Detailed Responses - County Council District 4

Question 1

Do you support the Locally Preferred Alternative selected by Gov. O'Malley for the Purple Line, including an at-grade light rail line with a trail alongside it on the Georgetown Branch right of way between Bethesda and Silver Spring?

David Horner (R) It should be either Metrorail or Metrobus to simplify maintenance and service. It should be funded, managed and operated by Metrotransit for more cost effictive service and not Montgomery County.

Nancy Navarro (D) Yes.

Question 2

Which is a higher priority: maintaining Ride-On Service or building the $80 million parking garage in Bethesda?

David Horner (R) Maintaining Ride-On Service

Nancy Navarro (D) I would prioritize Ride On service.

Incumbent voting record Feb. 9, 2010 vote to preserve Ride-On service, using cable TV funds to cancel proposed bus cuts - Navarro voted yes.

Question 3

Do you approve or disapprove of County traffic engineers' current policy of giving equal priority on the road to autos that carry a few people and buses that carry many people?

David Horner (R) Our traffic system is designed for automobiles that travel over all routes while buses travel over a very limited number of routes to a very limited number of places. The question is whether we want to exercise our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as free citizens of the United States or do we want to be peasants and serfs who are beholding to our political masters and give up our rights? When the politicians give up their private jets, limos with drivers, security guards and convoys, and privledged transportation and parking to take buses, trains and public transportation then we can change our transportation system from one where cars and buses are equal to one where buses have priority.

Nancy Navarro (D) I believe we need to focus on moving people, not just cars. For many years, our transportation priorities focused almost exclusively on automobiles, which has contributed to sprawl development, traffic and pollution. Now we need to improve access for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. If these modes of transportation are convenient and safe, more people will get out of their cars and use them. For this reason, I strongly support a countywide Bus Rapid Transit system as well as priority lanes and signalization for buses.

Question 4

Should any money be spent on increasing highway capacity associated with the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan before a light rail Corridor Cities Transitway from Shady Grove to Clarksburg is fully funded for construction?

David Horner (R) I prefer to see Metrorail extended to Clarksburg and beyond even to Frederick. Light rail sounds interesting, but it is really Metrorail by another name. Why introduce another organization and technology that requires a separate operating and maintence system when we can get efficiencies of scale with Metro?

Nancy Navarro (D) We should follow the staging plan in the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan, which ties development to the CCT and to the achievement of high transit mode shares. Originally, the Master Plan required the construction of several grade-separated interchanges, but I supported the removal of these requirements from the staging plan. Although the Plan leaves open the possibility for interchange expansions, I believe the construction of the CCT will make these projects unnecessary.

Question 5

Should approval of Transit-Oriented Development near Metro stations be tied to the movement of cars?

David Horner (R) We need to requre all County Council Members and the Couty Executive to use public transportation from their residences to their County offices. (I pledge to do so if elected). All County government office workers should do likewise. If our public transportation is good enough for county citizens then it should be good enough for our County officials and County employees. Why should we build and pay for parking lots for County officials and County employees when public transportation is available? Or is it?

Nancy Navarro (D) As we did in the White Flint Sector Plan, where we have adequate transit capacity we need to take advantage of this and create sustainable, walkable communities. But in order to do so we cannot focus exclusively on the movement of cars through intersections, an approach which increases traffic in the long term. Although automobile traffic should be a factor, it should not be the primary one in planning transit-oriented development. Instead, we need to focus on providing more transportation choices. If we do it right we can plan for transit-oriented development without increasing automobile traffic, as happened in Arlington with the transformation of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor into a lively urban district surrounded by stable, older neighborhoods.