University Transportation

There are several universities in the City of Baltimore and they undoubtedly bring in a good deal of traffic. The shuttles run by each school offer students an opportunity to get around the area without using their individual vehicles. It not only benefits those students that do not have cars, but it also cuts down on the traffic. People like convenience and usually look to their cars to provide that comfort. Universities such as Towson have on and off campus routes that provide services to students who need to get to class or go to the train station. The benefits of a service like this one are that less traffic is coming into the downtown area and makes a more livable environment for residents and visitors. The city should budget for each school to provide extensive shuttle services because not everyone has a car and the need is there. The city stands to benefit from such a deal because less traffic makes for a more pleasant environment. When tourists come visit and have a pleasant experience then they will recommend a place to people they know and its popularity will increase. More popularity means more tourist which means more money and there isn't a city in this country that could not use more money in this economy. In addition the fewer students that bring their cars into the downtown area the more parking there will be for tourist and residents which will inevitably eliminate the need for as much parking (in the form of lots and structures). People pay extra money to avoid the hassle of driving around for extended periods of time searching for parking. Baltimore should consider a solution of this nature because the population only stands to increase with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) bringing so many military families into Maryland. This is the opportune time for Baltimore and it needs to seize the moment before it disappears.