highway Administration and a shuttle bus was run to connect Riviera Beach riders to the far side of Stoney Creek bridge. Consequently, I have every confidence that the MTA will once again hear our pleas to maintain our current runs to Riviera Beach on the 64 line.
Thank you for listening to our suggestions, concerns and requests. Nothing would make me happier than to prove the naysayers wrong once again, and to assure them that our voices have been heard and our requests honored. Thank you.
MR. HELTER: Thank you. Did either of the two of you --
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: (Indiscernible).
MR. HELTER: Yes. Did either of the two you want to sign up to provide testimony or a statement? If you did, there’s a table out front that we need you to sign in, for an official hearing. We’re not allowed to answer questions or inquiries in here. That’s for the people outside. But if --
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Originally I signed up to observe.
MR. HELTER: Okay.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: But once I -- I'm with the Cherry Hill Coalition -- so, once I review it -- three or four times on the internet so. I’m sure it will be a positive response, if anything. And once I look over this again --
MR. HELTER: Okay. So, this concludes the list of individuals who have registered to speak. Let the record show it is now 6:12 p.m. I hereby recess this hearing until someone wishes to testify, or until 6:30 p.m., when we will adjourn.
(Off the record at 6:12 p.m.)
(On the record on 8:00 p.m.)
MR. HELTER: Let the record show it is now
8:00 p.m. and this concludes this public hearing. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for participating. The comments you've provided are valuable and will be considered before the proposed changes are finalized. Good night.
(Whereupon, the Public Hearing concluded at 8:00 p.m. on January 10, 2017.)
C E R T I F I C A T E
This is to certify that the attached
proceedings before the Maryland Transit Administration in
the matter of:
BaltimoreLink Public Hearing
PLACE: Baltimore, Maryland
DATE: January 10, 2017
were held as herein appears, and that this is the
original transcript thereof for the file of the
Agency.
______
D. Quattrociocchi, Reporter
FREE STATE REPORTING, INC.
FREE STATE REPORTING, INC.
Court Reporting Transcription
D.C. Area 301-261-1902
Balt. & Annap. 410-974-0947