* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Welch
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Investigative Hearing - Do the New Bus Routes Meet the Mobility Needs of Older Baltimoreans?
FOR the purpose of requesting the Secretary of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Administrator to report to the City Council on the recent proposed changes to City bus routes to make certain that our seniors are able to safely and conveniently access public transportation sufficient to meet the needs of their social, business, cultural, and spiritual lives.
Body
Recitals
The Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy of the Brookings Institution's publication The Mobility Needs of Older Americans: Implications for Transportation Reauthorization reports that in 2000, 35 million Americans, or 12.4 % of the total U.S. population, were over age 65, and almost 4.5 million, or 1.6% of the total population, were over age 85. Both the number of older people and their share of the population are growing rapidly, and, across the spectrum, older Americans will both create and face daunting transportation challenges.
The number of older Marylanders is also increasing. Of the nearly 5.3 million people in Maryland in 2000, 15% were over the age of 60. That percentage is expected to increase to 23% of Maryland's projected population of 6 million by the year 2030. The number of people over the age of 85 is the fastest growing segment of the population, growing statewide from 66,902 in 2000, to 168,522 in 2030.
The geographic distribution of Maryland's population 60 and over is projected to remain substantially the same for the next 25 years, with 60% of the elderly residing in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Montgomery, and Prince Georges counties, and Baltimore City. In 2000, seniors aged 65 and over who lived in their communities accounted for 19% of the total number of elderly Marylanders. Low income older individuals are concentrated in the Baltimore metropolitan area, and in 2000, 63,978 older Marylanders lived in poverty as defined by the federal guidelines.
The Brookings study shows that over the last decade older people have made less use of public transportation; however, the study also shows that older people would consider using mass transit systems if the services were provided in ways that would better meet their needs. To make transit services more appropriate for older people, federal, state, and metropolitan policies and programs should encourage or require, as well as finance, 4 major categories of public transit developments: improving conventional service, increasing safety and security in all parts of the system, enhancing communication and information, and providing additional services more carefully targeted to the elderly.
The Mass Transit Administration has attempted to make certain that the public has been involved in the proposed changes in bus routes by holding a month of public hearings that was ultimately extended for 34 days. The Administration received over 3,000 comments from the public and has promised to continue to reach out to the various communities and commuters affected by the changes that will begin implementation on October 23 of this year.
The Administration reportedly concluded, as part of the analysis of need, that only 1-2% of seniors in Baltimore City depend on buses for their transportation needs. This figure may or may not reflect current usage or may be a reflection of the fact that the routes as currently mapped do not fit the needs of our growing elderly population. An opportunity for our seniors to present their transportation requirements will help to ensure that we have done our best to take care of one of our most vulnerable populations.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Secretary of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Administrator are requested to report to the City Council on the recent proposed changes to City bus routes to make certain that our seniors are able to safely and conveniently access public transportation sufficient to meet the needs of their social, business, cultural, and spiritual lives
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Maryland Transit Administrator, the Executive Director of the Commission on Aging and Retirement Education, the organizations listed in the Planning Department Directory of Community Associations, and the Mayor's Legislation Liaison to the City Council.
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