OnFootBlog.com

The team, led by TND Planning Group, will release its plan for area around the proposed red line stop on Monday at the Southeast Anchor Library, according to the Baltimore Sun. The Highlandtown area is located between Patterson Park and  Greektown. The most popular red line proposal involves light rail running from Woodlawn to the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.

I was ready to sign up. Really.

Altcar.org, the home of Baltimore’s new car-sharing program, shows well enought that it isn’t the same system everybody else uses, but it nonetheless has some neat features — card-swipe entry, reserved spots, low rates and an apparent lack of extra charges for gas/insurance. It’s even got an all-electric fleet.

It’s that last bit, however, that burst my bubble: Tesla motors this ain’t. Unlike George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Baltimore’s program didn’t opt for high-voltage roadsters that go 0-60 in under 4 seconds. The program didn’t even opt for reasonable electric sedans.

No, altcar decided that there’s nothing sexier than trundling along in a lightly disguised golf cart. Maximum legal speed: 35 mph. Many experienced bike commuters can literally pedal faster than that, and with all MTA buses now sporting bike racks, altcar doesn’t give them much reason to switch modes.

It’s not a big surprise that this is partially funded by ExxonMobile, (which has been way cooler since they started using a CamelCase name). They get free touchy-feely press for their role in the organization, and at the same time, they can continue to tacitly push the idea that electric cars are best left to carrying circus clowns dressed as firemen.

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One extra note: Lest I leave out a relevant detail, Johns Hopkins and zipcar have their own deal, independent of the rest of the city.

While this plug is a bit last-minute, it’s for a really intriguing event: The Baltimore Hiking meetup group is hosting a cemetery “photo walk” around eastern Baltimore on Saturday. There are some really gorgeous grounds in that area, so it should be a rewarding experience. While I won’t be able to make it, I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures that result.

I tend to be skeptical whenever I hear the phrase “nine out of ten.” I think many other people are too. If you can’t quote me a percent, I would rather just hear that, for example “more than 80% of surveyed people chose brand X.”

With that skeptical prelude out of the way, let it be noted that the American Public Transportation Association sent a release today saying that nine out of ten transit agencies are raising fares. The release goes on to say the usual stuff — government should spend more to fund a public service that’s every bit as necessary as publicly funded roads, transit riders are being punished for making a responsible choice, bla bla bla.

While I agree with a lot of that stuff, there must be some way of getting a bit more out of existing transit budgets. Some smarties out there must know a few dozen ways.

To get the ball rolling, here’s a freebie: For those systems that still use paper passes, put a box in each bus or train car offering a chance at a free weekly pass in exchange for a little personal data and some purchase preferences on the back of a used bus card*. That data can then be used by marketers who pay for the data (and by the transit agency, which can target information at tough-to-reach riders). This avoids an Orwellian slippery slope by keeping the information collection voluntary and meatspace-based while also vastly improving the audience figures that advertisers can get — a big step up from the simple, impression-based “eyeballs for cash” model that most transit systems use for bus-side and shelter advertising.

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*Note: I fully realize how ironic it is that I start this post by trashing selective research, then flip around and encourage selective research. But if companies are willing to pay for it, this scheme might be worth a try, especially if it saves a transit route or two from cancellation.