Route 3 is a
bus route
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for ...
operated by the
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...
in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and its suburbs. The line currently runs from the
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...
with most trips operating to
Cromwell Bridge Road
Cromwell Bridge Road, formerly Maryland Route 567, is a two-lane roadway in the Towson, Maryland, Towson, Maryland area of the United States. The road begins at Providence Road in Towson, and continues past the Baltimore Beltway for several miles a ...
Park and Ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...
(at exit 29 off the
Baltimore Beltway
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
) in
Baynesville along the corridors of
Loch Raven Boulevard
Maryland Route 542 (MD 542) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Loch Raven Boulevard, the state highway runs from MD 147 in Baltimore north to Interstate 695 (I-695) and Cromwell Bridge Road near T ...
and
St. Paul Street, with selected trips to
Sheppard Pratt Hospital
The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, known to many simply as Sheppard Pratt, is a psychiatric hospital located in Towson, a northern suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1853, it is one of the oldest private psychiatric hospitals in the nati ...
in
Towson
Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...
, mostly via
Joppa Road
Joppa Road is a county highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway extends from Maryland Route 25 (MD 25) in Brooklandville east to MD 7 near White Marsh. Joppa Road has three main segments separated by very short breaks on its course ...
, and some trips making
short turn
In public transport, a short turn, short working or turn-back is an earlier terminus on a bus or rail line that is used on some scheduled trips that do not operate along the full length of the route.
Short turns are practical in scheduling when t ...
s at Loch Raven and
Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
People
* Taylor (surname)
**List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
Plac ...
. It is the successor to the 17 St. Paul Street
streetcar line
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
that ran from 1893 to 1938 and the Route T bus that ran from 1939 to 1947.
History
Streetcars on Route 17 provided service along
St. Paul Street during the streetcar era of Baltimore. At this time, the Loch Raven Boulevard corridor was mostly undeveloped. Bus service along Loch Raven did not begin to operate until 1940, when Route T was introduced. This line operated along Loch Raven and
33rd Street as far north as
Northwood.
The no. 3 designation was not used for any part of this route until 1947. The no. 3 designation was previously used in Baltimore transit history for a streetcar line that operated along
Linden Avenue that would eventually be extended to
Halethorpe along the
Wilkens Avenue
Maryland Route 372 (MD 372) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Wilkens Avenue, the state highway runs from MD 166 in Catonsville east to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Baltimore. MD 372 connects Baltimore and Interstate 695 (I-6 ...
corridor. As the Linden Avenue section would later become a part of the
no. 5 streetcar, bus route 3 would later serve Halethorpe.
The no. 3 Baynesville to downtown bus resembling today's service began in 1956, when the no. 3 line absorbed the service of Route 45, which operated between Waverly and Baynesville since 1949. In 1959, the line was combined with the Halethorpe Streetcar Line (known as Route 12 in its final days) and extended to
Halethorpe along the
Wilkens Avenue
Maryland Route 372 (MD 372) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Wilkens Avenue, the state highway runs from MD 166 in Catonsville east to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Baltimore. MD 372 connects Baltimore and Interstate 695 (I-6 ...
corridor, where it served
St. Agnes Hospital and
UMBC
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral, ...
. It followed this route until 1987, when the line was split. After that, service along the Wilkens Avenue corridor was provided by the new Route 31. Service along the same route is currently provided by
Route 35.
Route 3 gained ridership along Loch Raven Boulevard in Baltimore County even prior to the corridor's development.
In 1990, a new branch was added to Route 3 that operated to
Towson
Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...
and
Sheppard Pratt primarily along
Joppa Road
Joppa Road is a county highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway extends from Maryland Route 25 (MD 25) in Brooklandville east to MD 7 near White Marsh. Joppa Road has three main segments separated by very short breaks on its course ...
. This new service replaced a branch of
Route 8 to
Eudowood.
Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative
In 2005, as part of the
Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative
The Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI) (pronounced ''GIBBY'') was a sweeping overhaul planned by the Maryland Transit Administration under the administration of then-Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich and his transportation secretary Robert Fl ...
, a comprehensive overhaul plan for the region's transit system, MTA proposed to eliminate the Sheppard Pratt branch on the route, and eliminate all
short turn
In public transport, a short turn, short working or turn-back is an earlier terminus on a bus or rail line that is used on some scheduled trips that do not operate along the full length of the route.
Short turns are practical in scheduling when t ...
s, except for the Goucher & Taylor loop during peak hours. Sheppard Pratt branch riders were instructed to transfer to
Route 55, which was proposed to have an improved frequency.
After a public outcry, MTA put these plans on hold, and revised them in 2006. The new proposal would not only retain the Sheppard Pratt branch, but would modify its route to serve
Osler Drive
The following are major and notable roads in Baltimore County, Maryland.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
W
Y
See also
* List of streets in Baltimore, Maryland
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of ...
and provide weekend service in this area. This plan was implemented on February 17, 2008.
BaltimoreLink
Route 3 is to be replaced by the BaltimoreLink transit system on June 18, 2017 by multiple routes. City Link Silver will take over the Charles Street, St. Paul Street and 33rd Street part of the route, City Link Green will take the Loch Raven Boulevard portion of the route, and LocalLink 53 will take the Joppa Road, York Road and Osler Drive portion of the route in Towson.
In popular culture
*In "When the Colts belonged to Baltimore" by
William Gildea, the narrator describes the no. 3 bus as his favorite bus line because it passes
Memorial Stadium.
*The narrator of ''Woodholme'', by
DeWayne Wickham, used the no. 3 bus to reach Memorial Stadium.
References
External links
Route 3 Map and Schedule effective August 21, 2013
{{MTA Maryland
Maryland Transit Administration bus routes
1947 establishments in Maryland