Gridlock Planning for I-270

By Peter Samuel
Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2003
When the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MdDOT) major planning document for I-270 was released last year, the Gazette newspaper summarized it with the front-page headline “Drivers may see little improvement with highway changes.” The “changes” were works that would cost some $1.8 to $2.2 billion. They would rebuild the heavily burdened highway, expanding a section of its northern end from two lanes to four and also upgrading US-15, an important feeder route. Each alternative also includes transit improvements with capital costs of between $300 and $860 million.

How to Build and Pay for the ICC

Maryland Policy Update No.0006

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2003
The Ehrlich administration’s announcement that it has allocated $2 million to restart planning for the intercounty connector is welcomed news for D.C. area commuters weary of gridlocked roads in Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bethesda. Construction of the corridor linking I-270 to I-95 would divert a significant amount of traffic away from the overburdened northwestern side of the Beltway.

Removing Two Roadblocks to an ICC

Originally Published in The Washington Post

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Sunday, April 20, 2003
The Ehrlich administration’s announcement that it has allocated $2 million to restart planning for the intercounty connector is welcomed news for D.C. area commuters weary of gridlocked roads in Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bethesda. Construction of the corridor linking I-270 to I-95 would divert a significant amount of traffic away from the overburdened northwestern side of the Beltway.

Ending the Glendening Transportation Dogma

Maryland Policy Update No.0004

By Wendell Cox
Published on Monday, January 06, 2003
Bringing to mind Herbert Hoover’s 1933 list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for the incoming Roosevelt administration, outgoing Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari continues to push for an increase in the state’s gasoline tax. Like FDR, the Ehrlich administration should ignore the advice. The state’s fundamental transportation policy flaws require serious attention, and simply raising the gasoline tax would only make necessary reforms harder to address.

Rebelling Against Glendening’s Transit Dogma

Originally Published in The Herald-Mail

By Wendell Cox
Published on Sunday, December 22, 2002
Bringing to mind Herbert Hoover’s 1933 list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for the incoming Roosevelt administration, outgoing Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari continues to push for an increase in the state’s gasoline tax. Like FDR, the Ehrlich administration should ignore the advice. Maryland transportation policy suffers from fundamental flaws that require serious reform, not the raising of taxes.

The Truth About Transit

Originally Published in The Baltimore Sun

By Wendell Cox
Published on Friday, July 12, 2002
IN RECENT years, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and mass transit agencies have been pumping out press releases about record ridership. At the national level, a recurring theme has been that ridership has reached a 40-year record.

Dangers of Smart Growth Planning

By Wendell Cox
Published on Wednesday, May 15, 2002
Testimony on Smart Growth and Public Transit before the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works by Wendell Cox.

Light Rail: The Slowest and Most Costly Way to Move People

Maryland Policy Update No.0002

By Randal O’Toole
Published on Saturday, February 02, 2002
As traffic congestion builds in Maryland urban areas, many people ask, “Why not relieve congestion by building light-rail lines like those built in San Diego, Denver, and Portland, Oregon?” Before Marylander’s get too filled with light-rail envy and spend millions of taxpayer dollars, they should take a close look at the experiences of those other cities.

Issues Guide: Transportation

From Maryland 2002-2003: A Guide to the Issues

By Peter Samuel
Published on Tuesday, January 15, 2002
Roads in the D.C.-Baltimore metroplex are growing increasingly gridlocked, which harms residents’ quality of life, hurts the environment, wastes natural resources, and increases roadway risks. Instead of addressing those problems, the state of Maryland is investing its transportation dollars in grandiose mass transit systems that will serve few people in comparison with the price.

Pay Maryland More From Fuel Tax

Originally published in The Baltimore Sun

By Christopher B. Summers, Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
Published on Friday, September 07, 2001
MARYLAND'S WORSENING traffic congestion will be a top issue in the next gubernatorial election, as will Gov. Parris N.Glendening's recent initiative for an additional $500 million for transportation over the next six years that has been approved by the legislature.