MTA Unveils "CharmCard"

The Maryland Transit Administration is finally introducing an RFID equipped card for use with the Metro system in Baltimore. They have introduced a pilot program that will be testing the cards. Unfortunately, during the course of this program the cards only work in the Baltimore Metro, which is a woefully useless test program, because I have never needed to take the Metro, and probably never will. I can bike the span of the metro easily, and its free, so why would I want to use the one line rinky dink excuse for public transportation?

http://www.mtacharmcard.com/what.html

Now, the card will be extremely useful when they finally finish the pilot program. You will finally be able to swipe the same card at a bus, lightrail, or Metro stop and not have to carry around change to pay for tickets. This has a side benefit, as it makes it easier and more likely for more people to ride the system. Increased ridership makes the buses less scary, and increases the cash in the hands of the MTA. All of this could be very good for Baltimore, especially with the expansions being planned currently. As the city develops a more effective system for getting around without a car, economic activity will increase. I can say for certain that if there was a convenient public transit option for getting to and from Canton from my house, I would be much more likely to travel to that part of the city. If I could easily hop on a lightrail, swipe a card, and go to hampden, I'd be a happy man.

Going forward, Baltimore needs to think long and hard about how the city develops, because the uproar over lightrail poses a threat to the growth of the city in ways the NIMBY crowd haven't considered. People in my age bracket are looking for cities with large, effective, inexpensive public transportation options. Because of my bike, I don't mind as much that Baltimore is lacking in this field, but in the long run, Washington DC is likely to be the city I settle into, because you can completely function without a car there. The lack of an effective subway in Baltimore is a major problem, the crime and other problems associated with the buses are a deterent for anyone with other options. It drives people toward using cars, and that hurts all of us in the long run. If Baltimore wants to compete with other cities for the 20somethings who will drive its growth in the future, the city needs to be agressive and smart about public transportation