Comments Welcome on the 2020 Federal Certification of the BRTB

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) invite you to join them on Wednesday, April 22 to share your thoughts about the regional transportation planning process conducted by the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB).

The public meeting is part of a 30-day comment period related to a review by FHWA and FTA to certify that the transportation planning process carried out by the BRTB meets federal requirements for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO). The BRTB is the MPO for the Baltimore region.

Comments are welcome on the 2020 Certification of the BRTB through Friday, May 1, 2020.

About the Federal Certification

Every four years, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires FHWA and FTA conduct an on-site review of the BRTB. The purpose of the certification review is to:

• provide an objective evaluation of the regional transportation planning process; 
• ensure that federal planning requirements are being satisfactorily implemented by the BRTB; 
• provide advice and guidance to the BRTB for ways it can further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the planning process and improve the quality of transportation investment decisions; and 
• help ensure that the major transportation planning issues facing a metropolitan area are being addressed.
• the public may also provide feedback during the Public Comment Opportunity at the BRTB monthly meeting with elected officials at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 1. 

FHWA and FTA also verify that the BRTB are implementing previous recommendations for improvement.

Share Your Thoughts

The public review period runs from March 31 through May 1, 2020. There are three ways you can share your thoughts:

BMC is accessible by the MDOT MTA 94 and 71 bus lines, as well as the Charm City Circulator's Banner Route. There is also vehicle and bicycle parking on-site. Directions to BMC

The BRTB is the federally recognized metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for transportation in the region. BMC provides the BRTB with staff support.

The BRTB operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable laws. Appropriate services can be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities or those in need of language assistance who submit a request at least seven days prior to a meeting. Call 410-732-0500.

By now, every household in the U.S. should have received an invitation to reply to the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail.

Federal, state and local governments are encouraging responses from everyone in the U.S., including those deemed hard to count.

BMC’s GIS team developed an app that tracks 2020 Census self-response rates, based on Census Bureau data.

This app allows quick access to response rates by county and Census tract. It also allows users to click on layers, adjust transparency, search by address, view data tables, and create maps to print.

This app, best suited as a tool for government agencies, planners, and community activists, can assist in tracking Census participation by neighborhood. It allows users to identify low response rates as they develop, so community leaders can take early action to further encourage Census participation.

Updates to data for the app occur automatically each day to keep it current and will continue in this vein through Summer 2020, as the Census deadline approaches. After which, the app will stay in place to serve as a resource and reference point to review data and results. This may be useful in evaluating outreach strategies and results by neighborhood.

The app can be found here: https://arcg.is/1buC1f

For more information on the 2020 Census, please visit Census.Maryland.gov or 2020Census.gov.