Known nationally as an innovator in smart growth and environmental protection, Maryland has many opportunities for improved transportation, land use and equitable development policies.
In Maryland, the Coalition for Smarter Growth focuses on Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. We advocate for transit-oriented neighborhoods where people can walk, bicycle and take transit between home, work and play, the new transit investments to support these communities, and affordable housing linked to transit.
Latest Happenings
RELEASE: Make the Connection: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Businesses and Residents Call for Montgomery Rapid Transit to Extend to Friendship Heights, D.C. Border
Bethesda-Chevy Chase area residents and businesses today called for Montgomery County officials to ensure that the rapid transit line proposed for 355 connects Friendship Heights’ jobs and homes to the rest of the county. Stopping the route at Bethesda, instead of connecting it an additional 1.5 miles to the D.C. border could shortchange the area and the county in several ways, supporters said. “With traffic congestion rising and the possibility of local Metro stations shut down for extensive repairs, residents in our area are seeking more options for getting north to Bethesda and beyond, or to Friendship Heights and D.C.” said Chevy Chase resident Ronit Dancis. “BRT would be a great new option for our neighborhoods."
Maryland DOT letter to Virginia rejecting Potomac Bridge Crossings
Dear Secretary Connaughton: Thank you for the opportunity to clarify our position on the proposed study of the Potomac Crossings for Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Based on the draft press release you shared with my office, it appears you may have misconstrued former Secretary Swaim-Stanley's letter regarding our position on new crossings of the Potomac River.
Montgomery County Debates Bus-Only Traffic Lanes For New Transit Network
Montgomery County lawmakers are considering plans for an 80-mile express bus network that is raising a divisive issue: how many car lanes should be turned into bus-only lanes? About 80 percent of the lanes in the proposed bus rapid transit—or BRT—network would be new lanes, adding capacity to the existing
Bus Rapid Transit Supporters Fire Back At AAA Mid-Atlantic
A group of bus rapid transit supporters say AAA Mid-Atlantic’s opposition to bus-only lanes is rooted in a “fatally flawed,” traffic-solving approach of building more roads and more lanes. Next Generation of Transit, a project of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, on Thursday issued a response to AAA Mid-Atlantic’s testimony from Monday. The
VDOT Takes Heat For Big PR Bill In Support Of Bi-County Parkway
The Virginia Department of Transportation agreed to pay the D.C.-based public relations firm Stratacomm nearly $300,000 to help the agency build public support for a controversial highway plan in Northern Virginia, according to documents obtained by a state legislator through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). State Del. Bob Marshall
