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How do you get around? Do you drive, use transit, bike, or walk? Maybe you rely on a combination of these and other modes. However you move from point A to point B, you’re probably making use of the transportation system. Roads, rail lines, bus stops, bike lanes—this infrastructure didn’t just happen. Everything from your neighborhood sidewalk to the Bay Bridge had to be planned, designed, and built. Now ask yourself this: How do you want your community’s transportation system to work in five years? What about in 25? 
The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) is developing plans for $74 billion in investments to the region’s transportation system through 2050, and has released a set of drafts for you to review and weigh in on. You can read the drafts in full or use an interactive project map to learn more at publicinput.com/Resilience2050.
“This is a very exciting moment,” says Mike Kelly, executive director of Baltimore Metropolitan Council, a planning organization that supports and staffs the BRTB. Kelly notes that drafting Resilience 2050 began over a year ago, with BRTB members representing communities across the region building consensus on goals to guide the plan. He adds, “We’re grateful to work with people who are dedicated to supporting the health and resilience of our communities.”
Your comments can help shape our region’s transportation system for decades to come. The Resilience 2050 long-range plan anticipates potential impacts of factors such as population growth, emerging technologies, and climate change. The plan is fiscally constrained, and explores how we can best use the anticipated amount of available funding to bring our transportation system fully into the modern era. Reducing emissions, improving safety, and boosting connectivity can help our communities flourish and thrive. You can help pursue this vision.
Do you wish it was easier to get from Essex to Ellicott City? Are you wondering if we’re ready for self-driving cars? Would you like to see less traffic on I-795 or US 50? Share what you think, and your comments can inform the development of specific projects, as well as the BRTB’s future work. “Thank you so much for engaging in this step of the planning process,” says Sam Snead, director of the Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation and chair of the BRTB. “We really look forward to reviewing your feedback.”
Feedback from typical transportation users—from the person riding the bus to the daily commuter on the highway—throughout the planning process helps support progress toward improving our region’s transportation system. As projects move toward implementation, the BRTB works with state and local sponsors to secure funding and undertake more thorough planning and design. Along with Resilience 2050, the BRTB is also sharing a draft 2024-2027 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which includes $4.2 billion for these more imminent projects. You can use the interactive maps to find out more about projects near you, as well as possibilities which could reshape transportation in the region.
The BRTB is seeking comments from members of the public by June 20. Members will consider comments ahead of a vote on whether to approve the Resilience 2050 long-range plan, 2024-2027 TIP and associated Air Quality Conformity Determination on July 25. You are also welcome to join the BRTB at public meetings in Bel Air, Baltimore, Ellicott City, Glen Burnie, Stevensville, Towson and Westminster. For more meeting details, and to learn more about the plans and how to comment, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.