Annapolis Capital Punishment

CP is sending this letter to The Baltimore Sun:

Dear Editor:

The Sun’s Laura McCandlish casually dismissed Howard Transit and Annapolis Transit service to BWI as being "slow and infrequent - geared probably more to those who work regular hours at the airport”. How would she know? (“Getting to the airport”, February 24
www.baltimoresun.com/business/investing/bal-bz.ml.bwi24feb24,0,5286830.story)

As the capital city’s former transportation marketing specialist who helped open the original Annapolis to BWI bus route, I have often taken that route and am aware of its limitations, but The Sun would have done a better job if it had simply provided helpful web addresses and phone numbers. It did not, so here they are: www.howardtransit.com, 1-800-270-9553 and www.Annapolis.gov/transport, 410.263.7964.

Howard Transit’s hourly service takes 55 minutes from Columbia Mall to BWI with stops at Dorsey MARC and Arundel Mills. Annapolis Transit’s weekday service every two hours gets you to the BWI terminal in 45 minutes for only $4.00. That sounds great to me! A cab from Annapolis is close to $50.00 and if one drives and parks, the costs are even higher. Ironically, when one parks at the airport, one still has to take a bus to the terminal. Transit may not work for everyone all the time, but to say service is slow and infrequent only reflects Ms. McCandlish's bias.

Saving lots of money and not having to park may tip the balance for some.

Planes don’t always go when or directly to where we want. We must arrive early, wait in long lines to check bags, remove shoes, go through security, walk to the gate and then wait to retrieve luggage when we arrive. Does that make air travel slow and infrequent? Ask Ms. McCandlish. She’ll tell you.

Paul Foer, Annapolis