Baltimore Sun's excellent article on commuter woes

Mike Dresser, a veteran reporter for the Baltimore Sun, (there are fewer of these around nowadays, unfortunately) just wrote an excellent story about the problems facing commuters. You can read it here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/bal-te.md.parking26jun26,0,6903345.story?page=1.
Thanks to all the commuters who talked to Mike. The only way we're going to get any kind of improvement is if we all raise our voices and take actions to force our public officials to finally actually do something. It's been almost 6 months since the mayor and county executive visited us and promised improvements. Maybe I've missed them? Maybe somebody can point out to me a single change for the better?

Putrid, unhealthy and scary

I just wanted to document here that the tunnel that the commuters use to cross under the railroad tracks was especially disgusting last week. It's obviously being used as a toilet by some desperate souls or miscreants. True, commuters do have the choice of avoiding the sewage by taking the long walk up and over the pedestrian bridge, but some rather unsavory looking characters have been hanging out on that walkway. At least the tunnel is short, and there's usually at least one or two other commuters there as witnesses in case of trouble. So we have a choice of trying to hold our breaths and walking through sewage for half a minute or hoping that those people hanging around the walkway and adjoining gas station are simply friendly stargazers or birdwatchers, and not the opportunistic robbers who threatened to prey on the commuter who broke her leg last month.

We commuters need to know: who is in charge of cleaning that tunnel? How often is it cleaned? Can't that security camera be used to catch the people who are fouling the tunnel? What kind of health hazard does breathing that sewage pose?

Mayor Bennett, County Executive Craig, Secretary Porcari, Administrator Wiedefeld: I dare you to take one minute out of your busy days and take just four deep breaths in that tunnel, and then keep ignoring the problems we face every day.

Aberdeen commuter's nightmare - broken leg and robber

One of our regular commuters has just experienced the kind of nightmare we've all feared. Two weeks ago, she had to park on the northbound side because of the lack of parking. At 8:30 in the morning on a Thursday in late May, she was walking to the disgusting-smelling tunnel. Unfortunately, she slipped and broke her ankle. She was wearing flat, comfortable shoes. The problem, she says, was a hidden hole in the berm between the asphalt and the grass. She lay there in pain so severe she felt nauseous. She felt so woozy she couldn't call out. And because she was laying down, none of the commuters on the other side could have seen her. She estimates seven minutes went by. Then, one of the scary people who've been hanging out around the train station - a woman in a dirty track suit - bent over her. Instead of asking "Can I help you," the woman opened her cell phone to call her friends for backup. The victim was positive she was about to be robbed. LUCKILY, another commuter finally walked by and saw the victim. The would-be robber ran away. And our injured commuter was helped to the hospital.

We've been agitating for more, better and safer parking for years, now. And the mayor and county executive in February promised improvements.

It is now June: Where is the improved security? Where is the expanded parking?

Now, I'll bet precious city, county, state and MARC funds will go to settle a lawsuit instead of improving the situation.