Transportation Steering Committee Facilitates Second Round of Job Access Funding

Regional planners and transportation officials have joined forces to tackle the problem of connecting urban residents with new suburban job centers.

The Transportation Steering Committee (TSC), the metropolitan planning organization for the Baltimore area, and BMC are working again this year with organizations and agencies from around the region to secure federal funding. The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, created through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), is intended to establish a regional approach to addressing the job access challenges that face welfare recipients and low-income individuals.

Last year's efforts paid off when FTA awarded the Baltimore region, through a statewide application submitted by the Mass Transit Administration (MTA), a $1.1 million grant to provide an array of job access transportation services throughout the region. Grants were awarded to:

• Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition, for an expansion of the Bridges to Work program;

• Annapolis Transportation, for a new transit route to employment areas;

• Corridor Transportation Corporation, for shuttle service from the Odenton MARC station to nearby industrial and office parks;

• Howard County, for shuttle service from Baltimore City to suburban Howard County employment sites;

• Anne Arundel County, for the coordination of human services transportation; and

• Baltimore County, the Department of Social Services and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, for a variety of services, including the creation of a resource center and a car and vanpool program.

TSC is required by the FTA to serve as a regional facilitator and to select applicants for funding consideration.

This year's activities kicked off with a workshop on Tuesday, October 12, when stakeholders from around the region were asked to identify priority service needs. These needs include transportation services for shift workers and services that link to child care. Transportation is also needed to the growing number of jobs along the I-95 and US 40 corridors.

At its December 14 meeting, TSC endorsed a number of projects in support of these service needs. These projects will be included in the Baltimore region's component of MTA's statewide application. FTA is expected to announce Round-Two grant recipients in the Spring of 2000.