The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board approved a long-range transportation plan Tuesday for the Baltimore area amid criticism from citizens that the plan favored highway expansion over mass transit, and was created in violation of state open-meetings law.
The board, composed of representatives from five county governments, Baltimore City, Annapolis and the Maryland Department of Transportation, voted 7-0 to approve the plan. The city of Annapolis abstained.
“This has been a long, hard process,” said Carl Balser, transportation chief with the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning. “I think there has been a good-faith effort.”
The Transportation Outlook 2035 plan outlines long-range expenditures for the Baltimore area?s highways and mass-transit system, and was created by the board over the past 18 months.
Opponents said the plan does not dedicate enough money to mass transit, instead favoring expansions to highways and other roads. In revisions to the initial draft of the plan, the board agreed to defer six highway projects to provide additional funding for the MARC system.
“It?s not going to address all the needs,” said resident Saul Wilson, “but it could chip away at the problem, and this plan does not do that to a sufficient extent.”
Others said that the plan portioned $8.7 billion for capital expansion, but that amount could change with recent action by state lawmakers.
The board said it would revisit the plan in late spring or early summer, after the Maryland Department of Transportation had analyzed action from the legislature?s recent special session, and revised the amount available.
Earlier this month, 17 organizations and 24 individuals signed a joint statement urging the board to revise the plan and provide a higher percentage of funding for transit, as well as delay voting on the plan.
“Until they have a powerful vision [for transportation], these planning documents are not as effective as they could be,” said Art Cohen, one of three signers of a complaint filed Friday with the state Open Meetings Law Compliance Board alleging the transportation board held two closed-door work sessions in violation of state law.
“What they call a vision at this point isn?t a vision, it?s more of the same,” Cohen said.
