Proposed bus service changes come up short
2021 plan would leave 13-mile gap between Annapolis, Baltimore
Proposed changes to the Maryland Transit Administration bus service would leave a 13-mile gap between Annapolis and Baltimore by shuttering the only regular route that goes farther south than Jumpers Hole Road in Pasadena.
At a bus stop at Church Circle in Annapolis Monday, one young couple said they live outside Anne Arundel County but use Route 70 to come in forwork and other obligations. They can’t pay $50 for a cab, they have a 2-year-old at home.
Another woman said she has been commuting from Glen Burnie to Annapolis by bus for seven years, but said if the line is canceled, she may have to find a new job.
The state announced potential cuts this month to adapt to the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Along with Route 70, commuter buses 210 and 215 could be canceled, which means people can no longer use public transportation from Annapolis and Kent Island to Baltimore or the end of the light rail line in Glen Burnie.
Starting at the Patapsco Lightrail
Station, Route 70 buses travel along Ritchie Highway then over the Naval Academy bridge and into downtown Annapolis, then back again. People in Glen Burnie would no longer be able use it to get to Anne Arundel Community College, the county courthouse, the state legislature or jobs at the Naval Academy, Department of Natural Resources and in the city tourism and hospitality businesses.
Ten virtual public hearings are scheduled on the changes between Monday and Oct .16. The public comment period closes Nov. 16; final changes will be announced Nov. 30 and go into effect Jan. 3.
Maryland Transit Administration spokesman Paul Shepard said public feedback is an important part of the service change process.
Route 70 declined from an average of 1,945 boardings a day to 998 boardings a day in March, Route 210 between Kent Island and Baltimore went from66 daily boardings to 24, and Route 215 between Annapolis and Baltimore went from32 to 18, he said.
Shepard said 77% of riders who used Route 70 before the pandemic would have an alternative within a quarter-mile, and that part of Route 70 is duplicated by Route 69. Route 69 ends at Jumpers Hole. It does not travel further south on Ritchie Highway to Severna Park, Arnold andAnnapolis.
County Executive Steuart Pittman said if Route 70 is cut it will prevent people who can’t afford the cost of a car, insurance, maintenance and gas from getting to jobs and services.
“I can’t overstate the importance of having public transportation between the two parts of our county,” he said.
The county does not operate its own transit system, although Annapolis has one.
Pittman said he would consider stepping in to fill that gap, though the money to pay for a new bus route would have to be cut from a different part of the budget. Maintaining the transit connection between north and central Anne Arundel is a high priority, he said.
“We have too much traffic and too much pollution and public transit addresses both of those problems,” he said.
Using the MobiltyLink service riders who cannot independently board or wait for a bus can be picked up at home and brought to the front of their destination. MobilityLink is available within three-quarters of amile of routes, and if Route 70 is eliminated MobilityLink service would also end south of Pasadena.
A number of advocacy groups including Disability Rights Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and NAACP Maryland State Conference have signed onto a letter led by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters urging policymakers not tomake the changes.
“Even in its current state, public transit to Annapolis is extremely limited, but at least it was available and provided mobility services,” the groups said in a joint statement. “With the cuts, Annapolis would become inaccessible by public transportation, limiting the ability of many Marylanders to participate in our state’s Democracy.”