[Greater-Baltimore] Important Opportunity to Give Input to MTA BaltimoreLink Bus Plan - Public Comment Period Ends January 11 at 5 p.m.

Sun Jan 10 09:59:12 UTC 2016

Ellen,

Thanks for reminding us about the comment period for Baltimore Link.
I have reviewed the silver line (accessible schedule attached) it
appears to run from Station North south past NFB headquarters though
the route alignment is not clear to me.  Specifically, the silver
route continues south through downtown to Mc'Henry row which is on
East Fort Avenue then continues to Curtis Bay covering the current
route for bus no. 64.  There may be a need to get information from MTA
on the exact stop locations, which I could not find on David's
accessible schedules. Based on the limited information that we have
been provided, I think the Silver line will serve NFB headquarters on
Wells Street, but it's possible that the nearest stop may not be on
light street.  Rather, the stop may be northeast of NFB located
somewhere on East Fort Avenue near MC'Henry Row.  Maybe the
constructive comment would be to ask MTA to provide proposed stop
locations so we can determine which would be closest to 200 E. Wells
Street.  Then membership could express concerns armed with more
detailed information.  I have asked David this question, and I will
make sure the membership receives his response.

Perhaps visitors to NFB would have a choice of transferring to the
local bus as Ellen describes, or walking from one of the proposed
Silver route stops on Fort Avenue just as many of us now walk from the
purple route circulator stop to Wells street.  Maybe we could ask NFB
staff to provide more detailed information on nfb.org about exact
public transportation options to NFB so that prospective visitors
could research it ahead of time.

I have not finished reviewing all of the routes yet, but some aspects
of the Baltimore Link are promising. For example, there are two
express buses proposed from Patapsco Lightrail to Annapolis which may
make it easier for chapter members to access the state legislature
depending on the exact stop locations proposed in Annapolis.  There
are also proposed express routes to job centers like CMMS and Ft.
Meade.  I am not an expert though.

Cheryl

On 1/7/16, Ringlein, Ellen via Greater-Baltimore
<greater-baltimore at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Dear Federation colleagues,
>
> As you may be aware, the MTA plans to overhaul the bus system serving the
> greater Baltimore area. I attended one of the informational meetings
> yesterday. The MTA is looking for input and feedback from the public. But
> the chance to give our opinion at this stage ends by the close of business
> on Monday, January 11.
>
> If you are a bus rider in the Baltimore area, I strongly urge you to review
> the information about the proposed bus plan, which is not written in stone
> yet. We as users of the public transportation system can still raise
> concerns about how the proposed changes would affect us individually.
>
> You can review general information about BaltimoreLink at
> http://mta.maryland.gov/baltimorelink. Much of the information is
> accessible, but not all. Fellow Federationist, David Bouchard, was largely
> responsible for making sure that the descriptions of all the proposed routes
> are accessible. You can review those at
> http://mta.maryland.gov/baltimorelink-bus-routes. There are three types of
> routes listed on this page: LocalLink, CityLink, and ExpressLink routes.
> Under each of these headings is a link that takes you to the accessible
> descriptions of each group of routes.
>
> In addition to voicing your individual concerns, you should consider
> commenting on the MTA's responsibility to maintain and enhance accessibility
> to online information and bus signage. We want to be sure that we as blind
> bus riders have access to information about bus routes, schedules, and
> location of bus stops. Much of this could be done online. We also want to
> make sure that the new buses have talking stop announcements and signage
> that is readable by riders with low vision.
>
> You may also want to know and comment on that the current proposed plan no
> longer provides direct access from Penn Station to the Riverside
> neighborhood, where NFB headquarters is located. One would have to transfer
> downtown from a CityLink bus which should run fairly frequently to a
> LocalLink bus, which will run less often to get to NFB.
>
> You can give your input to the MTA online at
> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TransitImprovement.
>
> You can also Call the BaltimoreLink hotline at 410-454-1998 and leave a
> message.
>
>
> Please take the time and give your feedback. Whatever the new bus plan turns
> out to be, it will affect blind bus riders for many years to come. Your
> observations will carry more weight and potentially make a greater impact,
> if you give specific and detailed information rather than just making
> general comments.
> Cordially,
>
> Ellen Ringlein, President
> Greater Baltimore Chapter
> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
>
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-- 
Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, Ph.D.
Archaeologist and Museum Professional
(443) 939-8217
c.k.fogle at gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/cheryl-fogle-hatch/8/224/538