needleinacamelseye t1_iymsx2y wrote on December 2, 2022 at 3:48 PM

Reply to comment by Matt3989 in Is the Metro subway dying? by Rubysdad1975

> More people working from home so there are less people commuting to T-Rowe/Hopkins Hospital

I wonder how much of this is also the hollowing-out of jobs in the old downtown - a lot of companies have relocated to Harbor East in the last few years, which the subway doesn't serve. Given that the subway is so poorly integrated with the rest of the city's transit system, it would make sense that if commuters vanish due to relocations + WFH, so does most of the line's ridership.

Matt3989 t1_iymu9j6 wrote on December 2, 2022 at 3:58 PM

Shot tower to Harbor East isn't too bad given the rest of Baltimore's transit. I could be wrong, but I think a significant number of Harbor East workers just live in the area.

needleinacamelseye t1_iymy5au wrote on December 2, 2022 at 4:24 PM

I would imagine that for someone choosing between transit and driving, a mandatory transfer from subway to bus is going to push them towards driving instead of transit.

Given Harbor East's better location for car commuting at the end of the JFX, its (presumed - I don't actually know) better parking situation, and the fact that most commuters are no longer in the office five days a week, I would think that people that would have taken the subway when they were downtown five days a week will prefer to drive than subway + bus if they only have to be in Harbor East two days a week.

Fair point about more people living near Harbor East, though - why take the subway when you could walk? I'd love to see a more thorough analysis of where and how commuters move around the city.

peanutnozone t1_iyn3gu8 wrote on December 2, 2022 at 4:59 PM

Prior to Covid I worked in Harbor East and I knew at least a few of my colleagues who took the subway and got off at shot tower… anecdotal I know but I think a lot of what we’re seeing is effects of the pandemic

bwoods43 t1_iyn4ims wrote on December 2, 2022 at 5:06 PM

Not everyone has a car, so that option isn't available to everyone. I think what the above poster was saying is that for people who take Metro, it's pretty easy to get to Harbor East on foot. But also, perhaps there are fewer people taking any mass transit to Harbor East because they may now live in the area.

Gitopia t1_iymxejv wrote on December 2, 2022 at 4:19 PM

State center had a huge number of riders pre-2020.