In miniature, March 27

• Pro and con on Purple Line: Randal O’Toole on flaws [Maryland Public Policy Institute, Maryland Reporter; Richard Parsons]
• Good: “Dram Shop Liability Likely Dead For Another Year in Maryland” [Brett Buckwalter, Niles, Barton, & Wilmer]
• “Anti-drug-overdose compound could save lives but counsel for the Maryland State Medical Society told a panel in Annapolis that doctors fear liability should they prescribe it.” [Overlawyered]
• “She’s the right gender” to run for Senator, it’s said of Rep. Donna Edwards. Hadn’t realized there was a wrong gender [Glynis Kazanjian, Maryland Reporter]
• Oh, oh, O’Malley: “Maryland should repay nearly $30M due to Obamacare reporting error: HHS IG” [Washington Times]
• Police misconduct no biggie, testifies a former P.G. sheriff, which brings the irony given his record [Radley Balko]

In miniature, March 9

• Good for (many) Democratic lawmakers for proposing reforms of Maryland civil forfeiture law [Maryland Reporter; Cato and Overlawyered resources on forfeiture]
• Input sought from one side only: pro-rail group Action Committee for Transit tries to stop Purple Line debate sponsored by Maryland Public Policy Institute [BethesdaNow, Randal O’Toole on WTOP]
• “My lawn is such a little fragment of American Freedom,” wrote a retired minister who lives in Silver Spring. “Please respect it.” He sure picked the wrong county to live in, didn’t he? [Washington Post on proposed Montgomery County lawn pesticide ban]
• DC and Virginia move to legalize Uber and Lyft, time to catch up [Washington Post]
• Bipartisan group of lawmakers seek to roll back excessive school testing; Del. David Vogt believes Gov. Hogan has legal authority to get the state out of PARCC [Maryland Reporter, WFMD, Kelsey Harkness/Daily Signal]
• Business gears up to fight combined-reporting tax proposals [Rebecca Lessner/Maryland Reporter, more]

In miniature, January 31

• Alcohol sales plunged following 50 percent state tax hike, so revenues didn’t come in as expected; meanwhile, merchants paid millions less in income tax. Lose/lose! [Maryland Taxpayers Association] But see: Van Smith points out at City Paper that a law enforcement crackdown on Maryland-based vendors servicing buyers in other states, notably in Cecil County, cut heavily into sales at the same time;
• “In order to sell their projects, light-rail proponents routinely overestimate ridership,” Purple Line follows pattern [Randal O’Toole, Maryland Public Policy Institute; earlier on Purple Line; O’Toole is a Cato colleague]
• Political giving by board, principals of Maryland Chamber of Commerce has favored Democrats [Greg Kline, Red Maryland, more]
• Liked the description’s matter-of-fact tone: “Del. Christian Miele, a libertarian Republican from Baltimore County” [Len Lazarick on constitutional proposals to reform delegate vacancy selection]
• Proper use of state bonding power: Baltimore Jewelry Center, new HVAC for Frederick’s Weinberg Center for the Arts? Not in my view [Old Line Elephant]
• “MD: Latest State to Consider Constitutionality of Governmental Damages Cap” [TortsProf]

In miniature, December 21

• Purple Line backers picked a color name similar to Metro lines, clever move but oh so misleading [David Lublin, The Seventh State, earlier]
• Frederick County mom Cindy Rose goes to court seeking right to opt kids out of state-mandated assessment tests [Frederick News Post]
• Court of Appeals will decide whether to construe insurance policies against drafter [Ron Miller]
• Video caught confrontation between Prince George’s cop and student, but did it matter in the end? [Scott Greenfield]
• Sen. Jamie Raskin working on how to remove language from Maryland constitution purportedly barring religious unbelievers from public office [John Hockenberry “The Takeaway,” earlier]
• State’s “road system again ranked low, but highway officials strongly counter ratings” [Meg Tully, Maryland Reporter]

Zero Hour for the Purple Line

With its twisty, politically drawn route it won’t get you fast to the places you want to go. Its interconnectivity with Metro is poor and getting worse. For a foretaste of where its rising costs are headed, check out the cost overruns at the Silver Spring Transit Center.

In short, the Purple Line makes an appealing target as governor-elect Larry Hogan looks for ways to cut the Maryland budget. Randal O’Toole of the Cato Institute says it’s a net energy loser and unlikely to relieve congestion. Former Chevy Chase mayor David Lublin has been blogging extensively at Seventh State about the project’s shaky financial premises for which other parts of the state, and other transit users such as those who ride buses and Washington Metro, will wind up paying dearly. A common way of evaluating fixed-route transit projects is whether by stimulating intensive development along the line, they boost local real estate values and the accompanying tax base. As Lublin points out, however, pressure groups stand ready to resist denser or higher uses of land near Purple Line stops on the ground that it would lead to displacement of businesses and tenants already there. And the development impetus may not be so great to begin with — Metro is a much more powerful boost than a streetcar line because it is better suited to carry commuters in and out from around the whole D.C. area, yet even Metro stops often languish for decades without the redevelopment of nearby properties of low usage intensity. Ben Ross of Action Committee for Transit has responded to Lublin and O’Toole at Greater Greater Washington.

One further, very serious problem with an already marginal fixed-rail transit project: changes in automotive transport are happening rapidly enough to make many plans obsolete. Aside from the rise of Uber and Lyft ridesharing, we are probably within a decade or two of the widespread adoption of driverless vehicle technologies which will change demand patterns for both transit and roads (and resulting issues of congestion and capacity) in ways that are almost impossible to predict. It is already doubtful that the new line suits the needs of 2015, and much more doubtful that it will meet the needs of 2045.