Do You Want the Baltimore Red Line or the Washington Purple Line built?? (Silver Spring: neighborhoods, construction)
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The official name of the proposed Washington project is called the Purple Line. It will connect the DC Metro stations but I think it will operate on its own. With transit and taxes its a complicated situation in Maryland since statewide taxes, including those from the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, go to fund these projects. Hence drivers in Salisbury will be paying for Baltimore's mass transit when they get nothing in return. Even with highways, Eastern Shore and Cecil County drivers are expected to pay for the ICC through statewide toll hikes. Mass transit should pay for itself. I think we have enough taxes and tolls in Maryland, especially compared to Virginia or North Carolina or West Virginia. Northern Virginia's local taxes pay their contribution to WMATA while all of Maryland pays toward it. It WOULD be more fair for mass transit to be funded through sales taxes vs gas taxes, since the users of mass transit will also be paying toward it.
In terms of crime, its more about letting certain people move out of the city who otherwise would not be able to. I have met a few people from Carrroll County who told it me was good that you can't live there if you can't afford a car, because it keeps away some folks they would rather not have in their community. I never quite understood why people would pay so much for a condo in the Inner Harbor, hidden behind a security gate with a locked lobby and crime-filled slums mere blocks away. You can easily live in Cockeyville and drive downtown for some nightlife 2-3 times a month.
The official name of the proposed Washington project is called the Purple Line. It will connect the DC Metro stations but I think it will operate on its own. With transit and taxes its a complicated situation in Maryland since statewide taxes, including those from the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, go to fund these projects. Hence drivers in Salisbury will be paying for Baltimore's mass transit when they get nothing in return. Even with highways, Eastern Shore and Cecil County drivers are expected to pay for the ICC through statewide toll hikes. Mass transit should pay for itself. I think we have enough taxes and tolls in Maryland, especially compared to Virginia or North Carolina or West Virginia. Northern Virginia's local taxes pay their contribution to WMATA while all of Maryland pays toward it. It WOULD be more fair for mass transit to be funded through sales taxes vs gas taxes, since the users of mass transit will also be paying toward it.
In terms of crime, its more about letting certain people move out of the city who otherwise would not be able to. I have met a few people from Carrroll County who told it me was good that you can't live there if you can't afford a car, because it keeps away some folks they would rather not have in their community. I never quite understood why people would pay so much for a condo in the Inner Harbor, hidden behind a security gate with a locked lobby and crime-filled slums mere blocks away. You can easily live in Cockeyville and drive downtown for some nightlife 2-3 times a month.
Since you have no problem driving into the city, your concerns about crime is invalid. Whether you like it or not, people prefer to live in the city. That is their choice as it is your choice to live away from the city.
Transit is not used primarily for moving out of the city.
Its okay for you to drive your vehicle into the city but you do not want people living in the city in the suburbs and you talking about fairness?
We already covered this in another thread , the Eastern Shore is getting regional rail by 2035...
The Following towns and cities in Maryland should have Rail sometime in the Future...
Westminster
Sailsbury
Ocean City
LA Plata
Berlin
Annapolis
Waldorf
Severna Park
Glen Burnie
Riestertown
Hampstead
Hagerstorm
Elkton
Havre de Grace
Owings Mills
High Speed Rail / Amtrak Next Gen Intercity Rail would service these cities
Baltimore Penn Station
Baltimore Charles Center
New Carrollton
Salisbury
Ocean City
In terms of crime, its more about letting certain people move out of the city who otherwise would not be able to. .
Says it all right there. Some would prefer a lock and key on the city. It should exist only as a place to house undesirables.
What kind of vision is that for the region? Would you really get your shortsighted ideas get in the way of economic progress? Some conservative!
Come on Tom. The Red Line isn't even going to go out to the paradise that is SE Baltimore County (which, btw, is already served by bus lines that traverse some of the worst parts of the city). Its eastern terminus is within city limits.
Hence any mass transit line that connects downtown with the suburbs will include stops in the ghetto, which compromises the safety of the legitimate commuters, plus gives access for people from the ghetto to the suburbs where they can commit crimes.
But the more important function of the Red Line would be to give people in the city better access to the job centers at and around SSA, CMS, and the Security Square Mall. As a former resident of Edmundson Heights, I support building the Red Line.
The criminals can already get to the suburbs by car or bus, so it would have minimal impact on crime. However, I hope there's at least one armed security guard or transit police per train.
We already covered this in another thread , the Eastern Shore is getting regional rail by 2035...
The Following towns and cities in Maryland should have Rail sometime in the Future...
Westminster
Sailsbury
Ocean City
LA Plata
Berlin
Annapolis
Waldorf
Severna Park
Glen Burnie
Riestertown
Hampstead
Hagerstorm
Elkton
Havre de Grace
Owings Mills
High Speed Rail / Amtrak Next Gen Intercity Rail would service these cities
Baltimore Penn Station
Baltimore Charles Center
New Carrollton
Salisbury
Ocean City
It would be pretty cool to have rail service from DC to Annapolis to Ocean City.
The most important role of the red line would be to tie the other two lines together for the beginning of a web. For Maryland's future to compete it is an essential necessity to be built.
Baltimore is not a hub like Boston or NYC or DC but it does have a huge amount of traffic that will only get worse without an increased role in mass transit. I don't think it needs the type of transit those other cities have but improvement with one or two additional lines would be to it's betterment. And yes, some sort of line to Annapolis would be a marked improvement for the state.
I think the Red Line would work better if the route followed U.S. Route 40 through town, from Baltimore National Pike to Pulaski Highway at Golden Ring or thereabouts with large park and ride lots at either end.
The official name of the proposed Washington project is called the Purple Line. It will connect the DC Metro stations but I think it will operate on its own. With transit and taxes its a complicated situation in Maryland since statewide taxes, including those from the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, go to fund these projects. Hence drivers in Salisbury will be paying for Baltimore's mass transit when they get nothing in return. Even with highways, Eastern Shore and Cecil County drivers are expected to pay for the ICC through statewide toll hikes. Mass transit should pay for itself. I think we have enough taxes and tolls in Maryland, especially compared to Virginia or North Carolina or West Virginia. Northern Virginia's local taxes pay their contribution to WMATA while all of Maryland pays toward it. It WOULD be more fair for mass transit to be funded through sales taxes vs gas taxes, since the users of mass transit will also be paying toward it.
In terms of crime, its more about letting certain people move out of the city who otherwise would not be able to. I have met a few people from Carrroll County who told it me was good that you can't live there if you can't afford a car, because it keeps away some folks they would rather not have in their community. I never quite understood why people would pay so much for a condo in the Inner Harbor, hidden behind a security gate with a locked lobby and crime-filled slums mere blocks away. You can easily live in Cockeyville and drive downtown for some nightlife 2-3 times a month.
I agree about the taxes. The DC suburbs and the Baltimore suburbs should not have to pay for the rural area's anymore. I too propose that all future taxes stay in their jurisdications. Instantly, Montgomery County, PG County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Frederick County, and Baltimore County will get a major revenue boost. The rest of the state will fall apart as we let the bay bridge fall into the bay since the DC and Baltimore region funded it's construction and continues to fund it's usage through Maintenance $$$ which tolls don't even come close to covering and the rest of the state barely scrapes the top of that cost since nobody lives in the rest of the state. We also need to allow the roads and schools to fall apart outside of the DC and Baltimore region by keeping all of our taxes in our region.
Lastly and definetly the most important, PLAN MARYLAND.
Now, the state is telling the rural area's don't expect the DC and Baltimore region to pay for your small town infrastructure anymore. If you want new roads, sewers, and school out in the middle of nowhere, you can build it with your own $$$$$$.
Now here is a great senario. Doesn't sound so great for you though does it? The rural parts of Maryland can't even pay for the communities they live in and are completely subsidized by DC and Baltimore, yet they have the audacity to complain about a few extra cents at the pump? We paid for the road your driving on.....wake up people man.
I would be ok with the red line in Baltimore being built. I am mixed however on the purple line since it is going through a trail.
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