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      As a result of the MARC accident in 1996 in Silver Spring a program to
      retrofit the entire MARC fleet with state-of-the-art safety equipment is
      underway and will be completed this year.
       
      How Safety is addressed in the 1999 Maryland Transportation Plan.

        Concerns about safety pervade the MTP. Specific policies include the
        following:
        The planning process will consider the safety of community residents
        as it accommodates vehicle movement. (Community Mobility Element)
        Motor freight distribution should be safe as well as rapid both for
        truck drivers and other motorists, including adequate truck weighing
        and safety inspections. (Freight Element)
        In rural areas, focus on highway safety improvements. (Regional
        Transportation Element)
        MDOT will focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety in established
        communities. (Smart Growth Element)
       
      Implementation Measures
      Long-term Vision; Short-term Actions.

      Although the MTP presents a vision for Maryland's transportation system
      and most of the goals and policies can be realized only incrementally
      over the 20-year planning horizon, MDOT should also be taking short-term
      steps to assure that progress is being made. There are a number of
      actions the Department can initiate or accelerate that will contribute
      to achieving the goals and policies.

      Implementation Measures Proposed.

      In the table beginning on the following page, Implementation Measures
      are proposed for each of the MTP's six plan elements. The measures are
      based on those adopted in the Department's Strategic Plan, and the
      business plans of the modal administrations. These measures are
      consistent with the "Managing for Results" initiative being undertaken
      by Maryland State Government. Some measures reflect efforts and programs
      that are underway now while others call for new teams and process
      reviews that will facilitate movement toward the goals and policies. Not
      every policy established in the MTP is reflected in a measure, both
      because some policies do not lend themselves to this type of measurement
      or because some measures simultaneously reflect several policies.
      Each Implementation Measure also includes the status as of 1999 and the
      expected status as of 2000 when the Department will have had an
      opportunity to pursue the recommended strategies. In the annual State
      Report on Transportation the Department will provide the General
      Assembly with an Implementation Report describing the progress made
      toward achieving the measures.
       
      Making a Multi-Modal Transportation System:How Does Transportation
      Planning Work?

      Since 1971, Maryland's transportation system has been managed
      intermodally by one agency, the Maryland Department of Transportation.
      Using a multi-modal trust fund, MDOT builds and operates the State's
      network of highway and transit facilities, ports and airports and
      provides drivers' licensing services. Mobility and economic development
      are achieved jointly because the Department can allocate resources to
      the best solution to a transportation problem.

      In 1991, Congress adopted this thinking when it proclaimed the end of
      the interstate highway era and established a new goal for transportation
      planning and funding to ". . . to develop a National Intermodal
      Transportation System that is economically efficient, environmentally
      sound, provides the foundation for the Nation to compete in the global
      economy and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner."
      The focus of the law and its 1998 reauthorization, called the Intermodal
      Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and Transportation Equity
      Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) respectively, is on the efficient
      movement of people and goods, not vehicles. The emphasis shifts from
      interstate highway construction to development and maintenance of the
      entire transportation system. It seeks to improve the interconnectivity
      between various segments of a trip, regardless of how many modes are
      involved.

      ISTEA and TEA-21 give a boost to other Federal laws as well,
      particularly the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Because motor

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