Baltimore Sun28%
Lawmakers debate whether Maryland spending matches travel habits 49%
By Tessa Bentulan54%
7/16/2026, 8:59:34 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 27 faulty reasoning types, including False Dilemma, Quote-first Misdirection, and Negativity Bias, with Appeal to Emotion as the most egregious example at 15.4% saturation with 124 hits. Analysis detected 1,350 faulty-reasoning hits from 805 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 49.4% and a BS Rank of 49% (11,341 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 51.80% of the article peer group.
Gas taxes, registration fees and title fees help fuel at least half of Maryland’s Transportation Trust Fund.
But only 22% of spending from that fund goes toward highways, while 53% is allocated to public transit.
The remaining 25% largely supports ports and airports.
The spending breakdown comes as the state’s own data suggests more than 75% of Maryland commuters drive alone or carpool to work, while just 5% use public transit.
The figures prompted Spotlight on Maryland to ask state leaders whether transportation investments align with how Marylanders actually use the transportation system.
“We’re paying more and more and more and getting less and less out of it,” House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, an Allegany County Republican, told Spotlight on Maryland.
Buckel said public transit provides value to Maryland but questioned whether ridership levels justify receiving the largest share of transportation funding.
“I think we’re putting money into these systems based on hopes and dreams and aspirations of public transportation advocates, many of whom are well-meaning.
… The truth is that ,no matter what we’ve invested in it, Americans and Marylanders by and large need roads.
They need bridges,” Buckel added.
“They’re willing to spend for those things.”
Buckel argued that Maryland should not increase costs on drivers through gas taxes and vehicle fees while directing most transportation dollars elsewhere.
“We shouldn’t be penalizing that person by charging them more and more in gas taxes, more and more in vehicle registration fees and then taking the bulk of that money, not spending it on things that affect them, but spending it on public transportation that they chose not to take part in,” Buckel said.
A transportation research nonprofit estimates Maryland drivers lose roughly $12.5 billion annually because of congestion, crashes and roads in need of repair.
That comes out to roughly $3,500 a year for some drivers.
“We’ve invested literally billions of dollars into these systems and yet we still have massive traffic issues,” Buckel said.
“People have a right in America to make choices about how they want to get somewhere.”
Del.
Marc Korman, a Montgomery County Democrat who chairs the House Environment and Transportation Committee, declined an interview request but responded to questions by email.
Korman said transportation investments should not be expected to perfectly mirror current travel patterns.
“There are always different projects or needs that need attention, so Maryland’s transportation investments will never perfectly align,” Korman wrote.
He also rejected the notion that transit riders and drivers are competing interests.
“Lots of transit users also drive (I’m one of them) and a bus can't operate on a road that is not maintained,” Korman wrote.
“Moreover, a driver does not want every bus or train user to shift to a single-occupancy car that is sitting in front of them in traffic.”
Spotlight on Maryland requested interviews with several Democratic leaders including Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk.
We did not receive responses by deadline.
Sen.
Johnny Mautz, a Republican representing Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot and Wicomico counties, said more money needs to go to fixing roads.
“The problem here is look at the ridership.
Look at what is being used,” Mautz said.
“Are mass transit or the roads being used by Maryland commuters?
The roads are the ones that are being used and they’re being underserved right now.”
Mautz said the Delmarva Peninsula has a lot of roads but limited transit options.
“We’re pouring over 50% of our Transportation Trust Fund into mass transit, which has a huge problem with ridership,” Mautz said.
“You have a lot of mass transit with low use, and you have this huge road network that used to be funded properly.”
The Moore administration defended its approach, arguing that transportation investments cannot focus solely on how Marylanders travel today.
“When Governor Moore took office, Maryland was operating off of a transportation system where assets were crumbling and revenue shortfalls were threatening to worsen conditions even further,” the administration said in a statement.
The administration said transportation spending “can't choose between today and tomorrow — it has to do both,” adding that investments are driven by safety, maintaining infrastructure, reducing congestion and supporting economic development.
The Maryland Department of Transportation said it first accounts for statutory requirements, operating costs, interjurisdictional agreements and debt service before allocating remaining dollars.
MDOT said it also seeks to maximize federal funding opportunities, noting highway projects generally receive a larger share of federal support than transit projects.
In the state's most recent Consolidated Transportation Program, 74% of the State Highway Administration's capital funding came from federal sources.
*Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
Have a story tip?
Email spotlightonmaryland@sbgtv.com or call 410-467-4670.
Investigative reporter Tessa Bentulan can be reached at tbentulan@sbgtv.com.
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98%flagged-word coverageJason Buckel
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