S3 Ep 4: Brian O’Malley - Winning New State Funds for Baltimore Transit

Central Maryland Transportation Alliance is an advocacy group working to improve and expand transportation options in the Baltimore region. Using data and storytelling, CMTA has forefronted how unreliability and breakdown issues on buses and trains have negatively impacted workers and students throughout the region. 

In this episode, I interview Brian O’Malley, President & CEO at CMTA, to discuss how his organization built a winning coalition to secure state funding for the state of good repair needs of Baltimore’s transit system to address the breakdowns. Their advocacy led to the passage of the Transit Safety and Investment Act in 2021, which requires the state of Maryland to provide minimum annual funding for maintenance of the system. CMTA’s efforts demonstrate the power of organizing legislators and community groups to challenge the entrenched political prioritization of car infrastructure in transportation funding. 

“It was compelling when we were able to find data that said that our light rail breaks down the most in the country. That helped us win bipartisan support because legislators view themselves as stewards of taxpayer dollars and public assets and didn't like it one bit that we had let this asset fall into such disrepair that it was breaking down more than any similar system in the country.” - Brian O’Malley

For more on Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, click here. 

For more on TransitCenter, click here. 

Hosted by Kapish Singla
Edited by Kapish Singla
Produced by TransitCenter
Music: “Comma” - Blue Dot Sessions

Disclaimer: Political views raised by guests on the podcast do not reflect the views of TransitCenter.