On February 20, 2024, Associate Policy Director Dominic Butchko submitted written testimony to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in support of SB 785- Public Nuisance- Common Carriers- Damage to Public Infrastructure. This bill prohibits private transportation companies from damaging public infrastructure, labeling such action as a public nuisance and making such violation subjected to civil action.
Local governments in Maryland own and maintain roughly 5 of every 6 road miles across the state. Counties maintain the bulk of this public infrastructure, whether it be in urban areas found within the greater Baltimore-Washington region, or in the rural sections of Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore. When common carriers, such as private bus or other transit companies, operate in a way that continuously damages this infrastructure, it is largely counties who are forced to pay for repairs.
From MACo Testimony:
By giving counties additional tools to encourage common carriers to operate in less destructive ways, the General Assembly would be implementing a low-cost policy which will save already stretched transportation dollars.
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