On May 15, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will celebrate National Bike to Work Day by debuting a second MARC Bike Car (bringing the fleet to two), and running both cars in limited service on the MARC Penn and Brunswick lines. MTA will also provide public demonstrations on how our Bus Bike Rack works at various events in and around Baltimore, sponsored by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council.
Public transportation and bicycles provide more mobility options to everyone, help improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. In Maryland, public transportation and bicycles work together to allow for longer trips, while also creating the ability to move seamlessly between transit modes in a healthy, enjoyable manner.
The use of MTA Local and Commuter Bus, Metro Subway, Light Rail and MARC Train helps reduce energy consumption. In fact, estimates show that across the U.S. public transit helps reduce CO2 emissions by 37 million metric tons annually, equivalent to the electricity used by 4.9 million households. Just one commuter switching their commute from a private vehicle to transit can reduce CO2 emission by 20 pounds per day - more than 4,800 pounds in a year.
“Creating the ability for a limited number of bike riders to board the various MTA modes with bicycles for the weekday commute is one way we can keep our state on the move while at the same time fostering a healthy environment,” says Patrick McMahon, sustainability, pedestrian & bicycle planner for the MTA. “That’s the whole idea behind our Bus Bike Rack and the MARC Bike Car.”
MTA will join staff from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board at bike events from Penn Station to Johns Hopkins University’s East Baltimore campus to help promote the use of bicycles and transit together.
The MARC Bike Car, which normally only operates on the weekend, allows passengers to bring full-sized, non-collapsing bikes onto MARC Trains and secure them in a designated car to ensure the safety of all passengers.
May 15 will also celebrate the debut of MARC’s second bike car, #7711 (#7710 debuted last December). Both Bike Cars are scheduled to run on both the Penn and Brunswick beginning at 6:40am and throughout the afternoon commute. The Bike Car trains listed above are the only trains that will accept non-collapsing bicycles. Space is limited to 23 bikes and is available on a first come, first served basis.
