State lawmakers seek to lock in transit repair funding
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott speaks in support of the Transit Safety and Investment Act in a state Senate hearing on Jan. 29, 2021. Screenshot by Audrey Decker/Capital News Service)
By AUDREY DECKER
ANNAPOLIS, Md. State lawmakers are pushing a transportation bill that would increase funding to the Maryland Transit Administration to make the state’s bus system, MARC train, Metro and Light Rail more safe and reliable.
The state of Maryland had the greatest numbers of bus, Light Rail, and Heavy Rail breakdowns in 2019 compared to any other state, said Sen. Cory McCray, D-Baltimore, calculated by major mechanical failures per 100,000 revenue miles.
Chisholm blames the Hogan administration for vaccine rollout problems
@BryanRenbaum
Maryland’s coronavirus vaccine distribution rollout has been less successful than that of many other states because the Hogan administration failed to implement a clear strategy and demonstrate concerted leadership, Del. Brian Chisholm said Monday.
Maryland is currently in Phase 1c of its vaccination plan, which covers residents ages 65-74 as well as some essential workers but several counties are not in that phase as of Monday.
A total of 544,369 doses have been administered in the state as of Monday morning, according to the Department of Health. But it is unclear how many people in the state have been vaccinated or if those include the required two vaccinations.
Maryland lawmakers are considering a long list of changes to the Maryland Environmental Service, a low-profile independent agency thrust into the spotlight after its director received a six-figure payout when he left to work for the governor.
. Sponsored by Del. Brooke Lierman and Sen. Cory McCray, the bill would require the state to allocate enough funds to the Maryland Transit Administration to cover long-deferred repair and maintenance issues. A similar bill passed in the state House last year but ran out of time in the Senate.
“The state must maintain its assets and keep up its promise of providing reliable and safe transit to our essential workers and any Marylander who wants it or needs it,” Lierman said in a press release.
“It’s clear from peoples’ experience and riders’ experiences, and data on breakdowns that the MTA experiences that the MTA system has been underinvested for years and is suffering for that,” said Eric Norton, policy director for the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, which is pushing the bill.
Maryland politicians pay tribute to the late state Senate President Emeritus Miller baltimoresun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from baltimoresun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.