Groups Blast Hogan for Veto of HB 1281, Biking and Transit Legislation

Organizations across Maryland are criticizing Governor Hogan for his veto of House Bill 1281, a bill that passed the General Assembly in April and would provide funding for the Maryland Bikeways program and ensure the new Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan has a timeline for implementation. These organizations, which include the Sierra Club, Bike Maryland, Bikemore, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, Get Maryland Moving, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, support the funding and planning the bill would ensure for a multimodal transportation system around the state.

While the Governor claims that he did not have objections related to the Bikeways Program, nonetheless his veto, unless overridden, will eliminate secured funding for the Maryland Bikeways program, and could hurt the ability to fund projects that would benefit cyclists, pedestrians and transit users around the State. Several organizations are calling on the Maryland General Assembly to override the Governor’s veto.

Furthermore, the Governor’s explanation for this veto is perplexing, considering neither his staff nor MDOT raised objections during the legislative session.  Unlike the Federally Mandated “Long Range Transportation Plan”, this regional transit plan is not directly tied to federal or state funding, but is rather intended to ensure the creation of a high quality plan, which this legislation would have ensured.

Governor Hogan’s veto of these amendments is further raising concerns that he is not seriously interested in creating a robust transit plan that would allow for an expansion of the light rail, MARC, and bus service that is needed throughout Central Maryland.

Maryland has not updated its central Maryland regional transit plan in decades. Since the cancellation of the Red Line, Baltimore area residents have been demanding a new plan to bring much-needed transit to the gridlocked region. Legislation passed in 2018 directed MDOT’s Maryland Transit Administration to create a new transit plan for greater Baltimore and to form a commission to advise on that plan. HB 1281 ensured that the regional transit plan would provide “reliable and safe public transportation service to enable residents… to access job opportunities.”

The Bikeways Program is the signature Maryland state program for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and provides grants for local communities to fund priority facilities for biking and walking. These grants often complement federal grants and funds allocated by counties and cities, and allow these communities to develop bicycle and pedestrian networks that help transform communities across the state. The program represents a small piece of the investment needed for communities to build these networks, and the bill would ensure that, at a bare minimum, existing funding remains in place for at least five years.

Since the cancellation of the Red Line in 2015, the Baltimore region has been without a transit plan to help guide transit investment and projects. In this absence, Marylanders have seen projects cancelled and removed from plans to the point where there is not a single new transit expansion project in the pipeline for Baltimore. The creation of a new Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan was intended to fill that void by providing a vision for the future of transit in greater Baltimore. The amendments in HB 1281 would have clarified and strengthened elements of the 2018 law that mandated the Regional Transit Plan.

QUOTES

Delegate Brooke Lierman, District 46

"Maryland's roads are congested and the General Assembly passed bipartisan legislation this year to ensure that our state is investing in bikeways and creating a regional transit plan for the future. Governor Hogan's veto of HB 1281 indicates that he and Secretary Rahn do not appreciate the important role that bikeways and transit must play to ensure Marylanders are not stuck in their cars every day."

Senator James Rosapepe, District 22

“I guess the Governor just never saw a gridlocked highway he didn’t like. Otherwise, why would he propose billions of dollars for more gridlocked roads — and veto peanuts for bike paths and regional transit planning? Marylanders are tired of traffic jams. We need to override his veto.”

Kim Lamphier, Advocacy Director, Bike Maryland

“By vetoing the funding for the Bikeways Program, Governor Hogan has attacked everyone who chooses not to travel by car.  This veto continues his desire to keep Maryland's transportation system stuck in the 20th century.” said Kim Lamphier. “Governor Hogan's veto is also bad for Maryland's economy, ignoring the desire of corporations to locate in areas where their employees can choose to live car-free or car-light.”  

Josh Tulkin, Director, Maryland Sierra Club

“This veto is another slap in the face to Central Maryland. After sinking the Red Line -over a decade in the making - the Governor now vetoes legislation that would help the region create an actionable plan. As a member of the Get Maryland Moving coalition, Sierra Club is fighting for a plan that will deliver much needed transit improvements to Greater Baltimore. It is hard to trust Governor Hogan and MDOT’s commitment to transit when he would veto such a common sense bill.  If this is what a “balanced approach” looks like, no wonder so many people are skeptical of the Governor’s highway proposal.

“This bill would have put just $4 million into bike Infrastructure, which stands in contrast to the $11+ billion being proposed for highway expansion. If Governor Hogan was trying to convince people that they can count on a balanced approach, this did not help make the case.“

Eric Norton, Director of Policy & Programs, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance

“As the process for creating the new Regional Transit Plan kicked off we have been cautiously optimistic that the Governor would support MTA and the Commission in creating a robust and actionable transit plan leading to more and better transportation options for the people and businesses of greater Baltimore. Unfortunately, this veto indicates that he’s not seriously interested in making this a good plan. First, he kills the Red Line, then we get a lackluster bus makeover, and now this. “

Patrick Wojahn, Director of Government Relations, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

“Communities across the State of Maryland are looking to the State to help them build trails and other safe infrastructure for walking and biking. This bill would have ensured that the state continue to provide a modest level of support that would help local communities get the resources they need. Infrastructure for walking and biking is a critical part of any functional transportation system, and local communities are looking to the state to be a partner.”