In light of budget cuts, Marylanders support slight tax hikes for transportation, poll finds

Almost half of Marylanders say they would support a tax increase if the state would invest in projects to ease traffic congestion and enhance safety on the road, a poll released in September found.

According to a Gonzales poll of 820 registered voters conducted between Aug. 24 and Aug. 30, 49% of residents said they would be willing to pay a little more in taxes for projects that would significantly reduce traffic congestion, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, repair potholes and increase safety. Forty-eight percent said they would be disinterested in a minor tax increase.

The poll’s margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

The highest support was among Democrats, who polled in at 65%, Black residents at 63%, and women at 54%.

Michael Sakata, the president and CEO of the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association, which commissioned the poll, said in an interview Monday with The Baltimore Sun that the interest among certain demographic groups is instructive of who is harmed the most by traffic and aging infrastructure.

“I think there’s a valid concern that not everybody has the ability to telework, not everybody has the ability to modify their schedule based on travel patterns,” he said.

Sakata, who is also the president of Together for Transportation Funding Coalition and a member of the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs, or Maryland TRAIN Commission, said that 46% of Maryland’s bridges are at least 50 years old and 5% are in “poor or mediocre condition.”

Support for a slight tax increase as it relates to specific transit projects — such as light-rail and bus lines — was at 44%, with 58% of Democrats, 59% of Black residents and 46% of women polled demonstrating the most interest.

The state currently has multiple large transit projects on its plate, including the revival of Baltimore’s East-West Red Line project , which was scrapped under former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, but has become a priority of Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat.

“We need everything,” Sakata said. “Not just the transit component — we need investment in our roads and bridges, as well.”

Moore has said repeatedly that his threshold for raising taxes is very high, and he has been tightening the state’s purse strings in order to address budgetary shortfalls.

Over the summer, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved $148 million in cuts from the state’s current budget. And $1.3 billion was slashed from the state’s transportation budget in early September.

Asked if they would support increased transportation funding after being told that every dollar spent on transportation projects brings an additional $3 to $4 in new economic growth, 69% of those polled said yes.

“This poll simply confirms that the people of Maryland are concerned about the severe economic and social costs of failing transportation infrastructure,” Sakata said in a statement. “Marylanders recognize that more revenue is necessary to solve these problems and are willing to invest in true solutions.”