The day is coming when you?ll only need one payment method to access transit and even some parking throughout the state. Maryland is moving forward with the Maryland Transit Pass. This is a plastic card, like a credit card, that has a smart chip embedded inside. You?ll put money into your account via kiosks or online and then the balance can be increased as it gets low. The card won?t need to be entered into the sensing equipment but rather be passed over readers that will automatically deduct the fare or fee needed. This is a huge step forward and Maryland is leading the way. This idea starting with the so-called SmarTrip card on Washington?s Metro system. Maryland is a partner in that system but transportation officials here see this as an easy way for all Marylanders to get around. The day is coming when you?ll be able to use one of these cards to park in the MARC lot, board a MARC train down to Union Station and board a Metro train. You?ll be able to use it for MTA buses, light rail and MTA parking lots.
Maryland transportation officials have let the Metro system work out the bugs before rolling it out statewide ? a very smart move. It should be noted that the problems with the system in D.C. have been small, but they have been annoying for some passengers. On some occasions, the cards have simply stopped performing after about three months, either leaving passengers without a way to get on the train or forcing them to go back and get a conventional farecard. Cubic, the company that manufactures the system, says it has worked out many of the problems and blamed them on an aggressive roll-out plan after Metro converted all of its parking facilities to only take the cards and not cash. Maryland is a unique state in that it pays for not just one but two transit systems. Coming up with a payment system that can be used in both will make things much easier.
A better way to Ocean City?
For many of us, the bridge that takes Route 50 over the Sinepuxent Bay is the only way to go to get into Ocean City. I don?t know about you, but my family has always had a ritual of touring the point one time before heading to the place we?re staying on the first trip of the summer. Anyway, that bridge can really back up because of the traffic light on the other end or because a boat is going through and the bridge has been raised. Now, officials are trying to come up with a plan for either a new crossing or a way to make the traffic move better there. There are a number of ideas on the table and the state is showing them off at the convention center June 1 and 2. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see what they?ve come up with. I know that for a lot of old-time OC-goers, this could be the end of a real love-hate relationship.
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