We write to you today in support of regional transportation planning that identifies cost-effective, sustainable, and equitable solutions to improve mobility and helps inform investments through NVTA’s 6-year program.
Category: Better Public Transit
PRESENTATION: Creating Community Blvds & Avenues
We have the design and engineering tools to re-create arterials into dynamic streets that are safer and serve community uses like local businesses. We know that arterials make up a large share of serious crashes and deaths. But these conversions are rare. Why are they so rare? A new idea about how to change that.
MoCo Better Buses Letter on Ride On Reimagined Study Outreach
The Montgomery Better Buses coalition members and other signatories are excited about the upcoming Ride On Reimagined Study and its potential to greatly improve bus service in Montgomery County.
COMMENTS re: Draft 2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the Draft 2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the Baltimore region. The TIP can be simply described as the list of regional transportation projects using federal funds over the next four years. However, we believe it is important to look at this document not simply as a collection of individual projects, but as a program that reflects our region’s transportation priorities.
TESTIMONY re: Washington Union Station Expansion Project
NCPC file number 7746
July 7, 2022
Thank you, Commissioners and staff, for your work on behalf of our great Capital City.
The 25-year-old Coalition for Smarter Growth advocates for walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.
We enthusiastically support the updated and much improved plan.
When we last commented on the FRA’s plans for Union Station in January 2020, we affirmed our strong support for expanding rail service and the station, but shared significant concerns about the proposed retention of thousands of above ground parking spaces which undermined the entire design and facility.
Therefore, we are very pleased to see removal of the garage and the significant reduction in parking spaces. However, in our view 860 is still too many (we heard that 400 to 700 was possible and we urge the lower end of the range). Overwhelming focus must be on transit, pedestrian and bicycle access, as well as pick-up and drop-off.
Removal of the parking garage and placement of the parking underground allows for a truly transformative design with the amazing train concourse and much improved access to the trains, bus station, and pick-up and drop-off. It is a testament to the value of public input, of reducing the impact of cars, and of considering creative alternatives.
We like the location and design of the single level bus station placing it in a prominent location next to the train hall and encourage reaching operational solutions to meet demand.
We concur with the vehicle access points but ask you to ensure that the ramp on G Street and other vehicle access points not endanger safe ped/bike access.
The upper pick-up and drop-off roadway must allow for safe ped/bike access through well-marked crossings, traffic calming, and on scene safety monitors. Bicycle access to the station is important and the plan should include a well-located, secure, modern, and easy to use bike station similar to those in Europe.
We ask that you restore seating to both the Main Hall of the historic station and to the new concourses. People need comfortable places to sit while awaiting their trains and buses, and good seating contributes to a positive experience while using transit – helping rail service compete with driving. Please ensure that the historic Main Hall remains an active part of the
rail service operations – with a clear, easy connection to Metrorail and frequent bus service via Columbus Circle.
Finally, we commend your attention to the positive letter of support from ANC-6C who told me they were unable to attend in person today, and who worked closely with the planners to improve the design and circulation.
We urge your approval with appropriate recommendations for the issues we have highlighted. The Union Station Plan is very exciting – a great new vision for our region’s premier transportation hub.
Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director
(Testimony updated and amended for presentation at the NCPC hearing on July 7, 2022. Original comments submitted to NCPC are dated June 29, 2022)
I-495/I-270 FEIS Extension Letter
On Friday June 17, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released with a 30-day availability period the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and appendices, totaling 26,500 pages in 74 separate files.1
CSG in the News: How a new transit network will improve transportation in western Montgomery County
“A lot of the job growth that we’ve seen is in the Great Seneca Science Corridor” is car-dependent, “so bringing better transit will help guide that growth in a direction that is more transit oriented.”
TAKE ACTION: The future of bus rapid transit in Montgomery County
CSG won Montgomery County’s 2013 Countywide Transit Corridors Plan, which envisioned a new Flash bus rapid transit (BRT) system along major roadways. We’ve advocated to implement the plan ever since, and this past month we won actual construction funding for BRT on Veirs Mill Road and MD-355 between Germantown and Rockville! These, along with other routes, are moving forward with planning, design, and construction.
BRT is a higher quality bus service that operates more frequently; has limited stops; runs in a dedicated bus-only median or curb lane; and offers features like all-door boarding, wi-fi, and off-board fare collection. Montgomery’s first Flash route opened along US-29, although it doesn’t have dedicated bus lanes (working on that!).
See below for many, many opportunity to get involved and provide input on the upcoming BRT projects! When providing input, we’d urge you to share the following:
- Prioritize median, dedicated bus-only lanes — this is the gold standard for BRT and keeps buses fast, reliable, and out of traffic
- Routes should connect the places where the most people live and work
- Bus stops should be easy and safe to access for people walking and biking
MD-355 (Rockville Pike)
The MD-355 will connect Clarksburg, Gaithersburg, Rockville, North Bethesda, and Bethesda. The project is in the preliminary engineering phase and seeking feedback. Residents from anywhere in the county can take the feedback survey.
Visit the MD-355 BRT project website
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New Hampshire Avenue
New Hampshire Avenue BRT would connect Colesville, White Oak, Adelphi, Silver Spring, and other communities along the corridor. This route is in the study stages, and they need community feedback on station locations and other features. Register for the online meeting, and/or arrive anytime during the open house hours!
Visit the New Hampshire Ave BRT project website
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North Bethesda Transitway
The North Bethesda Transitway will connect the Montgomery Mall Transit Center to either the White Flint or Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station. The county want your input on the termini point and stop locations. Register for the June 9 or June 21 online open house, or attend the June 13 in-person open house.
Visit the North Bethesda BRT project website
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MetroNow Statement on Leadership Changes at WMATA and Operator Recertification Lapses
MetroNow released the following statement on the WMATA operator recertification lapses and leadership changes at WMATA
Sign up to testify for free fares!
Ride On bus fares in Montgomery County have been free since March 2020 and the Montgomery Better Buses coalition, organized by the Coalition for Smarter Growth, has won an extension of free fares four times. Right now, fares will stay free until June 2022. But we’d like to see free fares extended until at least October 2023, when the county’s study to redesign Ride On and Metrobus routes will be complete.