I think most Canton residents are in favor of mass transit. In theory putting the Red Line down Boston Street seems like a good idea. But when you look at the real impact of railroad tracks down the middle of the street an entirely different picture emerges.

The Boston Street “urban boulevard” that was created in 1995 was never designed to accommodate a 24 foot wide track down its median. All trees will have to be cut down. Sidewalks narrowed, and lanes narrowed. Many turn lanes will be eliminated and access to side streets and shopping areas will be severely restricted.

Whichever tunnel entrance is planned (on Boston or on Aliceanna), a traffic bottleneck will be created. Even studies by the MTA, which enthusiastically supports this route, say it will increase commuting times by more than 15 minutes a day.

Then there are the safety and pedestrian access issues. Many people moved to Canton because of its easy access to the harbor. The double railroad tracks will greatly reduce this access. Now pedestrians have a median where they can wait for traffic to clear. With the Red Line tracks we’ll have many situations where someone will be waiting on the tracks for traffic to clear when a train is coming. How many accidents resulting from this will we be reading about in this newspaper?

Finally, we have the example of Baltimore’s first “light” rail line. It was promised to revitalize Howard Street. Today, Howard Street is deader than it has ever been and drivers avoid the area because of the “railroad tracks.”

I suggest to Ms. Keller that if she enjoys riding the No. 11 bus so much, she continue to do so without the surface rail line. It will save taxpayers well over a billion dollars and save the people of Canton one gigantic headache.

Parking Lost – 142 spaces would be lost on Boston Street, however 3 stop locations would be gained- Aliceanna @ Boston, Safeway @ Boston and Canton Crossing. I would like to understand why residents are concerned with the loss of parking on Boston. I’d expect the businesses to be more concerned about parking lost.

Crossing Boston Street – According to the Southeast Transportation Action plan, More than 20,000 projected new private vehicular trips in the critical afternoon/evening PEAK HOURS are anticipated by 2012. By comparison, the typical gateway corridor in Baltimore City – Reisterstown Road, Harford Road – carries approximately 20,000 vehicle trips in a 24 HOUR PERIOD PER DAY! Try crossing Boston Street then! It would be ideal to have the county commuters get out of their cars at Canton Crossing and board the Red Line eliminating clogged roadway and smelly gas fumes along the corridor.

Existing Bus Ridership – the terminus of the #11 is located at the First Mariner Building. One would not expect to see riders between 6:15 and 7:30. If a standard work day begins at 8:00 am and it takes only 8 minutes to get to the CBD then riders would begin boarding AT 7:30 at the earliest.

I fully support the preferred alternative 4C – maybe it’s my age but I see this as a BOOST to the value of my home and the area in general. The country is moving away from the single occupant vehicle and investing in sustainable transportation infrastructure like rail. We would be amiss to turn our backs on the opportunity to get in on the shift from the car now. The population continues to increase but the roads in our City can’t get any wider to accommodate more cars without tearing down houses……do we really want a WIDER Boston Street?

—Ms. Keller is a Canton resident and Chief of Transportation Planning for the City of Baltimore.