Rebuilding an Urban Bus Network in the 21st Century BaltimoreLink Goals

. Improve service quality and reliability Linking Modes . Maximize access to high-frequency transit Places People . Strengthen connections between the MTA’s bus and rail routes Improving Safety . Align the network with existing and emerging Efficiency job centers Reliability . Involve riders, employees, communities, and Customer Service elected officials in the planning process Existing Service

We’ve heard the existing transit system is…  Broken  Disconnected  Crowded  Unclean Major Problems  Unreliable • Lengthy Routes – Long east-west and north-south  Not connected to routes jobs • Highly Congested – Buses bottleneck due to network design • Unreliable – Network design hinders MTA’s ability to provide reliable service The Solution – The BaltimoreLink Network BaltimoreLink is a new kind of “grid and spoke” transit network offering three classes of service that reinforce the existing Metro SubwayLink, Light RailLink, and MARC Train systems:

CityLink

These color-coded “BRT ready” routes offer frequent, 24-hour service, form a downtown grid, and radiate out from the city on major streets. LocalLink

These operate on neighborhood streets between the CityLinks and form crosstown “rings.”

Express BusLink

These offer limited-stop service between outlying areas and downtown. In Spring 2016 an express beltway “ring” was also created for the first time ever! Components of a Frequent Transit Network

New Frequent Service

Current Frequent Service Dramatic Expansion in Accessibility (will remain under B-Link) The new network offers frequent service to 30% MORE PEOPLE across the region: note the new “spokes and rings” at right! Forget About Schedules A frequent network permits passengers to travel freely around the region without building their lives around rigid schedules. No More Missed Transfers A frequent network permits passengers to easily transfer from one route to another. If you miss a connection on a frequent route, the next one will be along soon! BaltimoreLinkCurrent FrequentFrequent Transit Transit Network Network Components of a Frequent Transit Network

New Frequent Service Dramatic Expansion of Frequent Service Current Frequent Service (will remain under B-Link) in East, West, and South Many corridors on the east, west, and south sides of the city will see frequent “show up and go” service for the first time, such as Lafayette Avenue, Hanover Street, Preston Street, Eutaw Place, and many more!

Frequent Service Means Getting Ahead The eastern and western sides of the city have historically faced some of the longest transit commute times in the region, and the new frequent network finally breaks that historical deficiency, helping people get to more places, more quickly, more often. BaltimoreLinkCurrent FrequentFrequent Transit Transit Network Network Public Outreach 1st Draft Winter Outreach October 2015 – February 2016 13 public workshops over 790 . BaltimoreLink was announced on and 4 pop- attendees ups October 22, 2015 26 . BaltimoreLink Outreach built upon 24 elected stakeholder officials and the effort accomplished as part of briefed community group the 2013 Baltimore Network meetings Improvement Project (BNIP) . MTA gathered 1,283 comments from 67 key events . 56 of the 65 first draft routes as a direct response to public feedback 2nd Draft Summer Outreach July – September 2016

. Released Draft Two on July 5, 2016 . Hosted 103 events and collected comments through September 30th

. 20 public workshops (over 450 people attended)

. 15 community meetings

. 27 meetings with key stakeholders

. 21 briefings for elected officials

. 14 events in Baltimore City Public Schools

. 3 pop-up events

. 3 festivals . Collected over 1,000 comments Public Hearings

. January 4 – 19, 2017 . 14 Public Hearings around Baltimore Region . Locations were determined to ensure geographic representation of the service area and to ensure that meetings are accessible. Areas with higher frequency routes and significant service changes were given priority . 30 Day Comment Period ends February 21st . Comments can be submitted by:

. Submit comments to MTA staff at a public hearing.

. Mail comments to MTA, Office of Customer and Community Relations, 6 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.

. Email comments to HearingComments@mta..gov with “Written Testimony” as the subject heading.

. Visit BaltimoreLink.com and submit a digital comment. Tools: Maps Elected Official Maps for every Council/Legislative District in MTA Service Area Tools: Online Trip Planner

. Compare existing street routing for a given route side-by-side with its BaltimoreLink replacement. Double-click on the map for origins and destinations, or type these in manually Set the Date and Time to get personalized trips Tools: Online

Google Map . Interactive Google system map allows you to zoom in on the updated network and view various routes and their frequencies Tools: Online

New Website . Access BaltimoreLink information easier by reading project updates, finding events in neighborhoods and downloading presentations and reports Bus Stop Optimization Bus Stop Optimization Bus Stop Optimization Examples

41st St. @ Sears Entrance (WB) . Stop #00322 Northern Pkwy. & Greenberry Dr. (WB) . No longer near trip generator . Stop #05992 . Very low utilization (+2, -5) . Stop behind guard rail . No shoulder/sidewalk Russell St. @ Hamburg St. (SB) . No utilization . Stop #11387 . Situated in median . Very low utilization (+3, -1) Transfer Facilities Transfer Facilities Possible Amenities . Busy transfer points around the bus network will be updated to enhance the transfer experience . Improvements may include bus shelters, trash cans, real-time information systems and TVMs West Baltimore Transfer Facility Amenities . 4 bus bays . 4 layovers . Operator restroom . ADA parking . Ticket Vending Machines . Real Time Signage . New Shelters . New Lighting . Blue Light Cameras and CCTV to Lot D . Artwork Transfer Facilities

Other Transfer Facility Locations . North Ave between Charles and St. Paul . Penn-North Metro Station . Courthouse (Broadway/Harford) . Bayview Hospital . Metro Station . (Eutaw St) . Penn Station . State Center . North Ave Light Rail Station

Rendering of real-time signage at Penn Station Dedicated Bus Lanes Dedicated Bus Lanes . The MTA screened 25 streets and evaluated multiple CityLink route corridors, traffic analysis, and the number of buses per hour . Recommending roughly 5 ½ miles of dedicated bus lanes . Pratt (Greene to Market Place) . Lombard (Penn to Market Place) . Baltimore (Arch to President) . Fayette (Arch to Gay) . Charles (Madison to Oliver – PM Peak Only) . St. Paul (Franklin to Pratt) . Gay (Baltimore to Forrest) . Hillen (Forrest to Guilford) . Guilford (Pleasant to Baltimore) Dedicated Bus Lanes . Dedicated Lanes were already installed on Pratt & Lombard Streets with an education campaign to alert drivers about the Dedicated Bus Lanes. . Enforcement has begun and will continue to be sporadic, although the majority of vehicles are staying out of the lanes. Dedicated Bus Lanes Next Steps

. MTA is gathering travel times Baltimore/Fayette Will No Longer Be a and the reliability of service to Sluggish “Bus Train” measure the success of Some transit trips will shift to Pratt/Lombard and dedicated bus lanes other corridors for a balanced and efficient flow:

. Conducting outreach to Weekday Bus Trips Through Downtown businesses along corridors Existing Street System BaltimoreLink Change . Currently at 100% design and Baltimore 772 537 -235 Fayette 622 501 -121 awaiting final approval from Lombard 335 534 +199 Baltimore City Pratt 242 487 +245 . Construction to begin in Spring/Summer 2017 Bus Stop Signs Bus Stop Signs

. New bus stop signage will be a major improvement over our existing signs . Signs will display routes, destinations, and stop numbers . Increased visibility New Bus Stop Signs Show Much More Route Information: Route Identifier A two-letter abbreviation for CityLinks or a number for all other routes Route Destination A list of terminus points for routes Route Frequency Indicates if routes are frequent (CityLinks) or peak only Stop ID Instructions to text the ID to MTAMD for the next arriving bus Potential Future Blades Other transit providers have expressed interest in consolidating signage Bus Stop Sign Installation

Step One – Winter 2016-2017 Step Two – June 2017 Transit Signal Priority Transit Signal Priority

. Hardware and software to enable active priority for buses . Approaching buses can trigger a shorter red light or longer green light . Focusing on CityLink corridors and major pinch points . Baltimore City DOT has agreed to enable Active TSP TSP Pilot Corridors . The MTA screened 700 traffic signals around the region for TSP piloting . Pilots will run on Loch Raven Blvd and York/Greenmount . TSP bus equipment has been procured and installation has begun. 180 of 250 buses have been equipped . TSP intersection equipment is expected in February. 36 intersections will be installed by May 2017 Baltimore City Bikeshare Bike Share . The system is the largest Pedelec (electric-assist) bicycle fleet in North America . Over 1,000 active members since October launch . MTA has $500,000 set aside for bike share sites at rail stations . Bike share cash payments can be made at the MTA Transit Store Bike Share . Bike Share Sites Currently Operational Near MTA Rail Stations . Shot Tower . Lexington Market . Mt. Vernon Marketplace . Hopkins Place . Pratt & Howard/Pandora . Bike Share Sites Coming this Winter/Spring . Charles Center Metro Station . Penn Station . Johns Hopkins Metro . State Center Metro . Mt. Royal Light Rail . Public Education Public Education Plan: Overview . Public education begins early Spring

. Key Elements of Public Education:  Direct Rider Contact  Media and Direct Mail  Community Organizations Outreach  Government Affairs Outreach  June 2017: Ramp-up Activities Direct Rider Contact: Talking One-On-One Providing information directly to our customers through one-on-one interactions and putting information in front of them while they use our services. . Street Teams: Communicate critical BaltimoreLink service change information directly to riders at locations where BaltimoreLink service changes will be occurring, including on-board buses, at bus stops, and at transit/transfer locations. . MTA Property Advertisements: Includes on-board notices and advertisements about BaltimoreLink service changes. . Increased Transit Information Center Staff/Capacity: Ensure that MTA customer service offices, including the MTA Transit Information Center, have the resources needed to provide high-volume, high- quality service both during the BaltimoreLink public education period and after services changes in June 2017. . MTA Staff Information Sessions: Ensure that all MTA staff, including front-line staff, have resources and materials when riders ask about BaltimoreLink. Media and Direct Mail: One-to-Many Media and direct mail is a public education strategy to get key messages out to many people all at once by using news and media sources to connect with their audiences and by sending informational materials to people’s homes.

. Media/News: Share key information on BaltimoreLink service changes and benefits to the general public through print (weekly and daily newspapers), radio, television and online (social media), and targeted billboards at critical locations.

. Text and Transit App Alerts: Use both internal resources (My MTA Bus Tracker) and external resources (CityMapper, Google Transit) to alert riders of service changes via text or app alerts.

. Direct Mail: Use MTA mail shop to ensure that every door in a targeted neighborhood receives BaltimoreLink service change information. Community Organizations: Many-to-Many Community organization outreach helps get the word out to vulnerable riders, including seniors, low-income, minority, and limited English communities. Partnering with social service providers who provide clients and patients with public transit information and resources gets information to diverse groups of riders all at once.

. Schools and Libraries

. Medical and Social Service Providers

. Employers and Business Organizations

. Community and Civic Organizations

. Festivals/Public Events Government Affairs: Top Down Government affairs outreach involves communicating key information on BaltimoreLink service changes and benefits to public officials to ensure that BaltimoreLink information and resources are widely known and can be shared with their constituents. . Elected Officials and Local Government (in service area) . Mayor of Baltimore . Baltimore City Council . Baltimore City Delegation . Baltimore County Executive . Baltimore County Delegation . Baltimore County Council June 2017: Ramp-up Activities For the two weeks before, the day of, and two weeks after BaltimoreLink implementation key public education strategies will be increased in quantity and intensity.

. Direct Rider Contact: Street teams will be out in force talking to riders at stops, on buses, and at busy transfer centers and customer service staff will be supported by extra call-center workers. . Media: News and social media sources will be covering the implementation heavily to make sure as many people as possible get the message. . Community Organization Outreach: Community organizations will be encouraged to alert their clients/patients/customers/staff. . Government Affairs Outreach: Government officials will be kept informed and involved in as many ways as possible. BaltimoreLink Timeline