Existing and Future Conditions Technical Report Table of Contents Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 4 Chapter 4 Transit Market Analysis 32 Context Within the RTP ....................................................................................................... 4 Existing and Projected Jobs and Population ......................................................... 33 Overview .......................................................................................................................................5 Transit-Supportive Areas ................................................................................................... 35 Transit Propensity ................................................................................................................. 37 Chapter 2 Transit Network Analysis 6 Overview of Services ...............................................................................................................6 Chapter 5 Travel Flow Analysis 46 Trends in Transit Ridership ................................................................................................10 Overview of Regional Travel Patterns ......................................................................... 47 Transit Network Coverage ................................................................................................. 12 Level of Service ........................................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 6 Existing Plans and Land Use 56 Chapter 3 Transit Funding and State of Good Repair 26 Regional Planning ................................................................................................................ 56 Transit Funding in the Central Maryland Region ................................................. 26 Planned Growth ....................................................................................................................58 Current Spending and Future Needs .........................................................................28 Anne Arundel County Land Use and Growth Areas ...........................................58 Financing and Partnerships ............................................................................................28 Baltimore City Land Use and Growth Areas ...........................................................60 Assets Supporting Public Transit .................................................................................. 29 Baltimore County Land Use and Growth Areas ..................................................... 61 State of Good Repair ........................................................................................................... 29 Harford County Land Use and Growth Areas ......................................................... 62 Howard County Land Use and Growth Areas ........................................................64 Executive Summary anticipated growth areas within the region (in terms of population, jobs, Overview Introduction ———————————————— and travel patterns) offers insights as Seven public transit agencies serve to where the RTP can focus its efforts 1 the Central Maryland study area: to meet future needs. the Maryland Transit Administration (part of the Maryland Department of This important context for the RTP Transportation and generally referred This technical report outlines the is developed by answering key Context Within to as MDOT MTA), Annapolis Transit, existing and future conditions of the questions, including: study area of the Central Maryland the RTP the Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation (OOT), the Baltimore Regional Transit Plan (RTP). The RTP —————————————————— • What transit serves the region? City Department of Transportation is a 25-year effort aimed at improving Several key questions must be • How well does existing transit (DOT), Baltimore CountyRide, Harford and expanding access to transit, answered to establish a baseline cover areas in the region where Transit LINK, and the Regional and the study area encompasses of transit allocation, need and people live, work, and access Transportation Agency of Central Baltimore City, Baltimore County, performance in the region at the services? Maryland (RTA). These agencies Anne Arundel County, Harford County, outset of the RTP. Without a baseline, • How do we maintain existing provide fixed-route local bus, light and Howard County. developing meaningful analysis of transit infrastructure? rail, heavy rail, and paratransit service transit gaps or identifying the most • How does land use influence in Baltimore and the surrounding effective strategies to improve the transportation options? counties, as well as commuter bus provision of transit is impossible. • Where do people travel within the and MARC rail service stretching Similarly, an assessment of the region? across the state. • How will future growth affect transit needs throughout the To establish a robust baseline and region? foundation for subsequent tasks, and to answer the questions listed above, In parallel to the analysis described in this technical report is organized into this technical report the RTP Project five sections: Team conducted outreach with stakeholders (including the public) to • Transit Network Analysis ensure that the conditions analysis is • Transit Funding and State of Good guided by those who use and benefit Repair from the transit systems the most. • Transit Market Analysis • Travel Flow Analysis • Existing Plans and Land Use Linking Central Maryland A CityLink Brown bus makes its way through Baltimore. 4 5 Transit Network Analysis Transit Network Table 2-1 | MDOT MTA Transit Services Annual Analysis MDOT MTA Services 2 Ridership FY18 LocalLink: Neighborhood service Core Bus CityLink: Frequent arterial service 63,797,000 The study area for the RTP includes Express BusLink: Peak-hour limited-stop service Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Overview of Services 15-mile heavy rail system with 14 stations from ——————————————————— Metro Subway 8,917,000 Anne Arundel County, Harford Owings Mills to Baltimore City. Public transit in the region is provided County, and Howard County. This 30-mile light rail system with 33 stations from by six fixed-route modes: local bus, Light Rail 7,417,000 five-jurisdiction region includes a wide Hunt Valley to BWI Airport and Glen Burnie. commuter bus, light rail, heavy rail, range of geographies, densities, and commuter rail, and ferry. Paratransit is Penn Line: 13 stations over 77 miles land uses, from rural to urban core MARC Camden Line: 12 stations over 39 miles also available to qualifying passengers 9,327,000 and from farmland to the Chesapeake Commuter Rail Brunswick Line: 19 stations over 74 miles in every jurisdiction, and an array Bay. Baltimore City anchors the study (outside study area) of private transit services offer area, dominating in population, jobs, 36 total routes operated by six operating transportation to specific destinations Commuter Bus 3,820,000 and transit service, but the region is contractors; with 22 routes in Central Maryland. in and around Baltimore. Paratransit and on-demand services within also defined by its close links to the Mobility and Call- Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia three-quarters of a mile from all Core Bus routes 2,954,000 Table 2-1 and Table 2-2 describe the a-Ride metropolitan areas. and Light Rail or Metro Subway stations. services offered by MDOT MTA and by the LOTS, as well as their annual There are seven public transit ridership. Table 2-2 | Locally Operated Transit Systems Services agencies in Central Maryland: MDOT MTA, Annapolis Transit, Anne Arundel County OOT, the Baltimore City DOT, Annual Locally Operated Transit Systems (LOTS) Baltimore CountyRide, Harford Transit Ridership FY18 LINK, and the RTA. The six agencies Local bus and paratransit within the City of besides MDOT MTA are all known as Annapolis Transit 409,000 Locally Operated Transit Systems, or Annapolis. LOTS. Anne Arundel Local bus and paratransit services within Anne 108,000 County OOT Arundel County. These agencies work together to Frequent bus service (Charm City Circulator) connect these areas with efficient and Baltimore City DOT and Harbor Connector water taxi service. 2,753,000 reliable public transportation services. Call-ahead paratransit service within Baltimore Each jurisdiction offers fixed-route Baltimore and paratransit services, and all County for eligible paratransit riders or rural 42,000 CountyRide residents. agencies provide some connections to neighboring transit systems, allowing Harford Transit Local bus and paratransit services in Harford 336,000 travel by transit across the region. LINK County and southwestern Cecil County. Local bus and paratransit services in Howard, RTA of Central Anne Arundel, and northern Prince George’s 917,000 Maryland counties. The five jurisdictions studied in the RTP. 6 7 Existing and Future Conditions Technical Report Transit Network Analysis Figure 2-1 Figure 2-2 Fixed-Route Services Paratransit Services Fixed-Route Service Fixed-route services (Figure 2-1) within a defined service area. These includes curb-to-curb or door-to-door paratransit services are also available operate on a regular schedule, services are limited to passengers transit for people with disabilities. throughout Baltimore, Anne Arundel, along pre-defined routes, and with disabilities or who meet other As required by the Americans with and Howard counties, as provided without deviation. These modes of eligibility