TSCNotes - May/June 1997, Issue 16
May/June 1997, Issue 16
Contents
Household Survey Results Help TSC Shape New Regional Transportation Plan
The 1997 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan BRTP is the major regional planning document being produced this year. To ensure the TSC develops the most effective plan possible for the regions's future, it is essential to continuously update, refine, and analyze the data upon whyich decisions are based. Trevel demand models play a key role in this decision-making process, since projections of future demand for transportation facilities directly drive the shape of the final Plan. The models for the Baltimore region are developed by taking "real-world" data and projecting regional travel trends into the future.
Much of these "real-world" data flow from the 1993 BMC Household Travel Survey, which collected individual travel behavior characteristics from the members of a sample of 2,700 households throughout the region. Among the data collected were various socioeconomic variables that play a part in trip making behavior, including household size, the number of vehicles owned, and the number of licensed drivers. The survey yielded a tremendous amount of information on the travel behavior of Baltimore region residents. This brief article is intended only to highlight a few of the survey's general findings that have direct implications for the BRTP; future articles will focus on certain aspects of the survey's other findings.
- The number of vehicles per household grew by nearly one-third from about 1.2 to 1.6 between 1970 and 1993, even though average household size was actually declining over the same period. Other survey data showed that for more than 90 percent of the region's households with licensed drivers, there is a driver for every vehicle, further increasing the probability of trip-making. Obviously, this level of vehicle availability can have a marked effect on trip behavior.
- Figure 1 shows that the vast majority of work trips in the region are in single-occupant vehicles (SOV), with fewer than 10 percent of work trips in carpools and only about three percent of work trips via transit. Interestingly, carpooling increases to almost 19 percent, transit to about 7 percent, and nonmotorized (i.e., biking and walking) to 13 percent for trips when non-work trips are included.
- Figure 2 depicts the 1993 status of a key growing trend in both this region and nationwide -- the "nontraditional" commute. The survey results show that in 1993, about 64 percent (800,000) of daily work trips in the region were from suburb to suburb, with an additional 10 percent from city to suburb. Only about 11 percent of work trips were from suburb to city. This type of commuting pattern is projected to continue into the foreseeable future as suburban job growth in "edge cities" outstrips job growth in the cities.
These and other findings helped provide a great deal of insight to changes in the region's overall travel behavior over the past few decades. The challenge presented is to determine how best to match our limited resources with the needs evidenced in these findings. Using this reality-based information in our travel demand modeling and planning process can help ensure the BRTP will pursue a cost-effective and needs-based transportation development agenda.
For more information on the Household Travel Survey, please contact Gene Bandy of BMC's Transportation Planning Division at 410/333-1750, ext. 235, or ebandy@baltometro.org.
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Congress, Administration Toil Over Critical Transportation Choices for the Future
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) has provided federal funding for coordinated planning, construction, and operation of highways and public transportation since 1991. The existing ISTEA legislation expires September 30, however, and thus Congress is currently considering four proposals for new surface transportation legislation.
The "NEXTEA" and "ISTEA Works" bills are similar in many respects, and seek to refine and extend the progressive transportation provisions of ISTEA. While NEXTEA was developed by the Clinton Administration, ISTEA Works is the product of a cooperative effort by many states, including Maryland, to develop new ISTEA-based transportation legislation that would effectively address environmental, economic, and travel needs into the next century. Both NEXTEA and ISTEA Works would reinforce metropolitan transportation and intermodal planning activities in the Baltimore region and would change the formula for distributing Highway Trust Fund revenues to the states. As introduced, the ISTEA Works bill is financially somewhat more beneficial to Maryland than NEXTEA, and is supported by Governor Glendening and co-sponsored by both Maryland Senators.
Two additional proposals before Congress include "STEP 21: The ISTEA Integrity Restoration Act", and "Devolution: The Transportation Empowerment Act." STEP 21 focuses on resolving certain problems in the Highway Trust Fund distribution formula, but ignores many important transportation concerns addressed in ISTEA, and the ISTEA Works and NEXTEA bills. STEP 21 is supported by so-called "donor" states that pay more into the Highway Trust Fund than they get in return. The Devolution bill turns the bulk of the federal transportation program and funding responsibilities back to the states. Maryland and other states would likely need to levy new state gas taxes to make up for the loss of federal gas tax revenue.
TSC Notes will continue to update you as the successor to ISTEA emerges. Please contact Earl Long of BMC at 410/333-1750, ext. 253, or elong@baltometro.org with questions related to this evolving situation.
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Region's Planners Explore ISTEA-Era MPO Best Practices
More than 50 transportation planners, federal officials, and concerned citizens joined together on April 22 at the BMC to review and discuss metropolitan planning organization (MPO) "best practices" from around the country. In a session sponsored by the TSC's Technical Committee and organized by the Federal Highway Administration's Maryland Division, Dr. Bruce McDowell, a private consultant working with the National Academy of Public Administration, shared information and insights gained from his examinations of MPO processes nationwide. His comments were based mainly on two reports he had recently authored for the federal Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations -- MPO Capacity: Improving the Capacity of MPOs to Help Implement National Transportation Policies (1995) and Planning Progress: Addressing ISTEA Requirements in Metropolitan Planning Areas (1997).
Prompted by Dr. McDowell's observations from his extensive MPO assessment experiences, session participants engaged in a lively discussion of how ISTEA principles and policies had been approached in the Baltimore region and how Baltimore's experiences compared with those of other regions around the country. It was noted that over the last six years, Congress, MPOs, and transportation agencies have realized that "one size does not fit all" MPOs, referring to the rigid sets of required activities and program implementation guidelines in the original ISTEA language. Proposals for the successor to ISTEA, due for passage late this year, will likely give MPOs broader latitude in how to best approach planning and programming requirements in their individual political, technical, and economic situations. Dr. McDowell thus challenged the participants to take advantage of the varied experiences of other MPOs to continue crafting the most effective metropolitan planning process possible for the Baltimore region.
For more information, please contact Peter Plumeau of BMC's Transportation Planning Division at 410/333-1750, ext. 242 or pplumeau@baltometro.org.
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Region Retains Two Major Railroads Under Proposed Conrail Split
The Baltimore region will likely retain two major railroads under a CSX - Norfolk Southern agreement that divides Conrail between the two companies. In the deal, Norfolk Southern will acquire about 5 percent of Conrail's routes and assets and CSX will purchase about 42 percent. In several locations, they will share access to certain rail lines.
In the Baltimore-Washington area, Norfolk Southern will acquire most of Conrail's track and trackage rights (primarily along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor). Rail competition will also be restored in other regions now served by only Conrail, such as the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Throughout the East Coast, the true implications of this deal are yet to be seen, with Maryland and other states assessing whether it puts them at a new competitive disadvantage. For example, the Port of Baltimore and western Maryland coal producers may be at a disadvantage as new opportunities are opened for other ports and coal producers. On the passenger side, the State is close to signing a new commuter rail contract that would allow CSX to run more freight train service by altering MARC's Brunswick line schedule.
CSX and Norfolk Southern plan to file a joint application in June to the federal Surface Transportation Board for its 360-day process to review and rule on the deal and impose conditions necessary to preserve rail network efficiencies.
For more information, contact Jocelyn Jones of BMC's Transportation Planning Division at 410/333-1750, ext. 239 or jjones@baltometro.org.
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Citizens Corner by John Wing, Chair, CAC
The Citizens Advisory Committee is actively monitoring the proposed breakup of Conrail. The final disposition of Conrail trackage to CSX and Norfolk Southern offers benefits to the region if it assures rail competition and reduces truck traffic, but there are risks to passenger rail service. A task force lead by Jim Lewis is drafting a resolution on major issues. When approved by the full CAC, it will be coordinated with the Maryland Department of Transportation for submittal to the Surface Transportation Board in Washington. The STB has the final say on the specific details of the breakup.
CAC members also delivered forceful comments at the first public hearing on the 1998-2002 Transportation Improvement Program. Recommendations were made for a wider distribution of the draft TIP, reversals of the downward trend of total transportation expenditures, compliance with accessibility requirements, and overall priorities. written comments by individual members and the CAC as a whole will be submitted for the record.
The CAC has voted to establish priorities for the ten projects is has proposed for the long range Baltimore Region Transportation Plan, with the following five receiving the highest priority:
For more information on the Household Travel Survey, please contact Gene Bandy of BMC's Transportation Planning Division at 410/333-1750, ext. 235, or ebandy@baltometro.org.
back to topCongress, Administration Toil Over Critical Transportation Choices for the Future
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) has provided federal funding for coordinated planning, construction, and operation of highways and public transportation since 1991. The existing ISTEA legislation expires September 30, however, and thus Congress is currently considering four proposals for new surface transportation legislation.
The "NEXTEA" and "ISTEA Works" bills are similar in many respects, and seek to refine and extend the progressive transportation provisions of ISTEA. While NEXTEA was developed by the Clinton Administration, ISTEA Works is the product of a cooperative effort by many states, including Maryland, to develop new ISTEA-based transportation legislation that would effectively address environmental, economic, and travel needs into the next century. Both NEXTEA and ISTEA Works would reinforce metropolitan transportation and intermodal planning activities in the Baltimore region and would change the formula for distributing Highway Trust Fund revenues to the states. As introduced, the ISTEA Works bill is financially somewhat more beneficial to Maryland than NEXTEA, and is supported by Governor Glendening and co-sponsored by both Maryland Senators.
Two additional proposals before Congress include "STEP 21: The ISTEA Integrity Restoration Act", and "Devolution: The Transportation Empowerment Act." STEP 21 focuses on resolving certain problems in the Highway Trust Fund distribution formula, but ignores many important transportation concerns addressed in ISTEA, and the ISTEA Works and NEXTEA bills. STEP 21 is supported by so-called "donor" states that pay more into the Highway Trust Fund than they get in return. The Devolution bill turns the bulk of the federal transportation program and funding responsibilities back to the states. Maryland and other states would likely need to levy new state gas taxes to make up for the loss of federal gas tax revenue.
TSC Notes will continue to update you as the successor to ISTEA emerges. Please contact Earl Long of BMC at 410/333-1750, ext. 253, or elong@baltometro.org with questions related to this evolving situation.
back to topRegion's Planners Explore ISTEA-Era MPO Best Practices
More than 50 transportation planners, federal officials, and concerned citizens joined together on April 22 at the BMC to review and discuss metropolitan planning organization (MPO) "best practices" from around the country. In a session sponsored by the TSC's Technical Committee and organized by the Federal Highway Administration's Maryland Division, Dr. Bruce McDowell, a private consultant working with the National Academy of Public Administration, shared information and insights gained from his examinations of MPO processes nationwide. His comments were based mainly on two reports he had recently authored for the federal Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations -- MPO Capacity: Improving the Capacity of MPOs to Help Implement National Transportation Policies (1995) and Planning Progress: Addressing ISTEA Requirements in Metropolitan Planning Areas (1997).
Prompted by Dr. McDowell's observations from his extensive MPO assessment experiences, session participants engaged in a lively discussion of how ISTEA principles and policies had been approached in the Baltimore region and how Baltimore's experiences compared with those of other regions around the country. It was noted that over the last six years, Congress, MPOs, and transportation agencies have realized that "one size does not fit all" MPOs, referring to the rigid sets of required activities and program implementation guidelines in the original ISTEA language. Proposals for the successor to ISTEA, due for passage late this year, will likely give MPOs broader latitude in how to best approach planning and programming requirements in their individual political, technical, and economic situations. Dr. McDowell thus challenged the participants to take advantage of the varied experiences of other MPOs to continue crafting the most effective metropolitan planning process possible for the Baltimore region.
For more information, please contact Peter Plumeau of BMC's Transportation Planning Division at 410/333-1750, ext. 242 or pplumeau@baltometro.org.
back to topRegion Retains Two Major Railroads Under Proposed Conrail Split
The Baltimore region will likely retain two major railroads under a CSX - Norfolk Southern agreement that divides Conrail between the two companies. In the deal, Norfolk Southern will acquire about 5 percent of Conrail's routes and assets and CSX will purchase about 42 percent. In several locations, they will share access to certain rail lines.
In the Baltimore-Washington area, Norfolk Southern will acquire most of Conrail's track and trackage rights (primarily along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor). Rail competition will also be restored in other regions now served by only Conrail, such as the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Throughout the East Coast, the true implications of this deal are yet to be seen, with Maryland and other states assessing whether it puts them at a new competitive disadvantage. For example, the Port of Baltimore and western Maryland coal producers may be at a disadvantage as new opportunities are opened for other ports and coal producers. On the passenger side, the State is close to signing a new commuter rail contract that would allow CSX to run more freight train service by altering MARC's Brunswick line schedule.
CSX and Norfolk Southern plan to file a joint application in June to the federal Surface Transportation Board for its 360-day process to review and rule on the deal and impose conditions necessary to preserve rail network efficiencies.
For more information, contact Jocelyn Jones of BMC's Transportation Planning Division at 410/333-1750, ext. 239 or jjones@baltometro.org.
back to top| TSC Meets At the March 25, 1997 Transportation Steering Committee meeting, Mr. Murray Piper of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) discussed a presidential Executive Order on the issue of environmental justice for minority and low-income populations in all program activities sponsored or supported by the federal government. The Executive Order raises the awareness and importance of involving all sectors of the community into program initiatives. It was noted that the TSC's 1998 work program includes developing a process to involve groups traditionally excluded from the planning process in the MPO's activities. Also on March 25, TSC members passed Resolution #97-15 This resolution endorses the process for the development of round 5A regional socio-economic forecast. At the April 22 TSC meeting, Mr. Charles Chadwick, President and CEO of Maryland Midland Railway addressed the TSC about the fate of small railroads in light of the proposed breakup and sale of Conrail to CSX and Norfolk Southern, which Mr. Chadwick believes will result in lost opportunities for small railroads. He also urged TSC to support the reauthorization of a similar ISTEA version that maintains vital transportation services offered by small railroads. Ms. Susan Binder, Administrator, Maryland Division of FHWA and BMC staff were on hand to present information on the four different bills currently proposed to succeed ISTEA. Ms. Binder stated that even if legislation is not adopted by October 1, 1997 when the current law expires, sufficient federal "contract authority" exists to maintain the flow of funds to states for some period of time after that date. |
back to topCitizens Corner by John Wing, Chair, CAC
The Citizens Advisory Committee is actively monitoring the proposed breakup of Conrail. The final disposition of Conrail trackage to CSX and Norfolk Southern offers benefits to the region if it assures rail competition and reduces truck traffic, but there are risks to passenger rail service. A task force lead by Jim Lewis is drafting a resolution on major issues. When approved by the full CAC, it will be coordinated with the Maryland Department of Transportation for submittal to the Surface Transportation Board in Washington. The STB has the final say on the specific details of the breakup.
CAC members also delivered forceful comments at the first public hearing on the 1998-2002 Transportation Improvement Program. Recommendations were made for a wider distribution of the draft TIP, reversals of the downward trend of total transportation expenditures, compliance with accessibility requirements, and overall priorities. written comments by individual members and the CAC as a whole will be submitted for the record.
The CAC has voted to establish priorities for the ten projects is has proposed for the long range Baltimore Region Transportation Plan, with the following five receiving the highest priority:
- Commuter Control Center to expedite city to suburb work trips
- Downtown Elevated People Mover connected to bus terminals
- Commuter Rail Line on the northeast corridor
- Metro Extension from Hopkins Hospital to Edison Highway
- East-West Transit Shuttle at the harbor
These projects clearly reflect the results of a recent survey of residents in the metropolitan Baltimore region (an article on this survey appeared in the last issue of TSC Notes) which emphasized increasing public transportation capacity in the region. This is the first time that citizens have proposed projects to be included in the long range plan. Previously all projects were submitted by governmental agencies through their own planning and public involvement processes.
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Did you know?
Each year, 40 million pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a precursor to ozone formation, are released by residents of the Baltimore and Washington areas using consumer products such as paints, cleaners, and hairsprays. This is about the same amount of VOCs that would be released by 3 million new cars driving 10,000 miles a year each.
Source: Ozone Action Days public information pamphlet.
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F.Y.I.
The Final Draft Baltimore Region 1998-2002 Transportation Improvement Program public hearing scheduled for June 30, 1997 and the thirty-day public review and comment period have been postponed. Time and location for the public hearing and the dates of the thirty-day public review period will be announced.
For more information on the public hearing and thirty-day public review period, please contact Lisa Minnick at 410/333-1750, ext. 245 or e-mail address: lminnick@baltometro.org or visit BMC's website at http://www.baltometro.org.
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Transportation Steering Committee
back to topDid you know?
Each year, 40 million pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a precursor to ozone formation, are released by residents of the Baltimore and Washington areas using consumer products such as paints, cleaners, and hairsprays. This is about the same amount of VOCs that would be released by 3 million new cars driving 10,000 miles a year each.
Source: Ozone Action Days public information pamphlet.
back to topF.Y.I.
The Final Draft Baltimore Region 1998-2002 Transportation Improvement Program public hearing scheduled for June 30, 1997 and the thirty-day public review and comment period have been postponed. Time and location for the public hearing and the dates of the thirty-day public review period will be announced.
For more information on the public hearing and thirty-day public review period, please contact Lisa Minnick at 410/333-1750, ext. 245 or e-mail address: lminnick@baltometro.org or visit BMC's website at http://www.baltometro.org.
back to topTransportation Steering Committee
| Jurisdiction/Agency | Representative | Representative's Phone Number |
City of Annapolis | Jon Arason | 410-269-0064 |
Anne Arundel County | Harvey Gold | 410-222-7432 |
Baltimore City | Jeff Drinkwater | 410-396-1670 |
Baltimore County | J.Craig Forrest | 410-887-3554 |
Carroll County | Steven C. Horn | 410-857-2145 |
Harford County | Stoney E. Fraley | 410-638-3103 |
Howard County | Carl Balser | 410-313-2357 |
Maryland Department of the Environment | Diane L. Franks | 410-631-3250 |
Maryland Department of Transportation | Henry Kay | 410-865-1277 |
Maryland Office of Planning | Christine Wells | 410-767-4562 |
Funding for this newsletter provided in part by member jurisdictions, grants from the US Department of Transportation and the Maryland Department of Transportation. Sign language and communication material in alternative formats can be arranged give n sufficient notice by calling Joan Gorsuch at 410/333-1750 ext. 237 or e-mail her at jgorsuch@baltometro.org.
All reports produced by the BMC are available for purchase or review from the Regional Information Center, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Please call ahead. 410/333-4881.
Your comments and questions are welcome.
TSC Notes
Lisa Minnick, Editor
Baltimore Metropolitan Council
601 N. Howard Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-4585
410/333-1750 ext. 295
FAX 410/333-0160
e-mail: lminnick@baltometro.org
Lisa Minnick, Editor
Baltimore Metropolitan Council
601 N. Howard Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-4585
410/333-1750 ext. 295
FAX 410/333-0160
e-mail: lminnick@baltometro.org
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Last Updated: 12/30/2008