Baltimore's New Buses Won't Save the City
One suggestion that has been floated to help cities in the current economic climate is for them to improve their infrastructure. Baltimore's own public transportation system is not efficient or innovative at all. While efforts are being made to improve it, the challenges facing the city remain extensive.
Baltimoreans using public transportation have few options beyond the Maryland Transport Authority’s public busses, which are as dirty as they are unpredictable. Washington, D.C. and New York City have extensive and heavily-trafficked metro lines but Baltimore’s metro consists only of one single line transporting passengers from one obscure and dangerous corner of the city to another.
Yet Baltimore is forward-thinking in one respect: the Charm City Circulator. Unlike the MTA busses, the Circulator is free. Not only are passengers able to “circulate” sans charge, they can do so in the comfort of a clean, air conditioned, spacious bus. Even more impressive, the Circulator is an “innovative hybrid [bus that is] low emitting and environmentally friendly.” Free, clean, and green!
The range in quality that characterizes Baltimore’s public transportation services is staggering. The MTA busses are awful. The metro is pointless. But the Circulator is at the forefront of metropolitan downtown transportation.
In a way, Baltimore's transportation dichotomy epitomizes the many challenges facing the city. Downtown Baltimore is one of the most beautiful urban centers I have ever been lucky enough to know. The cobblestone streets and busy harbor are a reminder that one is walking through a historic city. But be careful not to wander too far off the picturesque, cobbled path.
Baltimore, depending on where you are on, can either be perfectly safe or an incredibly dangerous neighborhood. Despite the gentrification of downtown Baltimore, poverty and crime are on the rise. A downtown bubble has emerged. Within this bubble there are wonderful restaurants, high-end shops, beautiful views, and services like the Circulator. Sadly, outside the bubble, lack of public transportation is the least of Baltimore’s worries.
