The Baltimore Red Line is made up of four segments. Each segment of the 14-mile corridor has its ambassador, communities, and opportunities. We spoke with Red Line Ambassador Rochelle Carpenter to learn more about her work in the Downtown Baltimore segment. This segment runs from North Schroeder Street to Albemarle Street.
Tell us a bit about yourself; what do you do when you’re not working as a Red Line ambassador?
I live in Bolton Hill, a vibrant and very friendly neighborhood. We’ve enjoyed making friends through schools, walks and neighborhood events, like weekly concerts in the summer. I play violin and mandolin and find time to play when I can – such as at the weekly Bluegrass Jams at the Green Room in Hampden. I have three kids who go to school, play soccer, dance, attend music class and read. We love going to museums, shows, restaurants, coffee shops, the library, parks and friends’ houses.
I’ve been working in transportation planning, policy and outreach for 17 years. My focus has been on:
- Improving safety and access for people walking, bicycling, and taking public transportation.
- Developing federal, state and local transportation policies that increase transportation choices.
- Engaging people who are not typically involved in transportation planning with innovative methods like interactive activities, creative placemaking and placekeeping, pop-ups and additional practices that meet people where they are and inspire participation through creativity.
How did you get involved with the Red Line, and why did you become an ambassador?
The Red Line is one of the most important transit projects in the country! I became an ambassador because I love working with community members on planning and designing transportation projects. I’ve loved working with the Red Line team – everyone I work with is fabulous.
I’ve held a range of leadership positions on transformational transportation projects.
Between 2014 and 2019 I served as co-director of the Envision Nolensville Pike Collaborative in Nashville, Tennessee. Nolensville Pike is home to many of Nashville’s most diverse neighborhoods. Tens of thousands of people of all backgrounds reside alongside a range of businesses and cultural centers. This work led to more than $2.5 million in pedestrian safety projects.
Also in Nashville, I managed the development of the Dickerson Pike Pedestrian Safety Plan. The plan includes actionable recommendations for pedestrian safety improvements along one of the most dangerous corridors for walking in the state of Tennessee. As a result of the safety plan’s resulting recommendations, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Nashville Department of Transportation have committed $35 million to date to build or advance design of the conceptualized pedestrian safety infrastructure identified in the report.
And in 2024, I helped paint bulb-outs as part of pedestrian safety improvement projects in Baltimore’s Pigtown and Hyattsville with Graham Projects.
Tell us your favorite place to visit within your segment.
I love live music in small venues like Keystone Korner. I love being anywhere along the waterfront. My favorite downtown restaurants are Isabella’s, Ovenbird, Matriarch Coffee, and Ramen Utsuke.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities for your segment?
Downtown Baltimore is home to about 42,500 people and is a place of work for more than 125,000. A long overdue investment, the Red Line would help tens of thousands of people travel across Baltimore affordably, safely and efficiently. It is critical in a city like Baltimore where 90 percent of core bus riders and one third of all households don’t have access to a vehicle.
One of the most consequential decisions in Downtown Baltimore is whether the Light Rail will run in a tunnel or on the street. There are benefits to both. With surface transit, downtown residents and workers would have three more stations than the tunnel option would provide. Boarding a train on the surface would also be faster for those who are downtown. While travel across the entire 14-mile corridor would be faster in a tunnel, surface transit would still be fast; for example, it would only take 18 minutes to travel from the West Baltimore MARC station to Fells Point.
I’m eager to design our streets to allow people to move safely and efficiently throughout Baltimore, whether they are traveling by foot, bike, transit or car.
What is the most common feature you get asked to implement at future Red Line stations?
I am frequently asked about what level of accessibility we will have – for people in a wheelchair, pushing a stroller, for those who have a harder time going up and down stairs, for the blind or deaf or hard of hearing, or who don’t speak English, what kind of signage and signals will we provide?
What do you want community members in your segment to know about the Red Line and your work?
Exploring Baltimore on public transportation is fun! Try taking transit somewhere new. Baltimore’s trains and buses go to restaurants, museums, Orioles and Ravens games – and even hikes!
How can community members get in touch with you?
If you have questions about the Red Line in the Downtown Baltimore Segment, you can contact Rochelle Carpenter at mcarpenter1@mdot.maryland.gov. If you’d like to learn more about Red Line Ambassadors in your area, check out this blog post.
