Fire Sale for Transit (FiST) Program – Selling off all Baltimore-owned properties (~17,000) for $5,000-$60,000 each to nonprofits, benefit corporations, and small businesses that are not air or water polluters
–If all sites were sold at the high end, Baltimore would raise $1.02 billion toward the Red Line
–Mayor and councilperson of that area will sign a letter of support to increase likelihood of nonprofits garnering funding to acquire the land
REVAMP OF CHARM CITY CIRCULATOR:
– Removes colors and replaces them with a letter system:
A: Mondawmin/Walbrook to McElderry Park
B: Carrollton Ridge to Patterson Park
C: Hollins Market to Curtis Bay
D: Locust Point to Charles Village
E: Canton to Coldstream
F: Roland Park to Inner Harbor
G: Coldstream to Park Heights
H: West Baltimore to Violetville
**The D could run along Key Highway going southbound, then onto Fort, following the rest of the route, and removing the tight squeeze on Light Street.**
The new routes will assist residents in both the Black Butterfly and White L in getting around the city, discouraging dependence on cars.
July 1, 2021
– CCC headways shifted to 20-minute peak times, 35-minute non-peak
– Hours extended to 10:30p on weekdays, and 1:30a on weekends
– Start time adjusted to 6:20a weekdays, 8a on weekends
– Procurement begins for additional buses for revamp
–$8.5 million: 10 electric buses
–$4.5 million: Electric infrastructure
–$3 million: Maintenance of existing fleet
July 1, 2022
– CCC revamp into 4 routes (not named after colors in actual version, but will be in this post):
Purple – Locust Point to Charles Village
Burgundy – McElderry Park to Mondawmin
Teal – Franklin Square to Patterson Park
Black – Hollins Market to Curtis Bay (which will include route-reversals)
– Headways shifted to 15-minute headways for peak times, and 25-minutes for non-peak
– Procurement begins for additional buses for new routes and increased headways
July 1, 2023
– CCC addition of 4 routes, making 8 total routes:
Orange: Canton to Coldstream
Forest Green: Coldstream to Park Heights
Fuschia: West Baltimore to Violetville
Green: Inner Harbor to Roland Park
– Headways shifted to 10-minutes for peak times, and 20- and 25-minutes for non-peak times
– Roland Park to Inner Harbor route operates at peak times during the work week, and normally on weekends
– Procurement begins to replace older diesel buses
–I will reallocate $16 million from the no-longer-necessary property tax credit to fund the expansion, which will include new buses–
Swinton Transit Organization Plan (STOP)
1. Maximize road space on specific roads during peak hours
Both colors represent streets that will not permit parking from 7-10am and 4-7pm, while red lines indicate streets that already have or will have bus-only lanes.
Road Alterations
July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
-Designated roads (pink) will prohibit parking, with the exception of carve-outs, from 7-10a and 4-7pm
– Red roads will have Bus Only Lanes installed
July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023- Designated roads (pink) will have Bus Only lanes installed
This will maximize our roads to alleviate traffic issues, which also permits both BaltimoreLink and the Charm City Circulator (especially with my revamp) to run more efficiently. Not every road will need to abide by this because these adjustments will minimize the traffic on those roads as well, and maintains options for street parking.
3. Traffic Signal Adjustments
July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
– $1 million allocated to adjust 131 intersections (up to ~$7,600 per intersection) to 60-second cycles (signals with left turns will subtract time from the regular green)
July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023
– $1 million allocated to adjust second round of 100+ intersections
4. Downtown Parking Fee Adjustments
January 1, 2022
– Downtown Zone Established – Street parking across the entire zone will be $7.50/hr Monday-Friday, and $12.50/hr on weekends
– City-owned garage rates are decreased through the end of December 2024, then increased
–Residents with local parking permits are exempted
-Example: 7 St. Paul Street Garage
(Monday-Friday evening (7pm))
0 to 30 minutes: $3
31 to 60 minutes: $4.50
61 to 90 minutes: $6
91 to 120 minutes: $7.50
121 to 240 minutes: $15
241 minutes to Workday (8 hours): $30
Overnight: $20
(Friday evening-Sunday)
0 to 30 minutes: $6
31 to 60 minutes: $9
61 to 90 minutes: $12
91 to 120 minutes: $15
121 to 240 minutes: $30
240 to Workday (8 hours): $60
Overnight: $40
Notes
– Pricing (street parking) will encourage more residents to use transit and rideshare options, minimize congestion, increase transit reliability, and increase bike safety
***All funding will be utilized for transit/road improvements***
5. Traffic and Parking Fine Adjustments
July 1, 2021
-Parking and traffic fines will become a five-tier scale based on income brackets:
Up to $14,999 annually – Max fine of $100 per violation
Up to $29,999 annually – Max fine of $150
Up to $44,999 annually – Max fine of $200
Up to $69,999 annually – Max fine of $250
$70,000+ annually – Max fine of $300
-Booting of any vehicles no longer permitted – car will be towed to Pulaski
– Rush hour traffic guards will take up license numbers of cars blocking the box – tickets will be sent in the mail
6. Howard Street Traffic Adjustment
January 1, 2022- End of vehicle traffic on Howard St. between Pratt and MLK
– RFPs released for pedestrian redesigns
7. Bridge Removal Study
July 1, 2024
-RFP released to study removal of I-83 south of North Avenue
Car-commuter transit study
Assess feasibility of staggered start times for businesses to ease congestion further
Assess options for improving Light Rail system, including modern cars, by 2025 – work with MTA to make it happen
For all vehicles unclaimed at city’s impound after 18 months (may limit to 18 months), sell vehicles for scrap to assist in payment for 50-second traffic light cycles across city
5. Enforce No Parking in Bus-Only Lanes
Install or utilize existing cameras at intersections and on buses to identify offenders – fines will be sliding scale, with increasing amounts per offense