BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, June 28, 2023) – The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) named Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski as FY24 Chair in a June 27 vote. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will serve as Vice Chair, a position Olszewski held in FY23.

“Expanding access to accessible, equitable, reliable, and resilient transportation is essential in building a stronger, more connected Baltimore region,” says Olszewski. “It is an honor to lead such a dedicated group of public servants who share this transformational vision and are focused to doing all we can to make it a reality for all our residents.”

As the region’s federally designated metropolitan planning organization, the BRTB includes elected leaders from Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Queen Anne’s Counties, Baltimore City and Annapolis as well as representatives of Central Maryland RTA, Maryland Transit Administration and the Maryland Departments of Transportation, Planning and the Environment.

The BRTB develops short- and long-range plans for regional transportation investments. The latest short-range plans include funding for ongoing projects such as connecting a 40-mile Patapsco Regional Greenway trail network, making historic town centers more accessible and improving stretches of I-695, I-70 and I-95 in Baltimore County, among other corridors around the region. Meanwhile, the recent Resilience 2050 long-range plan anticipates unprecedented funding for transit, including an east-west corridor, and favors projects prioritizing safety, multi-modal accessibility and climate resilience.

“Our residents deserve a modern transportation system that is safe, reliable and responsive to the needs of our communities,” says Ball, who also chairs the Board of Directors of Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), which staffs and supports the BRTB’s work. “I look forward to working with County Executive Olszewski and all our partners in the region to realize this vision.”

Todd Lang, BMC’s Director of Transportation, thanked Olszewski, Ball and the other BRTB members for working together to pursue common goals and help the region’s communities thrive.

“The BRTB will no doubt be busy in the next year,” Lang says. “We have a really strong team in place to meet this moment.”

The BRTB’s next meeting will take place on Friday, July 21 at 9 a.m. Members of the public are welcome to join in-person or online, and can sign up to make a formal public comment during the meeting.

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Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) works collaboratively with the chief elected officials in the region to create initiatives to improve quality of life and economic vitality. As the Baltimore region’s council of governments, BMC hosts the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) and supports local government by coordinating efforts in a range of policy areas including emergency preparedness, housing, cooperative purchasing, environmental planning and workforce development.

BMC 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. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-735-2258 to initiate a TTY call through Maryland Relay. Si se necesita información de Título VI en español, llame al 410-732-0500.

Thanks for your interest in Reaching Resilience 2050, our Q&A series fleshing out the people and processes behind our latest long-range transportation plan. To read the plan in full, explore potential projects near you and learn how to share your feedback, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.

Cynthia Burch is a Transportation Planner for Baltimore Metropolitan Council.

Hi Cindy! To get started, please tell us more about your work on safety.

I focus on traffic safety planning and programming throughout the region. I am an epidemiologist/researcher and joined BMC five years ago to support local planning. I work with a lot of local partners in the development and implementation of Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP). All states must have a safety plan, our focus on local safety plans will help make our roads, drivers and non-motorists safer and aim to eliminate crash-related deaths. I also support other safety planning in the region, facilitate a safety subcommittee and work closely with state partners.

Right. Folks might recognize the #VisionZero and #BeTheDriver messages we share on social media. And what do you do to support Resilience 2050?

Safety is a priority in all projects, from planning to design to building. During the project proposal phase, I review each submission and score it for safety benefits. That criteria includes a connection to the agency’s local safety plan and benefit to an underserved area in the region. This year, the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board updated the project selection methodology to give a boost to projects prioritizing safety, which is critical to helping us pursue the vision of a safer transportation system for all users.

Nice! And you mentioned your committee. Who are the key partners you work with?

The primary safety partners are the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board in the region and the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office (MHSO). Local safety plans are designed to be multi-disciplinary and involve many different agency types for implementing projects. Key partners for increasing safety and eliminating deaths include, but are not limited to: engineers, planners, law enforcement, emergency medical services, school systems, health departments, non-profit organizations and community organizations.

And what key highlights do you hope folks take away?

Unfortunately, there has been a significant change in driving behaviors in the last five years that has resulted in more fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways. We are focused on turning that around and believe that a holistic approach with many different partners will yield improvement. Many partners both inside and out of traditional transportation fields are focused and trying new projects to save lives. This is particularly important for non-motorists, as pedestrians, bicyclists and others not in motor vehicles are the most vulnerable road users.

This is crucial work, so thank you. How can folks learn more and get involved?

Please feel free to reach out to me about safety planning throughout the region and I’m happy to make connections with the local safety teams. Being engaged at the local, regional or state level is appreciated and encouraged. The Baltimore Regional Safety Subcommittee meets quarterly and all meetings are open to the public. Please refer to our website for dates and times of upcoming meetings. Last, but far from least, please be a conscious and conscientious user of the transportation network. Slow down, put the phone down, driver sober and use sidewalks and bike lanes as intended.

That's all from Cynthia, but check out our other Reaching Resilience 2050 entries on Air Quality, Climate Resilience and Project Implementation. To learn more about our Resilience 2050 long-range transportation plan, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.

Thanks for your interest in Reaching Resilience 2050, our Q&A series fleshing out the people and processes behind our latest long-range transportation plan. To read the plan in full, explore potential projects near you and learn how to share your feedback, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.

Eileen Singleton is a Principal Transportation Engineer for Baltimore Metropolitan Council.

Hi Eileen! Let's dive in. Please tell us a bit about you and your work.

I’m a civil engineer, and when I joined BMC in 1998, I was hired to work on projects related to planning for intelligent transportation systems, or ITS. ITS projects use technology and interagency communications to improve how the transportation network operates. One example is the use of cameras and sensors to “see” traffic, and, using web and phone applications, to let travelers and operators know what’s going on. Another example is providing real time arrival information to transit riders. Climate resilience was not an explicit focus of my work back then but the resilience of the transportation network was certainly enhanced by the use of ITS, allowing the most people to use these facilities without building capacity and providing awareness of conditions to system operators and travelers. Over the last several years, my work expanded to include climate resilience explicitly, and we’ve developed documents to support climate resilience preparedness in departments of public works (DPWs) and transportation (DOTs): Climate Change Resource Guide and Climate Resilience Guidance for Local Jurisdictions. 

Wow! This type of work is more urgent than ever. How does it fit into the preparation of Resilience 2050?

The Climate Change Resource Guide includes a chapter on historical climate trends and climate projections for the region. The information from this chapter was incorporated into the climate resilience chapter of Resilience 2050. And much of the Climate Change and Resilience White Paper developed for Resilience 2050 is taken from that Guide. The Guide also includes examples of climate adaptation strategies that can be used to reduce the impacts of climate change on DOT and DPW resources. Considerations of equity have been incorporated throughout Resilience 2050, and it is especially important to consider climate resilience of populations that have traditionally felt more of the burden of climate change impacts, including people of color, those who are low-income or have disabilities, children, and the elderly.

Speak on it! And who are the key partners you engage in this effort?

The target audience for the two climate projects is local DPWs and DOTs. In addition to staff from these agencies, we had participation by local staff members from planning and sustainability offices as well as state and federal partners. Each project had a steering committee that met with the consultant team several times to provide input on the documents. These partners also reviewed drafts of all documents and attended smaller topic-focused meetings with the consultant team. The Climate Resilience for Local Jurisdictions project also included three workshops – focused on transportation, water, and stormwater – and an even wider range of partners attended those to ensure our work is coordinated across agencies and levels of government. As local DPWs and DOTs incorporate resilience strategies, they will include a wider range of stakeholders from within their jurisdictions as well as from their communities

Speaking of, what key highlights do you hope folks take away?

A few things come to mind: 

• The climate of our region has been changing (refer to Chapter 2 of the Climate Change Resource Guide). Annual average temperature has been increasing over the last century and there is a clear upward trend. Also, sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have been rising, leading to significant increases in “nuisance flooding” (i.e., flooding from high tides even during sunny days).
• Our local DPWs and DOTs have been seeing and responding to impacts from the changing climate (refer to Chapter 3 of the Climate Change Resource Guide).
• Climate change impacts have been felt disproportionately by vulnerable populations, including people of color, those who are low-income or have disabilities, children, and the elderly.
• Temperatures are projected to increase dramatically in our region in the coming decades (refer to Chapter 2 of the Climate Change Resource Guide).
• Total precipitation is not projected to increase that much overall but we will continue to experience more extreme precipitation events, like the major floods in Old Ellicott City in 2016 and 2018 (refer to Chapter 2 of the Climate Change Resource Guide).
• These changes have and will continue to directly impact our transportation network. Our DPWs and DOTs must continue to incorporate these changes into their plans, projects, and programs so our transportation network remains as resilient as possible and all of us can travel as safely and efficiently as possible.

Thanks. Lastly, how can folks learn more and stay involved?

If you’d like to learn more about our climate resilience work, you can check out our recent Climate Change Resource Guide and Climate Resilience Guidance for Local Jurisdictions. Chapter 2 of the Climate Change Resource Guide has an overview of how our region’s climate has changed and how it is projected to change between now and 2100. The Climate Change and Resilience White Paper also outlines some of the key topics from the Climate Change Resource Guide

That's all from Eileen, but check out our other Reaching Resilience 2050 entries on Air Quality, Project Implementation and Safety. To learn more about our Resilience 2050 long-range transportation plan, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.