From Harford County Government:
(Bel Air, MD) – Those who travel by MARC train to get to work are in for a treat, as Harford Commuter Assistance along with elected officials and special guests will be on hand Wednesday, May 1st from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. at the Aberdeen MARC Train Station and Tuesday, May 7th at the Edgewood MARC Train Station with giveaways, light refreshments and commuting information as part of May’s designation as Clean Commute Month.
These are commuters who, day after day, board the MARC train bound for Baltimore, and all stops in between to Washington DC to get to work. Nearly 600 Harford County commuters make this choice for their commute every day.
The Penn Line, which operates through Harford County, is the most traveled of all three MARC Lines. It operates between Perryville, Cecil County and Union Station in Washington, D. C. Stops include Baltimore City, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, Odenton, and Bowie State University. In addition, there are four stops north of Penn Station at Middle River, Edgewood and Aberdeen located in Harford County, and Perryville in Cecil County.
Early morning commuters will receive complimentary water, coffee, and snack treats along with free giveaways. Information will also be available regarding ridesharing programs as well as information about the Guaranteed Ride Home Program. During the morning commute, Harford County representatives and special guests will be thanking commuters for using mass transit to mitigate traffic congestion, improve air quality, and save money on gas.
The month of May is nationally designated Clean Commute Month because it is the beginning of the ground level ozone season, when Code Red and Orange Ozone Action Day frequently occur. On those days, motorists are encouraged not to drive their cars to work because pollution produced by cars causes ground level ozone, or smog. Smog can cause burning eyes, difficulty breathing or even trigger asthma attacks.
Single occupancy vehicles produce 20% of the dangerous ozone-emission pollution in the Baltimore area. Using mass transit such as the MARC train and buses improves the air we breathe by putting one less car on the road.
For more information about Harford Commuter Assistance Rideshare and the many alternative forms of commuting, contact Alan Doran, Rideshare Coordinator, at 800-924-8646 (TOGO) or visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/commuter.
I wonder if there will be an effort to clean up the despicable environment at the Aberdeen station since elected officials and special guests will be there. Traveling through the urine soaked, garbage laden tunnel to the northbound side is a deterrent to using this commuter convenience.
I’d love to know when alternative methods of commuting will be brought into Harford County. Would love to be able to travel to Hunt Valley without having to waste two hours on a commute that should take one if there was available transportation.