About Us

The Office of Transportation, within the Department of County Administration, oversees transportation planning efforts related to bicycle and pedestrian facilities, public transportation services, comprehensive regional planning, and Transportation Demand Management.  It also oversees Complete Streets policy implementation, e-scooter permitting, and the Howard County Bikeshare program.  It receives guidance from the Multimodal Transportation Board and the Bicycle Advisory Group.

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New RTA Route 405 Service

Route 405 has been restructured to provide more local service throughout Ellicott City, including Old Ellicott City. The restructured 405 service provides connections to the new 505 route, serves as a circulator in Ellicott City, and adds service to Pine Orchard Apartments and the Goodwill Store.

RTA 405 Map July 2023

New RTA Route 505 Service

Route 505 will provide stops in Catonsville, Columbia and Ellicott City. It will originate in Downtown Columbia with stops at the Long Gate Shopping Center and other destinations in Ellicott City, and then travel into Baltimore County with a stop at the Catonsville Walmart off US 40 and North Rolling Road. This stop in Catonsville will create a new connection between RTA and MTA service, while also complementing MTA’s existing Express Bus 150 service and its plans to improve bus service between Catonsville and Baltimore City later this year. 

RTA 505 Map July 2023
 

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Programs and Resources

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Active Transportation Open House

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The Active Transportation Open House, formerly the BikeHoward Open House, is held annually to update the public on the County’s goals, priorities, and progress toward make Howard County bikeable and walkable.

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Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning and Implementation

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The Office of Transportation takes lead in the design and planning stages of bicycle and pedestrian planning projects in the county.

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Boards and Advisory Groups

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The Multimodal Transportation Board (MTB) advises the County Executive and County Administration on transportation matters, particularly involving the County’s local bus system contractor, the Regional Transportation Agency, and other multimodal issues and initiatives. The Multimodal Transportation Board holds meetings on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. The Webex meetings are open to the public, but registration is required.

The Bicycle Advisory Group (BAG) advises the County Executive and County Administration on matters of bicycle transportation, particularly the implementation of the Bicycle Master Plan. The BAG meets at least quarterly. Meetings take place in the Columbia/Ellicott Room at the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City. Meetings are held virtually on the Webex platform during the pandemic. 

The Transit and Pedestrian Advisory Group (TPAG) advised the County Executive and County Administration on matters of public transit and pedestrian transportation. Having ended on April 5, 2021 its duties and responsibilities were reassigned to the Multimodal Transportation Board.

The DC Metroplex BWI Community Roundtable is an initiative of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Aviation Administration (MDOT MAA), formed at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Howard County Office of Transportation Administrator serves as the County Executive's representative on the Roundtable. The Roundtable is responsible for the following:

  • Monitoring the implementation of air traffic procedures established by FAA in the District of Columbia Metroplex Project, including but not limited to the procedures implemented under the NextGen program;
  • Identifying possible alternative routings and procedures;
  • Evaluating noise effects and other environmental effects, of possible route changes; and
  • Making recommendations to the FAA for further consideration.
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Complete Streets Policy Implementation

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Howard County has adopted a Complete Streets Policy and is developing a Complete Streets Design Manual to be completed by October 2021. These initiatives were recommended in both the Howard County General Plan (PlanHoward) and the Howard County Bicycle Master Plan (BikeHoward), and were required by the adoption of Council Resolution 35-2016.

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Go Howard

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Transportation Demand Management is moving people, not vehicles, and creating a more efficient use of our roadways.  It's providing and encouraging Transportation Options for those who want them such as biking, walking, taking the bus or train, commuting at non-peak hours/days or even the commute you don't make: working from home. Go Howard is the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program of Howard County, Maryland, funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation -- Maryland Transit Administration and the Howard County Office of Transportation.

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Regional Transportation Agency

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The Office of Transportation manages and oversees the contract under which the Regional Transportation Agency (RTA) provides fixed route bus and paratransit services in Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County and the City of Laurel. Funding is shared by the partner jurisdictions with support from federal and state sources to offset the gap between farebox and other revenues and capital and operating costs. The RTA runs 15 fixed routes, provides complementary paratransit service to people with disabilities, and general-purpose transportation for both elderly people and people with disabilities.

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Transit Development Plan

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The Howard County Transit Development Plan (TDP) is a short-term (typically a five-year period) plan to guide transit system development. The TDP provides a vision of the future public transportation system.

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Transportation Studies & Projects

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The Office of Transportation coordinates closely with the Department of Planning and Zoning, the Department of Public Works and state agencies to develop transportation plans and projects for all modes.

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Transportation Town Hall

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The Office of Transportation participates in the County Executive's Transportation Town Halls along with representatives from the Department of Public Works, the Howard County Police Department, the Regional Transportation Agency as well as various state agencies covering issues such as transportation safety, Complete Streets, transit and regional planning.

In addition to the Town Hall, feedback about the County's transportation system is always accepted. Comments and questions may be sent to different offices and agencies depending on the nature of the comment.

Transportation and transit planning, and Complete Streets Policy implementation:
[email protected]

Traffic control concerns such as intersection safety, traffic calming, and mis-timed traffic signal or school flashers:
[email protected]

Traffic enforcement concerns:
[email protected]

RTA transit service:
[email protected]

News

Find the latest news updates.

News

Team

Bruce Gartner
Bruce Gartner
Office of Transportation Administrator
Read Biography

About

Bruce Gartner serves as the Administrator of the Howard County Office of Transportation (OOT).  He was appointed to the position by County Executive Calvin Ball in April 2019.  As OOT Administrator, Bruce oversees the County’s transportation planning functions, working closely with his colleagues in the Department of Planning and Zoning and Public Works to ensure a safe and efficient multimodal transportation system in Howard County. With the adoption of the County Executive’s nationally recognized Complete Street’s Policy in 2019, Bruce has been dedicated to expanding and improving our system of bicycle and pedestrian facilities to create safer and more sustainable transportation options for Howard County.

As OOT Administrator, Bruce also serves as the County’s contract manager for the Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland (RTA) and as County Executive Ball’s empowered representative to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB).  In those capacities, he works with state and regional partners to create a more comprehensive regional approach to our transportation network planning with an emphasis on improved transit connections in support of county, regional and state land use and climate action plans.

Before joining Howard County in 2019, Bruce worked as a Transit and Rail Group Leader and Account Manager with the Jacobs Engineering Group. Prior to joining Jacobs, he served as Executive Director of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA). Since the beginning of his state career as a budget analyst for the Maryland General Assembly, Gartner has worked diligently to improve Maryland’s multimodal transportation system and served in several positions at MDOT beginning in 1993. As Director of Policy and Government Affairs and then Assistant Secretary between 2008 and 2013, he focused on multimodal programs and policies, federal aid and transportation funding, including the 2013 transportation funding package enacted by the Maryland General Assembly. In those leadership roles, he also worked closely with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) and Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to implement Maryland’s transit priorities.

Gartner lives with his wife Angela in Columbia, Maryland.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and a Master of Sciences in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Rochester in Western New York before moving to Maryland in 1989.

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Carrie Anderson-Watters
Transit Planning Manager
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David Cookson
Planning Manager-Regional and Long Range Transportation Planning
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Chris Eatough
Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator

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