The term "epic fail" was made popular by a site called the "Fail Blog," it shows pictures and words that were big mistakes and are given the term "fail" sometimes if something is a huge failure, the term "epic fail" is used. 
I recently went out with fellow bloggers to take pictures of MARC Stations in Howard County, all of which are on the Camden Line or the Orange Line if localized. My Colleagues asked me what written post or posts I have in mind to go with these pictures. I did not have an answer at the time which is not unusual when I take pictures and eventually the written word comes later.Obviously if I meet up with seasoned Professional Planners and current Bloggers; Peter Tocco and Gerald Neilly, Mass Transit WILL be discussed at great lengths. When I had some brain storming time to myself (much later) I came to the conclusion that when it comes to planning and building (or not building) Transit Lines, and the TOD that should accompany it, the Baltimore Region has failed in multiple categories. With so many failures, I hereby dub transit in Baltimore an "Epic Fail"
So what's the post? This isn't it what I have come up with will be a serious of posts that will closely examine "Fails" that both have been built and are proposed. Stay tuned for multiple "Fails" I'm sure you won't be surprised.
I think "Epic Fail" is dead on. That still doesn't stop me from being a Red Line supporter, and I eagerly await the day when I can ride it from the route 70 park and ride to the downtown area.
ReplyDeleteIt's especially depressing to look at the 1968 plan for the Baltimore Metro system and think of what could have been -- http://www.roadstothefuture.com/BRRTS_Map_XL.jpg
ReplyDeleteNot to mention seeing all the infrastructure built for the Baltimore Metro out near Pikesville and consider how they'll never get to make greater use of it because of the expense of building heavy rail. I always wonder how that up-front expense compares to the expense over time of having to maintain several different types of rolling stock with different yards and different kinds of maintenance facilities and differently trained maintenance crews compared to if MTA could just be running those Budd cars out of the one yard in Reisterstown.
Sean, this is the first in a long series of the "fails" are located and why they have failed and what can be done to make them sucessful
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