The Baltimore region’s lack of transit is sending me to Boston | READER COMMENTARY
Investing more in the Red Line would help create economic opportunities in Baltimore and save a lot of drivers from wasted time in traffic jams.
Marc Joffe speaks with the privileged voice of the extremely conservative Cato Institute when he decries the use of public monies on the building of the Red Line (“Building the Red Line is a poor use of taxpayer funds,” March 25). He is one with former Gov. Larry Hogan, a lover of automobiles who has no concern for the economic and environmental impact of constantly expanding highways.
I live in Aberdeen where there is a train station and yet I could not take a train to get to employment in Baltimore. My only option was to join the masses burning fossil fuels and wasting time in traffic jams on Interstate 95. Since the decision was made to extend the highway’s express lanes northward into Harford County, I can no longer rely on I-95 to get to Baltimore, to the Wegmans grocery store in Bel Air, to my doctor in White Marsh. Road work adds an unconscionable time to what should predictable drives.
More to the point, Joffe carries on about the fiscal imprudence of the Red Line while expending no ink on the economic support such transit would offer to the city of Baltimore. People living in West Baltimore who need jobs would finally have a means to get to them quickly and efficiently. Businesses and organizations in East Baltimore in dire need of workers will find a better and more reliable force.
Public transportation, moreover, will encourage growth in affordable housing and small business. Public transportation is a primary line of defense in times of economic troubles such as the ones we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Excellent public transportation will attract young, well-educated professionals to settle in Baltimore and contribute to its cultural and social vibrancy. It will encourage empty-nesters to enjoy the benefits of walkable neighborhoods and city resources.
Public transportation is a key reason I am selling my house in Maryland and moving to Boston where the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority stop nearest my new home is a seven-minute walk away. Massachusetts is pricey, yes, but the life offered me by extensive and convenient public transportation is priceless.
— Ellen B Cutler, Aberdeen
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