1130                             Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 670

of the State of Maryland, providing generally for its membership,
powers, duties, operations and procedures, relating generally to
mass transit facilities in a certain metropolitan area of IN AND
AROUND Baltimore City, authorizing the Authority to license,
regulate, acquire or operate mass transit facilities in this metro-
politan area, relating also to the present powers of the Public
Service Commission over such facilities, and generally concerning
and relating to mass transportation in the said metropolitan area
of Baltimore City.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That a new Article be and the same is hereby added to the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), said new Article to be num-
bered 64B, and to be under the title "Metropolitan Transit Au-
thority", to follow immediately after Article 64A thereof, and to
read as follows:

ARTICLE 64B

Metropolitan Transit Authority
1. Declaration of Legislative Policy and Intent.

(a)   The General Assembly of Maryland makes the following
declaration as a statement of its legislative intent and policy in con-
nection with the legislation enacted by this Article.

(b)   In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the
population and growth of both established and new businesses and
industries in that portion of the State of Maryland generally referred
to as the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area, which has created
many problems in connection with the public mass transportation of
the inhabitants of this area to and from their places of work,
business, worship, education and recreation.

(c)  It is essential that efficient and rapid means of public mass
transportation be provided and properly maintained in order to pro-
tect and promote commerce, the economic well-being, effective govern-
ment and the public welfare of all sections of this area.

(d)   As the movement of persons and vehicles within the area
is of importance to the economic well-being of the area, it is
apparent at this time that it is necessary and desirable to
establish efficient and rapid public mass transportation facilities in
the area in order to facilitate the movement of travelers through
said area and to transport the inhabitants of the area from one part
thereof to another, and to make provision for the furnishing of ade-
quate and coordinated public mass transportation facilities so that
the future development of the land and the distribution of population
and business within the area can be accomplished in an orderly and
economic manner.

(e)   The regulation of public mass transportation facilities in this
area on a coordinated basis throughout the area without regard to
political and legal jurisdictional boundaries by and through a
common instrumentality is a proper and necessary step towards the
alleviation of transit and traffic problems in the area.

(f)   The transportation needs of the area require the coordinated
efforts of both private and public capital, the preservation and