Transit Priorities, 2011-12
April 18, 2011
Submitted by Ethan Goffman
- Fully fund Metro, including eight car trains, late night service, and reliable escalators, to carry us deep into the 21st century. Metro is the skeleton around which the region's transit is built.
- Build the light rail Purple Line: this is close to the urban center and will pull growth inward, plus superbly links existing transit hubs.
- Encourage that the MARC Growth and Investment Plan be implemented as quickly as possible. This would make the MARC Brunswick line a two way all-day service rather than a limited commuter line. It would also provide another partial east-west transitway, connecting the upper I-270 Corridor to Silver Spring.
- Build county-wide and regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that uses existing roads (rather than pouring new concrete). This carries most of the benefits of light rail at much lower cost, and is ideal for connecting activity centers outside the core city and inner suburbs. To promote growth in the underserved eastern county, a priority BRT route should serve Route 29, bringing those neighborhoods service directly to the Silver Spring Metro station and the Purple Line. The Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) would fit well into this outer network. Care must be taken that BRT stations be substantial enough to attract businesses and become part of transit oriented development.
- Build true connectivity in bicycle and hiker/biker paths. These should be physically separated from cars where possible, should be clearly marked with good signage (preferably bilingual), and should connect existing paths and bridges to town centers and Metro. Better and more secure places to lock bikes is also needed. A bike share system, similar to the DC system that has seen unprecedented use, should also a slightly longer term goal. The idea is to transform biking from a maverick activity to a routine one used by kids and seniors (as occurs in much of Western Europe).
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