Do you use transit in Baltimore?

[PeterSmith]

Discussions of transit have popped up in a number of our threads lately, which prompted me to wonder who on this forum uses transit in Baltimore?

For those who do use transit, how do you find it?

For those who do not use transit, why not and what changes would cause you to start using it?

The floor is open.....

[PeterSmith]

For me, transit is my primary method of moving around the city when I'm in Baltimore. I decided to get rid of my car about sixth months ago, and spent about the first three months of my car-less life in Baltimore. Getting around Baltimore on transit is head and shoulders above getting around Miami (with either transit or a car), but it's still not ideal.
I live in north Baltimore, near Belvedere Square, so the closest light rail stop is not within walking distance. Getting downtown or anywhere along the Charles St. corridor is easy enough, but anything east or west is a bit more difficult.
Buses up and down Charles St. tend to be pleasant, but the buses on Greenmount/York are a different animal. They're dirty and crowded, and people are constantly trying to sneak in the back doors without paying their fare. I've also seen drugs being sold in the back of the bus on a number of occasions.
That said, even though it's my only means of getting around, I typically only ride transit if I really need to. It's not often that I'll hop on a bus just for the hell of it.
The MARC is a different story though. I love taking MARC into DC, and do so just about every chance get.
My experience seems to support what the statistics show. Baltimore transit suffices for those of us that have to use it, but it doesn't offer any incentives for those of us have another option (aside from the fact that it's better for the environment, but nobody cares about the environment).

[PCM]

Mass transit in Baltimore is unfortunately for the lowest common denominator. Lower income working folks burn a lot of their income on taxis since buses are so unreliable and the routes are terrible, so that leaves only frugal working-class folks and the poor to take mass transit. And a few green/community-oriented folks like yourself. This isn't New York or Chicago or DC where transit's the best way to get around. Traffic INSIDE of 695 is virtually non-existent and parking is usually no problem - there's no incentive whatsoever not to drive.

I had to take the bus for a couple years growing up in Hampden/Roland Park before I could afford a car and I've never looked back. Now if they build that Charles Street Trolley, now we're talking (I live in Charles Village and would use it frequently).

I don't really know if MARC counts - it's more regional rail and not a Baltimore-centric service. MARC is pretty nice though.

[scando]

I happen to have the luck of living and working within a couple blocks of light rail so I frequently use it to get to work downtown. As for getting around on buses, I just thank my stars that I have the income to afford a car. I've had enough experience with buses to know that unless you have a good situation like I have with some ideal bus line, getting around on buses generally sucks.

[micrip]

We always use light rail if we are going to a ballgame, but if I have other business downtown, almost never.

[waj0527]

Originally Posted by PCM

Mass transit in Baltimore is unfortunately for the lowest common denominator. Lower income working folks burn a lot of their income on taxis since buses are so unreliable and the routes are terrible, so that leaves only frugal working-class folks and the poor to take mass transit. And a few green/community-oriented folks like yourself. This isn't New York or Chicago or DC where transit's the best way to get around. Traffic INSIDE of 695 is virtually non-existent and parking is usually no problem - there's no incentive whatsoever not to drive.

Aside from the traffic inside the beltway is virtually non-existent, I agree with this comment. Traffic in the city, especially downtown and environs is getting pretty bad. If there were a viable mass-transit option, I'd take it.

[MasonsInquiries]

i use it solely for o's & ravens games.

[Maudibjr]

I use it to get to O's games almost exclusively. I have occasionally used the light rail to get downtown.

I have only been on the subway once and that was just to see what it looked like. That mindset may explain why I regularly read an infrastructure forum.

I consider the bus the transport of the dammed.

[mikey001]

I'm a big transit supporter, so I've tried to use the light rail and the subway in the past. However, I've found that recently, I don't ride them nearly as much as I used to. Between the long waits at the stations, the disgusting trash covering the floors of the trains, and the unruly riders yelling obscenities at each other, I've been turned off to transit in Baltimore. Which is a real shame because like I said, I try to be a transit supporter. I always take the Metro in DC, never drive. When I visited Los Angeles, I found their rail transit system, though limited, to be a much more pleasant experience than Baltimore's.
Go figure.

[Hood]

Need to qualify my no way in hell reply:

It doesn’t go anywhere I need it to go. I live on the no. 1 line in SOBO and I work in Fells Point. There is no easy way to get to my office since the closest line goes along eastern avenue, which is 5 blocks north of my office. Plus I have to transfer. So I can drive in about 15 minutes. Bike in 15 minutes or bus it and walk which I imagine would take an hour. I may start taking it in the winter when I start classes at JHU downtown because school is on the no 1 line. We’ll see. And I also have to say that we have one car in my family so we are definitely doing our part.

[TheGlobalizer]

I don't use transit. I would use rail, if there were some worth using. Rode the bus to jury duty recently (64 line), to save the parking $$, and that was fine, but I won't make a habit of it.

The main improvement I'd like to see is the inclusion of destinations I'd actually want to go to -- my home (South Baltimore), Harbor East, Fells Point, Canton. The Light Rail is convenient to Mt. Royal, but by then I would have already walked 20+ minutes to get to the station (Camden).

By vote would be better listed as "Generally no" but I voted "No way in hell", since I have used city transit (bus/light rail/metro) precisely once in the past 5 years.

I do like MARC, however.

[jamie_hunt]

Light rail from the airport into town is decent and cheap. Used to ride the 3, 8, 10, 11, 27 and 60-something. 11 and 27 are fine; the others have their moments.

[DrzBrooklynChulo90]

I Only USED the bus to go to St.Michaels Church on Butcher's Hill.Its a church where the majority of the latino community goes to but that's off topic.If I need to get to downtown from my house,than i'll take the bus.You wouldn't catch me dead in one of those taxi's,they're too expensive!

[TheGlobalizer]

I'd love to see taxis be deregulated a bit. I loved taking the taxis in Israel, and the taxi-buses (which follow bus routes), called shatels. Taxis are actually cost-effective there -- shatels are 1/2 sheqel more than the bus (but more frequent) and the "special" taxis (direct to a specific location) are reasonable.

In Baltimore, it's sometimes like $10 to go from Fed Hill to Fells -- that's ridiculous.

[PeterSmith]

Since this thread has been revived from the dead (thank you, DBC90), perhaps it is time to change the topic slightly.

Hypothetically speaking, if you woke up tomorrow and the Red Line was up and running and the Charles Street Trolley was running up and down Charles and St. Paul, how would this impact your life as a transit rider? Would Baltimore transit still be inadequate? or would you find yourself a much more frequent train rider?

[DrzBrooklynChulo90]

Doesn't the Red Line run from like Canton to Westside or something like that?They should make it run from the Eastern most tip of Baltimore because it'll be easier for us near the city/county line to travel to downtown and westward.But if the Red Line gets built,I will definitely be using that instead of the Bus.Even though I'll probably have to walk from my house to Canton,it'll be worth the trip.Im going to find it interesting on how they're going to build a rail in Canton.I Think there'll be more life in Canton if the Red Line gets built!

[TheGlobalizer]

Any transit plan for Baltimore should, IMHO, account for "hub" endpoints in the suburbs (near I-695) with parking, like how the DC metro is set up. It allows access to the city for the same people who don't want the city folk coming out to their neighborhoods.

Right or wrong morally, that fact is a key to successful transit planning. City government needs to understand and accept the degree to which the county folks want to be buffered from the city "element".

(This is all said without reviewing the red line or larger transit plans.)

[PeterSmith]

Red Line has two ultimate routes. One spur will run from West Baltimore to East Baltimore through Patterson Park, Highlandtown and Greektown, and the other spur will run from West Baltimore to Canton, branching from the other spur near Harbor East, I believe. I'm not sure which spur will be built first, but my guess is the line to Canton will be done first...assuming of course the Cantonites allow it.

[TheGlobalizer]

The endpoint of the redline on the west side is Security Mall, right? With a stop nearby at the SSA?

[DrzBrooklynChulo90]

Greektown?EVEN BETTER FOR ME!Although Canton will probably have more Stunning views with all the construction they're going to have.Baltimore's Finally going to get the Biggest Makeover that we always needed.Im going to cry.*tear*