We won a historic vote at the regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB), which set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our regional transportation network by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 – just 8 years from now.
Category: Take Action
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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TAKE ACTION: NVTA 6-Year Program
Tell the Northern Virginia Transit Authority: Fund Walkable Communities, Not Highways!
ACTION ALERT #1: Chevy Chase DC Small Area Plan
A more inclusive Chevy Chase DC is a matter of equity for all DC residents. This draft plan advances citywide goals of affordable housing and racial equity with new housing, especially affordable housing, where currently no dedicated units exist.
Take Action: Support Dance Loft on 14th with affordable housing & community arts
Help ensure the Dance Loft on 14th can build 101 apartments with a mix of deeply affordable homes, family-sized units, and a permanent home for Dance Loft’s community arts and cultural center.
ACTION ALERT: Demand climate action from your local elected officials
Transportation is the #1 source of our regional greenhouse gas emissions, and we have just 8 years to slash those emissions. Yet, our local and state elected officials who sit on the regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB), are not taking the urgent – and feasible – steps necessary to reduce emissions from our region’s transportation system. They need to hear from you!
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.
ACTION ALERT: Take action to support funding for bus riders!
Our Montgomery Better Buses coalition of nearly 30 organizations is pushing for investments in Bus Rapid Transit construction, bus lanes, free fares, pre-pandemic service, and electrification.
ACTION ALERT: Support Fairfax heading in the right direction!
There are two opportunities this week to speak in favor of positive moves by VDOT and Fairfax County that will make walking and biking safer and more convenient.
ACTION ALERT: Make sure Fairfax County gets this right!
Frustrated by the unsafe conditions you face trying to walk or bike places? Send an email to support Fairfax County creating a Safe Streets program that will help make needed improvements happen faster and our streets safer.