MARC officials recognize need for more parking at Aberdeen!

Heather Campbell, a staffer in US Sen. Ben Cardin's office, was kind enough to point out that in a September 2007 plan MARC announced plans to expand parking at Aberdeen!

It's in something called the "MARC Growth & Investment Plan." On Page 12 of the plan, MARC lists a hosts of things "to be initiated or completed within 9 months." "Initiated or completed"???? That means they are giving themselves so much wiggle room that they will be considered successful if they just "initiate" something within 9 months. Nothing has to actually be achieved within that time - or any time! Think about using this kind of language in your own life: "Honey, I will initiate or complete the window washing within 9 months." Or maybe, "Boss, I will initiate or complete that report within 9 months." Tell us how the divorce and job search work out!

Well, I guess we should be grateful that MARC wants to at least "initiate" many of the following good ideas at some point in the future: (The Aberdeen project is the last on the list.)

"Add one PM peak train on Penn Line
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Add late evening train on Penn Line
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Initiate weekend service on Penn Line
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Add mid-day train on Camden Line
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Purchase additional seating capacity on Amtrak off-peak trains for MARC passengers
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Passenger information systems – fast track existing program to upgrade P.A. system and signage
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Aesthetic improvements at stations
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Replace seats in MARC bi-level coaches
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Washington Union Station improvements
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Enhancements to MARC Tracker and customer e-mail systems
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On-line Trip Planner
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On-board Wi-Fi
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Initiate acquisition of new environmentally-friendly diesel locomotives
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Complete parking expansion at Point of Rocks, Brunswick; initiate Aberdeen."


Here's the link to the full report: http://www.mtamaryland.com/marc%20plan%20full.pdf

Thanks again to Sen. Cardin's staff.
I've changed the settings so anyone can post a comment here. Or just email your comments to aberdeenparking@gmail.com

Sen. Nancy Jacobs wants to help!

Sen. Nancy Jacobs's aide says she would like to help. She wants to hear ideas for solutions.
Please post your ideas here as a comment, or email them to aberdeenparking@gmail.com

Harford County officials are considering solutions!

Hi. I emailed County Executive David Craig about the article in the Havre De Grace Record and the need for more parking. Within a few minutes, he emailed me back and asked if there was a day he could visit the station to talk with the commuters. Anyone who wants to suggest a day/time should post a comment here or email it to aberdeenparking@gmail.com.

Here's how Craig responded to my email:

"We have been actively seeking a new site for the train station which also means working with State transportation officials and those on APG. We need a station that can also handle a reverse commute—people coming into the county to work at APG. The main sites at which we are looking are located near Rt 715."

I replied via email that we also needed a short-term solution to the parking crunch. In addition, I noted that the vast majority of the signers of the petition lived in the north, which meant any move south would worsen, not improve, road congestion, air pollution, etc. Given the geography of the signers, I said that if a move was necessary, it looked like it would be optimal to move the station north to, say, Havre De Grace. Although, I added, it might be most cost effective to keep the station where it is and either build more parking or create a train-timed shuttlebus system so that residents of Bel Air and Havre De Grace wouldn't have to drive.

Here's his reply:
"The actual move would only be 1.2 miles. When I was mayor of Havre de Grace a study was conducted about having a train station there. The alignment of the tracks and the fact that trains would back up on the bridge approach were two factors against it. There was actually no real spot that was usable until you got so far south of Havre de Grace that you would be within a mile of Aberdeen’s station. We are also working on a real mass transit intra county system of buses.

When I campaigned for county executive in 2006 we visited the two sites in Harford County during the morning commute it appeared that a large number were from outside Maryland. I do not doubt that people will use the service. When we expanded the parking lot at Edgewood and doubled the number of spaces they were filled in a day."

FRONT PAGE STORY IN THIS WEEK'S HAVRE DE GRACE RECORD!

Hi. Check out this week's Havre De Grace Record for an excellent story about the parking problems in Aberdeen. By the way, it's been a week since I mailed the letters to the mayor of Aberdeen and the Governor of Maryland, and there's been absolutely no response from them yet!

Is it time to put more pressure on other officials? Any ideas?

Post your comments here or email them to aberdeenparking@gmail.com.

76 signatures and counting!

76 commuters have now signed the petition asking for a resolution to the parking problems at the Aberdeen, MD train station!

39 train commuters – a whopping 51 percent of this informal survey - say the parking shortage has or will cause them to drive to work, rather than take the train. Four others said the parking problems might cause them to drive in the future.

At least 55 signers, an overwhelming 72 percent, want the city of Aberdeen to only ticket vehicles that are truly blocking somebody. By the way, Aberdeen officials, that includes at least 20 of the 21 Aberdeen residents signing the petition. YOUR VOTERS ARE CALLING ON YOU TO REIN IN OVEREAGER TICKET WRITERS!

Elected officials: these are your voters and constituents!

Geographical breakdown:

Aberdeen, MD - 21 residents

Abingdon, MD – 3

Bear, DE - 2

Bel Air – 7

Cherry Hill, NJ – 1

Churchville, MD – 2

Edgewater, MD – 1

Edgewood, MD – 1

Elkton, MD – 6

Fallston, MD – 1

Havre de Grace, MD -16

Lancaster, PA - 1

Northeast, MD – 1

Oxford, PA - 1

Perryman, MD – 1

Perryville, MD – 8

Port Deposit, MD – 1

Rising Sun, MD -1

No hometown given - 1

The Havre de Grace Record

Reporter Amber Woods would love to hear your views on the parking situation: awoods@theaegis.com
Kim

Letters mailed to Mayor, Governor and Havre De Grace Record

Hi. This weekend, I posted letters outlining the parking problem and a list of all the signers' names, hometown and comments (without including email addresses) to Mayor Bennett of Aberdeen, Gov. O'Malley and the Havre de Grace Record. If you have any other ideas of people or organizations we ought to send it to, post them here as comments or email them to aberdeenparking@gmail.com.
Thanks!