SOUTHERN MARYLAND – The Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan – Southern Maryland Region was recently completed by our partners at KFH. The plan is done every five years to ensure that 5310 funds remain accessible to Maryland’s transportation providers. The 5310 program funds vehicles and equipment to ensure transit is accessible to those who need it, in particular, seniors and individuals with disabilities.
In a post-COVID world, we have found that participants prefer hybrid communication models. Therefore, we had members attend both in person and online. We had a diverse group of attendees, including transportation advocates who discussed transportation ideas for seniors and the more able-bodied.
Some good ideas came from both written comments and the public meetings. One such idea was attempting to work with the relevant agencies to have our commuter buses terminate at the closest metro stations. This type of thinking would not only help seniors and disabled residents get around, but would be good for all. In our semi-rural area, we often still have to go to the city for specialist care. Right now, there is effectively no real way to do that without a personal vehicle. It’s very hard to get transportation, even for medical issues, both out of the county and out of the tri-county region. While commuter buses don’t have to follow all the ADA regulations, there is still a good number of people who could benefit from that kind of service.
For those who are disabled, another suggestion was to get away from the flag stops in Southern Maryland and create more fixed stops. Similar to city buses and city stops, these fixed stops could have platforms and roll-in-style buses to better assist disabled passengers in a timely fashion.
Early in the process, one stakeholder in particular mentioned how studies such as this could be made more effective. Rather than broad and sweeping statements, we could include more strategy and step-by-step planning, as well. This would enable the comprehensive plan to serve nonprofit agencies who are seeking 5310 funding in a way that leaves room for their own individual strategies, as well as taking strategic steps to achieve a vision for an inclusive transportation future for Southern Maryland. We believe this study does just that.
To view the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan: Southern Maryland Region, visit the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland’s webpage at: https://tccsmd.org/coord-public-transportation-plan.
How come they highlight the western Shore and call it southern Maryland when infact it is south western Maryland. There are 3 counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and are also southern Maryland.