Baltimore City residents have been speaking out against the cost structure and lack of access to the inaugural Charm City Lights display at Druid Hill Park, which began on Dec. 5 and runs through Jan. 1.
Hosted by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, the exhibit features a mile-long drive-through display of holiday lights every evening from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The entire park closes at 5:00 p.m. to non-participants for the duration of the exhibit.
Of the 28 nights, only two “Stride and Lights” nights were offered to walkers (Dec. 11 and 19) and one “Bike and Lights” night offered to bike riders (Dec. 14).
The initial press release promised a “discounted rate” for these theme nights, though the fee structure only constitutes a discount when compared to the car/drive-through nights if there is a single person in the car. The cost for one car is $10 (plus a $2.51 fee), and the cost for a walker or bike rider is $5 (plus a $2.51 fee). Two walkers or bike riders are charged more simply by way of fees than a car with the same number of people. Cars with four or more people are significantly more economical than a group of walkers or bike-riders would be.
Remington Park resident Jed Weeks, who is also executive director of Bikemore, an advocacy organization for creating bike-friendly policies and infrastructure in Baltimore neighborhoods, said his concerns were two-fold: the pricing structure and the prioritization of cars, and a larger issue of Rec and Parks programming not reflecting what their own surveys showed residents and park users wanted.
Weeks pointed out that Rec and Parks did lower the price for bikers and walkers, which initially was $10 per biker or walker. His concern was equity.
“It’s not very equitable to be charging essentially people biking or walking into the establishment more than the people driving through,” Weeks said. “That all is tied into sort of automobile use around the park and how the communities feel about that park. It’s their space. And so, in working with those communities, a lot like what we’ve heard over and over again is they want more pedestrian accessibility into the park. They want to be able to use the park at all hours. They want it to feel like neighborhood park even though it’s a city-wide park.”
Weeks referred to the master plan for Druid Hill Park, which puts heavy emphasis on reducing automobile usage and driving through the park, and turning many of the roads into pedestrian walkways.
“When you see funds, to this extent, significant funds being spent on programming that doesn’t necessarily reflect interests from community members and park survey respondents say they want, it just feels like it’s wasteful,” Weeks said.
Lauren Oleykowski started a petition requesting that Rec and Parks make at least half of the evenings accessible to bikers and walkers, and to make admission free to city residents.
The petition on Change.org spells out that for a family of five, car admission costs $12.51, walking admission costs $23.18, and biking admission costs $35.90. She sees this as an equity issue in a city where nearly 30% of households do not have access to a car. (Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance puts that number at 27%.)
“This means that many residents are excluded from enjoying Charm City Lights on the car nights and only have two nights to access on either foot or on bike, and that experience costs them more than what car owners pay for the experience. Furthermore, it’s important to note that public parks are paid for by tax dollars, and they should be free to access and accessible and enjoyable for everyone in our community, regardless of their mode of transportation, or their ability to pay,” reads the petition.
The petition has 297 signatures as of publication, and Oleykowski plans to send it to Reginald Moore, Director of Recreation and Parks, and Mayor Brandon M. Scott when she has 300 signatures.
“I think it should be free, especially for citizens in Baltimore who don’t have a car, now that inflation is really hitting families hard this year. And I think that in a public park with a display that is put on using public taxpayer dollars, all Baltimore citizens should be able to enjoy this even if they can’t afford to pay,” Oleykowski said.
Oleykowski said it is unfair to make residents pay to see the display, given the other expenses families face around this time of year.
“I’m privileged that I can afford to pay that and that’s fine,” Oleykowski said. “But there are a lot of people in Baltimore who are struggling to buy groceries and to put holiday meal on the table, and to charge people to see a holiday light show when they’re struggling with so many other things when we paid for it with our tax dollars, I really think that people should be able to enjoy this without [having to pay] with all the other things that they’re struggling with.”
Kevin Nash, public relations officer for Baltimore City Recreation and Parks responded to Baltimore Fishbowl’s inquiry in an email with the following statement on Friday, Dec. 15:
“We always welcome the feedback to help us improve programmatic experiences and it’s no different with Charm City Lights. The public has spoken, as they came out in record numbers to support Stride & Lights. We plan to host a few more walk nights in the coming weeks. This is the first year, so we’ll continue to explore ways to grow Charm City Lights so that it is a unique experience for years to come.”
According to the Eventbrite ticketing site, however, there is still only one more Stride and Lights available, scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 19. An individual ticket is $5 (plus $2.18 fee) and a family pack for a family of up to five people is $20 (plus $3.18 fee).
Graham Coreil-Allen, president of New Auchentrolley Terrace Association said in an email:
Staging the Charm City Lights holiday display was a wonderful idea for our beloved Druid Hill Park. Sadly, Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks’ (BCRP) closure of the entire 745 acre park after 5pm to all people except paying drivers (plus a few ticketed nights for people to walk or bike) represents a de facto privatization of public space that is glaringly inequitable to working residents and families who seek to enjoy the green space after typical work hours. We have never experienced an event where the entire park is closed to residents unless they can afford to pay a fee. Why would BCRP decide to deprive our community of access to our historic park?
Aproximately 50% of residents around Druid Hill Park do not drive. Most work during the day, and are only able to enjoy the open space after they get off around 5-6pm. Local residents walk their dogs in the park and enjoy the health benefits of evening exercise like basketball, tennis, and running. Young black men especially enjoy playing basketball in the park well into the evening. BCRP’s decision to close off the historically free public park so that they can transform it into a revenue generating event hurts the residents of West Baltimore by limiting access to the public health benefits of a free and safe open space. Shame on BCRP for ignoring the needs of local residents.
