Response by Ronald Freeland, Executive Secretary of the Maryland Transportation Authority, to a Freedom of Information Act request by CSG, Audubon Naturalist Society and Community Research on ICC tolling forecasts.
Category: Maryland
Maryland State Highway Administration Response to ICC FOIA
The November 19, 2009 response by Neil J. Pederson, Administrator for the Maryland State Highway Administration, to a request for ICC tolling forecast data by CSG, Audubon and Community Research.
Request for ICC Toll Revenue Forecasts
A Freedom of Information Act request by the Coalition for Smarter Growth, Community Research and the Audubon Naturalist Society submitted to the Maryland Transportation Authority on October 23, 2009
Transit and Highway Safety Statistics
The Metrorail collision in June 2009 prompted a spate of articles about the Metrorail system. To evaluate the relative safety of Metrorail compared to driving, the Coalition for Smarter Growth collected the following statistics.
Montgomery County: White Flint Sector Plan
We would like to express our support for the White Flint Sector Plan and urge the Council and County Executive to support it too. We strongly support the County focusing growth here at a Metro station rather than new areas that require major new public infrastructure investments like the Gaithersburg West Plan, which we oppose in its current form. We need to make the distinction – we should focus growth around our Metro stations and revitalize major commercial corridors like Rockville Pike. Conversely, the great amount of development proposed in the Gaithersburg West Plan fosters sprawl, long distance commuting, increased traffic, air and water pollution. Overzoning Gaithersburg West undermines the redevelopment of Rockville Pike and Metro station areas – the very areas where we should be encouraging sustainable, transit-oriented development and great urban boulevards and streets.
Montgomery County: Gaithersburg West
We urge you to oppose the Gaithersburg West Plan. We believe that the major expansion in planned employment proposed in the Plan is detrimental to county residents and poses a serious threat to smart growth in the region. We urge the county to refocus efforts to ensure a quality growth plan for the White Flint Metro station area, and fostering employment growth at existing underutilized Metro stations and along transit corridors in down and east county locations. The Life Sciences Center (LSC) portions of the Gaithersburg West Plan proposes excessive density for the location–far from a Metro station, which will exacerbate the housing-jobs imbalance, and induce sprawl and unnecessary car traffic.
Maryland: Testimony regarding the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Preliminary Sector Plan
We support the vision of this plan — “achieve a transit-oriented and pedestrian-friendly community that celebrates and builds on cultural diversity of the existing and future residents.” We are excited about the coming bus transit center and future Purple Line stations. We share the county’s aspiration for this plan to spark redevelopment and boost economic development on outdated automobile-oriented strip malls; building higher density, vibrant, mixed use places that are inviting for pedestrians. We agree with the plan’s emphasis on the need to improve connectivity and create a compact, walkable environment. We believe redevelopment of key commercial parcels around the planned transit stations offers great opportunity to foster an attractive walking environment, with new jobs, businesses and housing.
Prince George’s County: New Carrollton Preliminary Transit District Development Plan and Proposed Transit District Overlay Zoning Map Amendment
Overall, we want to express our enthusiasm for the plan to recreate the New Carrollton station area as a great metropolitan center with a grand transit station as the anchor. We concur with the real estate experts panel report of the Urban Land Institute that “the first step in catalyzing development at the station area is to focus on the station itself.” Built in 1978, the station is one of the oldest in the system. The station, however, is a leading economic development asset for the county.
Region’s Longest Commutes Show Need for Smart Growth and Transit
Today’s Washington Post (A-1, “A Dubious Distinction: The Longest Ride in the U.S.”) reports on Census Bureau data showing that residents of parts of Prince William and Prince George’s Counties have some of the longest average commutes in the nation. Key issues highlighted in the article:
Maryland: Supporting the Purple Line
We strongly support the Light Rail alternative directly connecting downtown Bethesda with Silver Spring, Langley Park, the heart of the University of Maryland on Campus Drive, Riverdale Park and the New Carrollton transit center.