No. M-8 Line
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This article describes a bus line of the Maryland Transit Administration. Information provided here is derived from old schedules and other archived resources.
The no. M-8 line is a bus line operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. It currently runs from the Milford Mill Metro Subway Station in Pikesville, Maryland to a bus loop in Randallstown. Service is provided about once every 16 minutes during rush hour, every 30 minutes midday and on weekends, and every 44 minutes in the evening after 8 PM. The line serves the intermediate communities of Sudbrook Park, Milford Mill, and Rockdale.
The no. M-8 line started operating in 1987, originating from the Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station rather than Milford Mill. During this time, it served parts of Baltimore City and County, and a larger portion of Liberty Road, where it overlapped with the No. M-1 Line. The line followed this route for 18 years, experiencing only minor changes during this time.
In 1997, MTA proposed to extend this line about a mile west of Randallstown to the intersection of Deer Park and Winands Roads in Kings Point. This plan was in response to the many riders who are forced to walk beyond the current loop to reach the residential and commercial development not served by any public bus line. However, this plan was scratched less than three weeks before it was scheduled to be implemented as a result of community opposition.
In 2005, the route of the no. M-8 line was greatly modified. From Randallstown, buses were routed to the Milford Mill rather than the Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station. This change, which was controversial, was made as a part of a major overhaul of the MTA's bus lines. It was faced with a lot of criticism.
Originally, the line was also going to be extended beyond the Randallstown loop to the Owings Mills Metro Subway Station along McDonough Road. But this extension was opposed by the middle class communities along the narrow streets of Randallstown.
The new route of the no. M-8 line does not serve a portion of Liberty Road between Milford Mill Road and the city line served by the line's old route. Riders wishing to reach these areas must now transfer to the No. M-1 Line, which involves crossing the busy street while traveling eastbound. The no. M-8 line also has lost its direct connection to many other bus lines found at its former Rogers Avenue terminus.
MTA has addressed many of these concerns. A plan scheduled to take place in 2007 will involve combining the no. M-8 line with the No. M-3 Line. This will provide single-seat service between Randallstown and northwest Baltimore's Park Heights community, and will re-establish a direct link between Randallstown and many lines found at Rogers Avenue. The line will also have a minor routing change in the Milford Mill area that will eliminate the need to cross a busy street during transfer to the no. M-1 line.
