Three months of reduced congestion and shorter queues.
Three months of not having to wait for school buses to pick up kids who never seem to get to the bus on time.
I don?t know about you, but the only thing I like better than Thrasher?s french fries in the summer is the chance to actually get from Point A to Point B without 10,000 of my best friends on the road with me.
The funny thing is, the volume of traffic in the summer is only reduced by about 4 percent, but it makes a marked difference in the commute. Anyway, enjoy it while it lasts.
Regarding the column last week where I mentioned that Maryland officials put the Red Line project on a fast track but where I also expressed some concern about the lack of a residents? council (there actually is going to be a council, but it?s going to be made up of handpicked residents and appointed by the state), I heard from both sides.
Gene is from the Greater Baltimore Committee and wrote: “[The] current MTA alternatives for the Red Line do not displace any houses or businesses.
“Regarding the governor?s veto, our observation, in working closely with MTA on Red Line planning, is that residents and businesses have had, and will continue to have, substantial input in the planning process.
“Gov. Ehrlich, in vetoing the legislation, established a Citizens Advisory Council for the project by executive order.
“Virtually everyone involved in planning the Red Line agrees that residents and businesses along the route must be closely involved in all stages of developing this project.”
Again, it is always better to have a residents? group made up of real people and not just those the governor feels comfortable having there.
We also heard from Nate of the Transit Riders Action Council: “Much of the concern regarding property issues stems from merchants? and residents? past experiences.
“Back when the Central Light Rail was under construction, I believe the MTA required the businesses on downtown?s Westside to pay $1,500 prior to construction based on the assumption on the improvement of the area after operation began.
“As you may or may not know, many merchants went out of business, and the area continued to decline until the recent rehabilitation of the area?s building stock. …
“While no properties are slated for demolition, Red Line project engineers have conceded that to accommodate a surface alignment on Cooks Lane or Edmondson Ave., the street may have to be widened and more traffic placed closer to the curb. On certain blocks, front porches and stoops may require removal.
“Naturally, residents perceive such measures to be losses of value to their homes and neighborhood.”
The beauty of the Red Line Project is few people are opposed to it, and I?m certain these other, related issues can be worked out to everyone?s satisfaction.
Questions, comments, random musings? Write to [email protected]
