shutting down stops, especially in Mt. Vernon, is a good idea I think. shutting them down in a slipshod manner is a bad idea.
On Charles Street, the Biddle Street could easily be eliminated but Preston Street stop needs to stay -- otherwise it's a long stretch before the Penn Station stop.

Whether shutting down the stops is a good idea is open for debate (I'm skeptical personally), but I want to say congrats to TRAC for being an effective advocate here and getting MTA to listen.

I would agree with that. As a Mt. Vernon resident, I ride the bus at least once a day during the workweek and it would be nice to not have to stop at every block. I'd imagine you could drop the Read and Chase and maybe Biddle St stops to speed things up without really hurting accessibility. The Eager St stop is the one closest to the Waxter Center so most people with mobility issues would still have that as their closest stop going north. Going south, most of them would use the stop right in front of the center for the 3 and 11 lines.

My objection to this whole thing was how sneaky MTA was about it. There may have been signs at the proposed bus stops, but nothing on the other stops in the neighborhood, on the buses themselves, or on MTA's website. If nothing else, it's another example of the agency's complete disregard for communicating with its customers.

I supported the Mt. Vernon Belvedere Association's request to MTA to eliminate some of the neighborhood stops. Having stops on almost every corner slows down the bus and increases the travel time through Mt. Vernon. The MTA worked with us to evaluate each stop and we are happy with the outcome.

I also agree that selective removal of MTA bus stops is a very good idea, and the stops that were chosen were apparently very carefully considered. There is time for riders to comment as the stops are now posted. This process is and should be different than the lengthy public input process that is required if the actual *route* were to be changed.

Aside from the buses running more efficiently, there is the added benefit to eliminating stops: More on-street parking and reduced crime (at night, "waiting for the bus" is the excuse used when criminals loiter for prostitution or selling drugs). The neighborhood will also plant trees to fill out the tree canopy where stops are removed.

Baltimoreans should heed Mrs. Obama's advice and get out and walk more. Few cities have bus stops on *every* block. The planners of the Charm City Circulator got it right by placing stops at every other or every third block. It probably reduces vehicle wear and tear (i.e. repair costs and down time) as well.

As someone who regularly uses the bus, my only objection to closing down bus stops are the extra blocks I'll have to walk, but that's ok. More interesting to me would be an MTA that thought out of the box. I've long been a proponent of having "A" and "B" buses for our longer routes through the city, to make them flow more quickly. The "A" version of the #3 could stop at Biddle St. The "B" version could stop at Preston. The 3 seems to travel in a pack anyway, so why not take advantage of this. When the 3 got tout of the downtown area, they could then combine to one bus and continue on.

However, best thing to hit mt. vernon since sliced bread: The Purple Line Circulator. Fabulous!!

The MTA has to start being more accountable to the citizens who ride the bus everyday. My family take the bus everyday to help save on the environment. But I believe its time for us to buy a car because I do not like what I am seeing with the MTA. Do not forget about the people who ride the bus!!!

I can deal with the bus stops be cancelled for what ever reason...walking needs to be done, I can deal with saving money for the wear & tear on buses....what I can't deal with is the rude attitudes that 50% of the drivers have...They act like they're doing us a favor by showing up late...oh but they rush when they get to the end of the line and want a break!!!!! The drivers have t realize that they are the frontline of customer service for the MTA. Maybe the MTA should get everyday riders to be on their commitee so they can get the real story!!!!!

I have visited other cities and used thier public transit. And Baltimore does seem to have the closest bus stops to each other. It defintly slows the bus down.

I can understand that a small amount of passengers are in wheelchairs. But why cant MTA just eliminate half of the stops and then make exceptions for passengers in wheelchairs. Is it that hard to let a wheelchair bound passenger off whereever they need to go.

I have often seen Dc area bus drivers "unofficially" let wheelchair bound passengers off at spots that werent bus stops.

Which leads me to the comment by "Chris". Chris claims that 50% of Baltimore bus drivers are rude. I would go further and say that its at least 80% -90%..

I know that they have a hard job sometimes. But so do DC bus drivers. And it is rare to find a rude DC bus driver[ i lived in PG county from1971-1993 and still visit a few times a year for work and personal reasons].

The bus drivers i met in Philadelphia and NYC aslo seemed very nice.

But i have been cursed at by Baltimore bus drivers for not getting on the bus quick enough .And i rode one MTA bus where the driver was stoned and wouldnt let anyone off the bus until the last stop .And if you say "Good morning" to a Baltimore bus driver all 80% of them will do is glare at you. Its shocking how nasty some of them are!

Baltimore sadly , does standout for its very rude bus drivers