Students and young people are vital to realizing the vision of a world–class
city with the capacity to compete across business sectors. To increase service to
students and promote Baltimore as a great college town, the Baltimore Collegetown
Network (BCN) was formed as a consortium of 15 colleges and universities in the
Baltimore metropolitan area. They seek to make connections between students,
the city, and life after college with the belief that students and recent grads have
more to offer Baltimore than just their tuition dollars.

Last month, BCN released the results of a detailed survey of more than 3,300
students. The survey covered jobs, entertainment, safety, transportation, and
other questions like "What attracted you to Baltimore?" The data showed that
overall, nearly two-thirds of students love attending school in Baltimore and
many would recommend the city to their friends. However, they noted one
significant shortcoming: transportation. Mobility ranked highest as a concern
for students thinking about what to do and where to live after finishing school,
and Baltimore's public transit system came up short. In fact, for all three
survey years (2003, 2006, 2009), better transportation has consistently
ranked #1 among students as the greatest drawback to living in Baltimore.

Results showed that more than half of students get around by car–either their
own vehicle or traveling with friends. In contrast, only 11% of students said
that they ride the bus, metro or light rail. An additional 17% of respondents
said they use the Collegetown Shuttle system, but this service is only available
to students at six of the 15 campuses because most schools cannot afford to
fund a secondary public transit option. Still, most students are likely to switch
to driving once they graduate. In answer to the query, "Will you stay
here?" one student highlighted the importance of transit with this statement:

"Job opportunities are a big factor, but honestly, mobility is another big
factor. Whether the Red Line gets built on schedule will give me a good
idea whether this city is serious about actually being worth living in."

This and other results (see the full survey here), showed the importance of
establishing a more complete transit system in Baltimore. The Red Line, which
lies at the core of the Regional Rail Plan, would directly serve the University
of Maryland, Sojourner Douglass College, Baltimore City Community College,
and Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. It will also allow rail connections to the
University of Baltimore, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Johns Hopkins
Medical Institutions. Not only that, but the Red Line will have stops at both
the Inner Harbor and Fell's Point, which rank in the top three destinations
for student nightlife.

This survey made clear that forging such links will play a key role in fully
engaging—and retaining—young people in our city, highlighting yet another
reason to develop an efficient, cohesive transit network as part of a lively
urban landscape.