MDGOP hits O'Malley on mass transit
By Danny Reiter, PolitickerMD.com ReporterThe Maryland Republican Party says that Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D-Baltimore) 2006 campaign platform on mass transit is "just another O'Malley broken promise."
The call came just a day after The Sun reported the Maryland Transit Administration dropped plans to add weekend service to two of it's train lines.
"Since he took office, Martin O'Malley has used the Maryland Department of Transportation for flashy environmental promises instead of providing core service to Maryland travelers," said MDGOP Chair James Pelura in a statement. "The state's MARC train service is breaking down, buses are being recalled, and Maryland drivers are still mired in horrific traffic jams on the state's highways."
Pelura then touted former Gov. Bob Ehrlich's (R-Baltimore) record on mass transit – before taking another shot at O'Malley.
"Maryland's mass transit systems are breaking down despite the governor's campaign promise to make mass transit a priority. This comes at a time when Marylanders are turning to MARC trains and MTA buses more and more to get to work. Clearly, this record of failure indicates a need for change in 2010," Pelura added. "Maryland is in desperate need of competent, effective leadership."
David Paulson, the Maryland Democratic Party Communications Director, says the GOP is wrong.
"Is the Maryland Republican Party now praising the guy who spent his years robbing money from roads and mass transit only to replace it by hiking car taxes by 58% and truck and SUV taxes by 66%? Even then, that same guy bragged about slashing mass transit service and maintenance?" said Paulson, referring to Ehrlich. "We now have a pro-active Governor in Martin O'Malley who is upgrading our state's aging equipment - the result of neglect and indifference to transportation issues by the previous administration."
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Transportation Trust Fund
O'Malley has "raided" the transportation trust fund as well. Under Ehrlich, Marc service had an over 90 percent on-time rate. No one expects trains and buses to be 1000% perfect but they should at least be on-time a large majority of the time and we shouldn't have to worry about buses catching fire!
Once again Paulson and MD Dems just whine whine whine...
I wrote that myself. More
I wrote that myself.
More original than David "I hate all Republicans" Paulson.
At least the ontime
At least the ontime performance never got into the 60s and 70s...O'Malley's MTA sucks.
And while the trains are delayed, what does MTA do? Hold a dance to celebrate the Metro's anniversary.
Source: MTA Web Site
Who feeds who? Can't the
Who feeds who? Can't the Maryland Republican Party think for themselves or do they have to copy blog postings. The fact that some rumor website started talking about this, and then the MDGOP jumps up and down copying them just shows that it's the dog chasing its own tail.
It is Ehrlich who broke his promises on transit
Had Bob Ehrlich not broken his campaign promise to expand MARC train service (source: Washington Post), perhaps we would not be in current situation. Worse than just breaking his promise, Mr. Ehrlich's administration raised MARC fares and cut MARC service twice. His second attempt at cutting MARC service, ignoring testimony at public hearings, drew such an outcry from both Democratic and Republican elected officials that it was hastily withdrawn in the face of state legislation.
When Governor Ehrlich took
When Governor Ehrlich took office, the state's buses were in such a poor condition that wheels fell off them in 18 incidents in 2001 and 2002. The Ehrlich administration reformed the bus maintenance procedures, and not a single wheel fell off during the four years of the Ehrlich administration.
Similarly, the state's paratransit system for the disabled was so bad when Ehrlich took office that it was the subject of a federal lawsuit. Ehrlich's Secretary of Transportation regotiated a settlement and led a major reform of the paratransit service.
Under Governor Ehrlich, Transit-Oriented Development became a reality at Odenton, State Center, and Owings Mills. It was Governor Ehrlich who began introducing hybrid buses into the bus fleet.
It was Governor Ehrlich's administration that pumped more than $200 million in new revenue into the Transportation Trust Fund. More than 120 new projects were funded across Maryland.
Ground was broken on the Intercounty Connector and a $1 billion expansion of Interstate-95. A new wing opened at BWI Airport and a new cruise terminal at the Port of Baltimore.
I'm sure David Paulson's wife reported on some of these events. Of course, this is the same David Paulson who won't comment on the bus wheel and paratransit problems under the previous Democrat governor, or the fact that O'Malley has raised the Transportation Trust Fund to pay for the repeal of his computer tax.
I'll compare the Ehrlich administration's record of progress versus O'Malley's pathetic record anyday.
Agree and Disagree
I agree that O'Malley is not doing enough for Mass Transit, thats been his main weakness tied in with supporting the wasteful ICC, in my opinion as far as energy/environmental issues go. However, it's ironic that the state Repubicans would criticize him for something that they failed equally miserably at. How about holding the mirror up before sounding off?
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