Have you ever thought about the impact that car culture has on the environment? On our health and our communities? Do we have other options? Stephanie Lazarus shared the following commuting trips with us. If you want to try them out, also check out http://umbc.edu/tag


First - the basic (boring?) stuff on MTA, with a slant toward buses, (consulting with the MTA website is strongly recommended before you travel - incremental change happens):

Current Base Fare: $1.60 One Way, $3.50 for a Day Pass (UMBC Transit Shuttle Buses are free, UMBC ID is required)

Buses, buses, where are the MTA buses?

#35 MTA bus stops are just off Hilltop Circle on Poplar. What can this bus do for you? You can go as far as White Marsh/Perry Hall for less than the toll for the 95 tunnel. If you want to get to the White Marsh Park & Ride faster, transfer/connect with the White Marsh 120 Express when you're downtown (costs more, limited stops, but still frees you from managing backups on I-95)

#77 bus stops are up on Walker & Hilltop and connects with Old Court Metro and Patapsco Light Rail

#99 is a week-day only bus that comes to the Commons and on a route that connects with the Old Court Metro to the North (handy if you are coming from Owings Mills or nearby Metro Stops) and BWI Light Rail stations to the south.

So, what could you do with this information?

Take the 35 to White Marsh Ikea for $3.20 round trip, meet a friend for lunch, make some small purchases, take notes for online ordering/future purchase (yes, you are returning on a bus) and complete the required reading for the course you're taking while the bus driver gets you there and back...

What about bigger trains...

The MARC train stops in nearby Halethorpe (different pricing system/schedule, info posted on the MTA website) for Baltimore Penn Station (U of B, MICA region) access (Amtrack), DC Union Station/DC Metro access. Walking to this MARC station is like walking the Loop - a workout, if you want to do that, though the UMBC MARC/BWI shuttle bus will also get you there (UMBC ID needed for climate-controlled comfort).

Time, timing, and schedule awareness is key, but folks have made it through without reading instructions before.Mass transit was exceptional when I traveled in Japan, the DC Metro is great, and I have racked up all sorts of miles in the Baltimore metro region via commuter bus, local bus and metro, with a dash of light rail trips to Camden Yards (Orioles) for good measure. I drive as needed, and include these options on the menu.

If you are looking for encouragement, here it is. If you've already got your route to Light Rail for Balticon this weekend, caught a local bus to Otakon before it was hip, and don't want to mention the fun you had at the Polish festival in Patterson Park (Baltimore) or the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (DC) last summer, OK. Glad you know it can be done with a minimum of driving, parking expense, and a cat nap or good reading between destinations while you bike is secure at the station or on the front of the bus...

If you are considering studying abroad or travel in an area that relies on mass transit, having some hometown experience helps. If MTA is too elaborate, start small with UMBC's transit system.

MTA provided almost 110 million rides in 2011, there are quirks, snafus and anecdotes in that, just as there are traffic jams, flat tires, stops for gas, fauna in the roadway...try it. or try it again when the occasion makes sense and there is some flexibility with time.