Today, Montgomery County planning staff present to the Planning Board a 78-mile version of the proposed Rapid Transit System, based on several months of data-driven modeling and analysis. The Rapid Transit System would be a premium, reliable transit service using dedicated lanes as much as possible to bypass traffic, running frequently throughout the day, and stopping at enhanced stations featuring real time arrival information and efficient boarding like that found on Metro.

A new coalition uniting groups from Baltimore to Washington announced today a joint campaign with a strong message to Annapolis: increased funding for transportation, with a particular focus on transit, must be a top priority for Governor O'Malley and the General Assembly this year. Leaders of the new coalition “Get Maryland Moving” warned that without a source of new revenue, critical transit projects like the Washington area’s Purple Line, Baltimore’s Red Line, Montgomery County’s Corridor Cities Transitway, MARC modernization and expansion, and Metro rehabilitation could miss out on federal funding and be delayed for years. Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, said in a statement, “Maryland’s economic competitiveness...

In response to the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) release today of population projections for the region through 2040, Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz issued the following statement: "The best and perhaps only way we can manage this growth and traffic is through compact walkable development linked to transit. People are already seeking out these neighborhoods and demand is rising."

Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz issued the following statement today on the Texas Transportation Institute's congestion report: "Our congestion is a direct result of poor land use planning including the dispersal of corporate employers, the separation of homes from work, schools, stores and other services, and communities where the only option is to drive. The real news is that the Washington DC region now offers more and more residents options to avoid congestion and more and more people are choosing those options. The District of Columbia is experiencing booming growth and people are flocking to transit-oriented neighborhoods in D.C., Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Hyattsville. Changing demographics and market demand are playing a big role as millennial and downsizing empty nesters are seeking these more convenient places where they can live closer to jobs and use transit, walk and bicycle..."

RICHMOND, VA -- Governor McDonnell said yesterday, "That’s right, no more gas tax at the pump. No sales tax at the pump either." "The Governor's proposal to eliminate all state taxes on gasoline isn't bold, it's terrible policy," said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. "It would send exactly the wrong market signal.