Towards Community-Led Systems of Governance
The Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition’s Fight for a Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority
Written by Tochi Okeke
On February 20th, 2024, members of the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition (BTEC) were joined by allied organizations and community members to protest the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)’s obstructionist and inefficient governing of Baltimore’s transportation system.
“MTA, Do not Delay!”
“What do we Want? The Red Line! ¿Cuándo lo queremos? Ahora!”
As we marched through the downtown area and chanted in front of the MTA building- a group with members over 75 and under 5, intergenerational, multiracial, and multilingual, our slogan “Ain’t no stopping us” was evident. Our event was well attended and known by members of the press, and yet we received little news coverage. Despite mainstream efforts to erase our event from history and consciousness, we considered it a victory. Through our outreach and advocacy, we had been making strides towards a more equitable transportation system in Baltimore. In the face of historical and continued harm from leaders that should have our best interest in mind, we refused to be silenced.
The author (“honk!” sign) with colleagues and allies at BTEC’s community march on February 20th, 2024. Community members called on Governor Moore and the MTA to reinstate the Red Line as it was originally intended, as a light rail line, and not a bus. Buses do not generate transit oriented development and efficient service like rail lines. A new rail line has not been built in Baltimore in 2 decades.
I joined BTEC in 2021, shortly after finishing my undergraduate degree. Growing up in the Baltimore area, I witnessed the great disparities characteristic of the city. While I could see the effects of structural racism in mine and surrounding communities, I did not understand their causes. My experiences as a food justice worker and colleague to other social justice advocates in North Carolina provided me with the knowledge to make sense of my experiences back home, and chart my own way forward of ameliorating them, as a community advocate and aspiring urban planner. I came to the fight roughly 6 years after BTEC’s formation in 2015, hours after former Governor Larry Hogan's cancellation of the Red Line light rail. My 8 years of community work have taught me that achieving positive change can be frustrating and challenging. I am inspired by the great people around me though, and the great changes community power has brought.
Particularly in the fight for equitable transportation, I choose to support my colleagues that are still in this fight, even after many decades of divestment, no’s, and neglect.
A Row of Vacant and Abandoned Houses in Baltimore
SOURCE: BALTIMORE HERITAGE, CC0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Two people wait at a bus stop on North Avenue in Baltimore. Long commute times are a barrier to adequate education and employment.
SOURCE: ELVERT BARNES/FLICKR
The Red Line light rail would have connected the majority Black east and west parts of Baltimore to employment, education, food, and recreation. After more than 2 decades of community advocacy and planning, and coordination among the federal, state, and local governments, the Red Line project was shovel ready. With little evidence for his decision except to call the project a “boondoggle”, the former governor wiped away the opportunity for $3-6.5 billion in transit oriented development for the city, an economic boost for a city experiencing population loss and decline, and the chance to bridge communities that had been divided physically and economically. In a city considered the birthplace of redlining, the Red Line light rail, and efficient transportation in Baltimore, would go a long way in bridging historical wrongs. The city is largely divided into the “Black Butterfly” (majority Black areas of the city), and the “White L” (historically white). Transportation (and lack thereof) was a major way to keep communities segregated after explicit discrimination in policy was outlawed.
A Map of Baltimore Featured in the The Urban Institute’s Report “The Black Butterfly: Racial Segregation and Investment Patterns in Baltimore.” The “White L” is represented by the pink dots, and the “Black Butterfly” by the blue dots.
One of BTEC’s first major initiatives was to file a Title VI (Civil Rights Act of 1964) complaint against Hogan and the MTA for canceling the Red Line, returning the allocated Federal funds for the project, and distributing the state funds for the Red Line to majority white areas of the state. Baltimore saw none of these funds, and former president Trump later canceled the Title VI investigation into Hogan’s actions. The cancellation of the Red Line demonstrated the worst failures and abdication of duty by all levels of government to provide for and protect all of its citizens regardless of race. BTEC is seeking to create a Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority (BRTA) to supplant the current governance structures that allowed for the cancellation of the Red Line, and allowed inequities in the transportation system to have prolonged for decades.
In the summer of 2023, the newly elected Governor Wes Moore announced that the Red Line would be revived. It was unclear then whether the Red Line would be built as a bus or light rail, and the MTA delayed the process of choosing a mode. In a society where slow moving and unreliable buses are relegated to Black people, and trains for white communities, BTEC advocated for the Red Line to be built as light rail. Only light rail could deliver efficient service and generate economic development. On June 28th, 2024, the governor and MTA announced the Red Line will be built as light rail. While this is a win for our coalition, we continue to advocate for adequate funding and prioritization of public transportation for the city and state, and a multimodal system that reduces commute times, provides connectivity, and helps reduce the effects of pollution and climate change.
A map of Baltimore’s proposed transit system, by the Maryland Department of Transportation in 2002. Only the yellow line, built as light rail instead of heavy rail (1992), and part of the green line from Owings Mills to Johns Hopkins (heavy rail, 1983) were built.
What is a Regional Transit Authority (RTA), and why would it be helpful in Baltimore?
While not without flaws, the key to their successes is that RTAs are set up to provide local control, accountability, and be representative of those depending on the public transit system. Baltimore’s transportation is currently state run, without board oversight, which leads to unilateral, uninformed decisions like the cancellation of the Red Line light rail. A BRTA would provide the opportunity for people who know what Baltimore needs to be in charge of our transportation. WMATA in D.C. and SEPTA in Philadelphia are examples of RTA’s! Baltimore is in fact one of few metropolitan areas that are not run by an RTA.
20,000 in 2024— BTEC’s fight to create a (B)RTA, a Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority.
By July 31st, 2024, BTEC must submit 10,000 signatures/petitions from Baltimore residents to the city board of elections to put the question of “should Baltimore and surrounding counties have a regional transportation authority?” on the 2024 Ballot. The hope is that with more awareness, people will vote “yes”. This will allow the Baltimore City Charter to be changed to a format that allows RTAs. A Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority (BRTA) is a path to creating a local, community-led and informed structure of governance for transportation in the city and surrounding counties.
A sample petition sheet. Only Baltimore City registered voters are eligible to sign the petition that will be submitted to the Board of Elections. Petitions cannot be filled electronically, but must be printed and signed manually.
Their submission to BTEC can be coordinated by emailing BTEC.moretransitequity@gmail.com. If you are not a Baltimore City registered voter, you may still download a petition sheet and share with someone who might be eligible to sign!
BTEC conducted a similar campaign in 2022, and submitted roughly 14,000 signatures to the board of elections. About 4,400 were rejected to prevent us from getting the BRTA question on the ballot. This time, we are trying to collect 20,000 signatures to keep this from happening again. The need for adequate transportation in Baltimore is dire. Transportation is considered the “arteries” of a city, that provide life and keep people moving, providing connections to employment, food, housing, and recreation. Without adequate public transportation, the city cannot thrive, and inequities continue.
In a majority Black city like Baltimore, the roots of structural racism and discrimination run deep, and continue to have impacts today. A win in this fight to change our transportation structure here in Baltimore is a huge change in narrative and outcomes for Black people and Black places. It would be a victory for a decades-long fight to begin charting a new path of growth, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity for the city.
Visit our website, moretransitequity.com, to stay connected to the movement!