Issue Position: Transportation

Issue Position

In Western Anne Arundel and Northern Prince George's counties we have transportation deserts with little or no transit options. There is limited MARC commuter rail service, no light rail and spotty bus service that ends too early in the evening and has limited or no weekend hours. This is especially hard for lower skilled and hourly workers who can't afford to own cars and can't afford to miss a bus or a connection between buses or bus and train. I will support increased state grants to counties for local and regional bus service and expansion of weekend service on the MARC Camden line. In addition, I will be making a push in Prince George's this year and will advocate in Anne Arundel as well for adequate bus shelters that provide seating, are well lit, and safely set back from travel lanes. These can be paid for, at least in part, with advertising.

The proposed high speed Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) train that would link Washington, D.C., and Baltimore sounds good in theory until you hear the details. I oppose Maglev for economic and quality of life reasons. Specifically, of the $10 billion cost of the train, 50 percent of the upfront investment would be paid for by a Japanese bank; the remainder would be an unidentified combination of federal, state and private sources. Maglev will not take cars off the road during daily commuting times; it will be unaffordable for the vast majority of workers (fares are unknown); and it will not create spin off economic development or jobs beyond the construction phase because Maglev would stop just once between Washington and Baltimore at BWI Airport. There would also need to be dedicated funding from fares or government support to repay the Japanese investment bank. Finally, Maglev would have a negative economic impact on neighborhoods where homes in its path would be lost and property would be devalued by the noise/vibration and visual impacts of the train. The environmental impact of tunneling an estimated one-half to two-thirds of the 40 mile track are unclear.

I support a continuation of the federal and state subsidies for capital costs for Metrorail that are set to expire in 2019 as well as a special sales, gasoline or other designated tax or funding source for a $3 billion agency without a dedicated funding stream. (It is the only major subway system in the country without designated funding.) Opened in 1976, Metrorail ridership peaked at 225 million in 2009 and remains a major economic driver in the Washington, D.C., region; however, ridership has fallen because of legitimate concerns about safety and reliability. Railcar, track and power problems have caused longer commute times that have hurt confidence in the system and ridership is down 5% since 2010. WMATA, the agency that operates Metrorail, needs approximately $1 billion annually for capital improvements, but there must be consensus by the political leaders in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia to support a special regional tax by the jurisdictions that WMATA serves -- Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland, the District of Columbia, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church and Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia.

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