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      identify and address environmental impacts but must also reach
      conclusions in a timely manner. MDOT should continue to take seriously
      its role as a steward of the environment by supporting a culture within
      the Department that regards this as among its principal missions.
      Environmental activities cut across the Department, affecting a variety
      of programs being implemented by each of its modal administrations.
      These programs can be categorized within five broad program areas:
      neighborhood conservation, enhancements, preservation, beautification
      and cultural and historic preservation. The activities appear throughout
      the MTP.

      How Environmental Protection is addressed in the 1999 Maryland
      Transportation Plan.

      The following MTP policies demonstrate the Department's continued
      commitment to environmental preservation:
        MDOT will support economic development efforts that are consistent
        with Smart Growth principles, namely economic development in
        established communities and growth areas, as a way to preserve
        agricultural land, forests and other natural resources. (Smart Growth
        Element)
        MDOT will promote transportation demand management with HOV, transit,
        ridesharing facilities, bicycling and telework support programs to
        reduce Marylanders' dependence on their private automobiles. (Regional
        Transportation Element)
        MDOT will, in all regions of the State, connect major employment and
        economic centers with environmentally sensitive transportation
        systems, including transit and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
        (Regional Transportation Element)
        MDOT will encourage employers to use telework programs, as well as
        encourage their employees to ride transit, carpool, bicycle, or walk
        to work. (Community Mobility Element)
        MDOT will invest in Maryland's established communities with
        transportation projects designed to improve their aesthetic and
        natural environment while they improve mobility, including bicycle and
        pedestrian facilities, noise mitigation and landscaping. (Community
        Mobility Element)
        MDOT will work with local jurisdictions to incorporate Smart Growth
        principles into their local land use plans with the objective of
        achieving greater return from both existing and new transportation
        services. (Smart Growth Element)
        MDOT remains committed to managing transportation emissions and
        improving the natural environment while preserving mobility options
        for all Marylanders. (Community Mobility Element)
       
      Tools for Improving Performance and Efficiency: The MTP and Technology

      As the demand for capacity expansion and additional services exceed the
      resources available to provide them, technology becomes a critical tool.
      Technology can provide cost-effective solutions to improve customer
      service and transportation capacity. Transportation technology is
      evolving with transportation needs, and MDOT expects to make use of
      transportation technology to implement the goals and objectives in the
      MTP.

      Current Applications.

      SHA's Chesapeake Highway Advisories Routing Traffic (CHART) is a
      nationally renowned traffic monitoring and management system. Using
      advanced communications technology, SHA monitors traffic conditions,
      manages incidents and provides users with traveler information within a
      vast triangle of State highways serving the Baltimore-Washington region.
      This system is helping SHA to manage some of the explosive growth in
      traffic without additional highway capacity.

      The Mass Transit Administration is using technology to improve customer
      service by automating access to transit scheduling and routing
      information, allowing the MTA to process more customer service calls in
      a shorter time period. Transit customers also benefit from an Automatic
      Vehicle Locator (AVL) System that enable the MTA to precisely track the
      location of buses on their routes. Some buses are equipped with digital
      cameras to enhance security for riders. And, universal farecards, or
      "smart cards," will soon be in use that will enable transit customers to
      easily transfer between transit modes operated by different agencies
      without buying a new ticket.

      Maryland's freight transportation system will benefit from MDOT's
      participation in a pilot of the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems

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