Monday, May 6, 2013
Residents are asked to weigh in on a 79-mile, 10-route bus rapid transit system that aims to relieve congestion for commuters.
Would dedicating one lane of traffic on major thoroughfares like Rockville Pike and Colesville Road for buses reduce overall traffic? Planners proposing a 79-mile, 10-route bus rapid transit system think so. Now, members of the Montgomery County Planning Board want to hear what you think. A public hearing is planned for Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m. at the Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. To sign up to speak, visit the planning board's website. Bus Rapid Transit would focus on highly traveled routes within the county and provide connections to Metrorail, MARC and the planned Purple Line. Recommendations included some dedicated lanes with high-speed buses, along routes that include Rockville Pike/…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The travel lanes are part of a proposal for a 79-mile bus rapid transit system using 10 routes across the county.
Planners are recommending taking out travel lanes to make way for bus rapid transit along certain sections of roadways in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Germantown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Takoma Park and Silver Spring. The recommendation is part of a staff draft of a Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan presented to the Montgomery County Planning Board Monday evening. The master plan includes a proposal for a 79-mile bus rapid transit system using 10 routes across the county. The draft will undergo an extensive public hearing process before it’s submitted to the Montgomery County Council this fall. Planners say the system will help Montgomery County meet an increasing transit demand as population and employment grows. “An …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The county planning staff will make recommendations to the board about future bus rapid transit systems at the meeting on Thursday.
Discussion about the implementation of dedicated bus lanes or bus rapid transit systems in Montgomery County will continue at the Montgomery County Planning Board's next meeting, on Thursday, Feb. 21. The county planning staff will update the board on its recent work on the Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan. A public hearing for the plan will be held on May 2, according to a planning department briefing. The planning staff recommends that Maryland State Route 355 "is the best candidate for pursuing a high-quality BRT treatment to serve future planned growth," and that U.S. Route 29 "is the best candidate for implementing dedicated bus lanes in the near term," according to the briefing. There is a concern, however, that …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Notable outcomes include county residents speaking out against a proposed smoking ban, Council cutting funding for a bus study in half, and the approval of a controversial apartment complex in Bethesda.
The Montgomery County Council met Tuesday, Jan. 22. Notable outcomes from the meeting include: County Residents Speak Out Against Proposed Smoking Ban A bill, introduced by Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen, intending to ban smoking on any property owned or leased by county government was met with negative feedback from county residents during a public hearing, The Washington Examiner reported. One resident said the ban was comparable to making it "illegal to consume on county property food containing trans fats ... genetically modified corn snacks ... and sugary sodas more than 12 ounces," adding, "It should also be illegal to wear inadequate clothing in the wintertime," according to the report. Others testified that the ban could hurt …
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Montgomery County Council will meet Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 9:30 a.m. in Rockville.
The Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing regarding an amendment to FY 13-18 Capital Improvements Program and supplemental appropriation to the FY13 Capital Budget that will provide an additional $1 million to development of the Rapid Transit System. "The funds would provide for additional studies as precursors to full-fledged project planning studies for certain bus rapid transit (BRT) lines identified by the County Executive's Transit Task Force to be built in a first phase," according to County documents. The studies, according to the County, will include: The full information packet for the public hearing is available online and the hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Other agenda items of note include: The …
Monday, November 12, 2012
Veirs Mill Road, University Boulevard and Georgia Avenue are among the county roads under consideration for dedicated BRT lanes.
One of three public meetings this week in Montgomery County this week about the future of bus rapid transit will take place at the Wheaton Library on Thursday. The Nov. 15 meeting runs from 6:30-9 p.m., with a formal presentation by transportation planners beginning at 7 p.m. Transportation planners are exploring the introduction of bus rapid transit on major county roads in order to reduce congestion as the county continues to develop. These main corridors include the roads that pass through the heart of Wheaton: Veirs Mill Road between Rockville and Wheaton, University Boulevard between Wheaton and Takoma/Langley Park, and Georgia Avenue between Silver Spring and Olney. Projections for BRT daily ridership are 25,000 for the Georgia …
It could be a tight squeeze to dedicate traffic lanes for a proposed rapid bus network along some of the county's most congested corridors.
If transportation planners have their way, drivers in some of Montgomery County’s most congested corridors could start losing some of their traffic lanes. The reason: a sprawling network of high-speed buses that will need dedicated lanes, particularly in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Germantown and White Oak. Unlike decades-old proposals for mass transit lines like the Corridor Cities Transitway—which has nearly all of its 15-mile right-of-way already set aside—the Bus Rapid Transit network would have to find room along county roadways. That has raised concerns of even more crowded roadways and increased commute times for those who can’t—or won’t—shake their driving habits, reported The Washington Post. “Is there a risk here? Yes,” Mark Winston…
Monday, June 25, 2012
Find out what will be discussed at the Tuesday meeting.
What is bus rapid transit, or BRT, and how will it change the Georgia Avenue corridor? The State Highway Administration is setting up an open house Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. to answer these questions and more. Although there will be no formal presentation, attendees are welcome to ask questions about what effects BRT will have on this major road, including any environmental impact. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria at Parkland Middle School, 4610 West Frankfort Drive, Rockville, MD, 20853.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Transportation officials will field questions about Veirs Mill Road project on Wednesday.
An open house on Wednesday in Wheaton will give residents a chance to learn more about a planned bus rapid transit system along Veirs Mill Road, the State Highway Administration announced in a news release. SHA will present information about the planned transit project between the Wheaton and Rockville Metro stations. There will be no formal presentations. Attendees will be able to view displays about the project from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the Holiday Park Senior Center. Representatives from SHA, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Authority will discuss a BRT planning study. They will explain the system’s operations and the need for the project and will compare it to other …
The task force's 150-page report was unveiled Tuesday.
A county-commissioned task force Tuesday called for a “comprehensive” bus rapid transit network across Montgomery County that would span 160 miles, providing an alternative to congested roads. A bus rapid transit network was first envisioned four years ago by County Councilmember Marc Elrich (D-At Large) of Takoma Park, The Gazette reports. The task force unveiled a detailed report Tuesday outlining their vision for the transit system. The group refined the vision over a period of 15 months, meeting more than 30 times to create the 150-page report, The Washington Post reports. Officials have touted the system as the “future of transportation” in Montgomery County, according to The Gazette. In a statement Tuesday, Elrich called the group’…
Corbetto
8:56 am on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Unless the plan includes adding a NEW dedicated lane to these thoroughfares for the rapid transit buses, there is absolutely no way that such a service does anything the opposite and increase congestion. Any plan that reduces the existing number of lanes, on roads like Rockville Pike, available to the general car-driving public would do nothing but cause substantial increases in wait times at … more ›