#freepublictransit plus investment to improve service

✅$100/month WMATA subsidy for every DC resident.
✅Millions to improve bus service, starting in communities that need it most.
✅Great for DC businesses & employees.

Let’s get this started! Join me tomorrow in front of the Wilson Building at 11:30am to kick off! https://t.co/KM1PLf19gK

— Charles Allen (@charlesallen) March 2, 2020

Washington, DC - Plan introduced to District Council for #freepublictransit

The District could become the next U.S. city to make transit free under a proposal by a D.C. Council member that would give each resident $100 a month to use for public transportation.

Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) said the plan would boost the region’s economy by helping businesses retain employees and recruit new customers who have been turned away by the city’s parking costs and traffic congestion.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/dc-council-member-proposes-free-public-transit-for-residents/2020/03/01/62a5a2ca-5a8f-11ea-9000-f3cffee23036_story.html? 

Trolls still asking "who will pay for #freepublictransit." Meanwhile, for highways - the sky's the limit

The state’s cost estimate for toll lanes to be built by a public-private partnership on Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway has jumped from $7 billion three years ago to as much as $11 billion now. And previous, more detailed, state studies of parts of the plan point to costs far higher than $11 billion.  

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2020/02/13/opinion-highway-p3-process-has-lacked-transparency/

How to fix Baltimore's transportation problems via @ElectRyanDorsey

Plan for public transit in Baltimore

• Adopt a transportation demand management (TDM) policy and reduce single- occupant vehicle (SOV) trips from 60% to 45% by 2030.
• More staff for BCDOT
• Implement a transportation equity framework through the City’s Equity Assessment Program and Complete Streets law
• Design and build a Baltimore BRT and Bus Priority Network
• Add 15 miles of dedicated bus lanes by 2022
• Complete the Separated Bike Lane Plan and the Baltimore Greenway Trail Network
• Plan for B&P Tunnel replacement and removal of I-83 and US-40 viaduct
• Implement fare-free transit and decriminalize fare evasion
• Income-based fine/fare payment

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aIKP2O1yfryzsksX80jAij8erZ1qv-pn/view 

Baltimore - Give city employees #freetransit, not free parking via @ElectRyanDorsey

Besides the cost of providing these parking spaces, there are several other problems with Baltimore’s free parking program for certain employees. First, providing this free parking increases the use of single occupancy vehicles (SOVs). Since many of the employees provided free parking are located in the downtown core, SOV commuters contribute to significant downtown gridlock each day. While Baltimore’s transit and biking networks are weak overall, downtown is very well served by light rail, metro, and bus service operating in dedicated lanes, as well as the city’s main protected or separated bike routes. If a significant number of Baltimore City employees used alternative modes to reach work each day, traffic for every downtown commuter would improve, and transit service, often stuck in traffic, would improve as well (thus attracting more riders.)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aIKP2O1yfryzsksX80jAij8erZ1qv-pn/view 

Candidate for US Congress calls for #freepublictransit

@MeetMckayla

Ridership up sharply in Montgomery County with youth fare-free idea

Since the expansion, officials say there’s been a 57% increase in students using the county’s Ride On buses and a 51% increase in students on Metrobuses. And Kids Ride Free has seen a 37% uptick in afternoon usage, too — so it’s attracted students beyond those who were already taking the original free bus service after school. That’s data from July through December 2019.

https://wamu.org/story/20/01/23/in-montgomery-county-students-are-taking-advantage-of-free-public-buses/ 

New Year Resolution: #freepublictransit for young people

Provide free public transportation for Baltimore’s youth. Provide it 100% of the time, even when young people aren’t traveling between home, school, and work. They have writing workshops to attend. Friends to visit. Museums to explore. As City Councilman Ryan Dorsey said at a City Council hearing on December 12, 2016, the “American Dream is built on freedom to move. When we restrict transit, it is nothing less than a restriction of that dream.” As is, Baltimore City Public School high school students can use their school-issued S-Pass for transit home from school until 8 PM on weeknights. They have no access on weekends. In 2016, I surveyed 61 Baltimore City youth about how these limited hours affect their lives. When asked, “Has the lack of post 8 P.M. S-Pass access affected your ability to work or engage in extracurricular activities?”, 95% of students responded in the affirmative.

http://baltimorebeat.com/2020/01/11/new-year-new-city-the-people-of-baltimore-offer-resolutions-for-the-city-in-2020/