Baltimore’s push to whip its transportation department into shape is paying off, but only in fits and starts. After months of grilling the Department of Transportation, City Council members have squeezed out some concrete fixes, including new mapping of broken streetlights, a revamped 311 form, and around-the-clock parking patrols. Yet lawmakers say the big, systemic problems that slow basic services are still stuck in neutral. They are seeing better day-to-day responsiveness, but warn that missing procedures, a growing parking backlog, and unresolved vendor deals are still leaving neighborhoods in the lurch. The takeaway so far is incremental progress on the edges rather than the sweeping overhaul council members had hoped for.
…