Transit Times, vol. 31, no. 1, January 2017

PAGE 1

Next Meetings

• January 10 - Annual Meeting with Election

of Officers* and “Transit Is Much Safer

Than You Think” Speaker: Todd Litman,

Executive Director, Victoria Transport Policy

Institute

• February 14 - “Anatomy of Montgomery

Spring Civic Center, One Veterans Place. Meet-

ings begin at 7:30pm.

The Silver Spring Civic Center faces the Fenton

Street and Ellsworth Avenue. It is an eight-minute

walk north from the Silver Spring Metro Station.

Many bus routes can take you to and from the

meeting. Ride-On #15 and #19 stop at the corner

of Wayne Ave. & Fenton St.; Metrobus routes Z6

and Z8 and Ride-On routes #9 and #12 stop along

Colesville Road; Ride-On #16, #17, and #20 pass

The newsletter of the Action Committee for Transit of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Inside This Issue

A State-Wide Rail Network for MD...................4

The Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition is

the Action Committee for Transit, the Baltimore

Transit Equity Coalition, Prince George’s Advo-

cates for Community-based Transit and Southern

Maryland Alliance for Rapid Transit.

Can Chasing After a Bus Inspire Art?...............5

Paul Taylor was inspired to choreograph Espla-

nade by the sight of a girl running to catch a bus.

ACT moves forward an VisionZero, MARC, and

METRO, while the Purple Line is in limbo.

Purple Line Groundbreaking Still on Hold ....3

Groundbreaking for the Purple Line will not take

place until the project’s federal Record of Deci-

sion is reinstated by U.S. District Court Judge

Richard Leon.

69% of Transit Measures Pass on Nov. 8th.......3

Throughout the country this year, in 23 states and

communities of all sizes, voters considered nearly

Transit Times, vol. 31, no. 1, January 2017

way out of the legal limbo for the Purple Line, as

we wait for Judge Leon’s response to the Depart-

ment of Justice request that he reconsider his Au-

gust decision. Although advocates would have, of

course, preferred that he simply reverse that deci-

sion and allow construction to proceed, we at least

now have a possible way forward. In late Novem-

ber, Judge Leon modified his original decision and

allowed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

to determine whether a Supplemental Environ-

mental Impact Statement (SEIS) is necessary. The

2040 ridership of 50,000 would still be “one of

the most robust light-rail systems funded by the

FTA in recent years.” Now that the FTA has an-

swered Judge Leon’s question regarding an SEIS,

the next step is up to him. Our hope is that he will

follow the one of the possible paths laid out in his

November ruling and allow construction to begin.

In the meantime, we have continued our work for

better transit and sustainable land use.

METRO

bars, and hospitals (really anyone who doesn’t

work a standard 9 to 5 shift.) The service cuts

would also require Nationals fans attending games

at the ballpark to leave long before the game ends

to avoid being stranded.

Hours before ACT’s “Late Night Ride” took

place, Nats star Max Scherzer called on WMATA

to make an exception in service cuts to allow

Washington baseball fans to see all of the Nats

playoff games. That night our event was featured

We look forward to continuing to work with

our allies and elected officials in 2017 to fight for

WMATA’s future.

MARC

On the state level, we are proud to report that ACT

is a founder and member of the new Maryland

Transit Opportunities Coalition (MTOC). MTOC

brings together transit activists from all over the

state to press for the Baltimore Red Line, all-day

MARC train service throughout Maryland and

that will allow for lower speed limits in residen-

tial and urban areas. Currently, the default speed

limit on county roads without a posted speed limit

is 30 mph, regardless of whether that is appropri-

ate. Furthermore, current state law can prevent

the county from lowering the speed limit below

25mph; this means that the speed limit for cul de

sacs in residential areas must be at least 25mph.

Two bills, introduced by Delegates Moon and Ko-

rman, will grant the county the power to lower the

Ronit Aviva Dancis

President’s Letter

Transit Times, vol. 31, no. 1, January 2017

PAGE 3

Voters across the US approved 33 of 48 local and

state public transit ballot measures on November

8th, according to the American Public Transporta-

tion Association. See http://www.apta.com/me-

diacenter/pressreleases/2016/Pages/2016-Ballot-

the sales tax by ½ % to raise $120 billion over 40

years for transit, including a new rail line between

Most significantly for our own Purple Line, Prince

George’s County, MD, voters approved borrowing

money to pay for the county’s $120 million por-

Transit Times, vol. 31, no. 1, January 2017

Voters in Santa Clara County, CA passed Mea-

sure B raising their sales tax by half a cent to

new rail cars and power upgrades for running

eight car trains, additional buses for operating

Priority Corridor Networks, and rail station im-

provements.

As a link in this state-wide rail network, the Balti-

more Light Rail Red Line project would be re-

a “wasteful boondoggle.” At the same time, the

Governor conditionally approved a slimmed-down

Purple Line project that reduced much of the

state’s contribution, leaving Prince George’s and

Montgomery counties to pay more of the cost.

erick, from Waldorf all the way to Towson.” “Our

basic strategy is to make the public understand

what the possibilities are here,” he said. “Over the

next 10 to 20 years there will be several gover-

nors. I think it’s more a matter of what the public

wants than who is in office. ..”

Transit Times, vol. 31, no. 1, January 2017

PAGE 5

series. In that show, the first work was Taylor’s

vintage and best-known masterwork, Esplanade,

choreographed in (1975). Paul Taylor, now 85,

created this masterwork set to two J. S. Bach

violin concertos. It was sublime, exquisite ,and

so bursting with exuberance that I had to find out

Paul Taylor was inspired to choreograph Espla-

nade by the sight of a girl running to catch a bus,

a rather pedestrian or mundane activity. The New

Yorker review remarked, “Esplanade confers a

mythic dimension on ordinary aspects of daily

charm of novelty to everyday, mundane things.

A moment of isolation in Esplanade, is resolved

by connection releasing ebullient joy. Although

Your Transit Times editor is Quon Kwan. He wel-

comes your submissions. Cutoff date for receiving

materials for the next publication is February 10.

Send your materials to Quon at: qykwan@gmail.

com or call him at: (h) 301-460-7454

Transit Times, vol. 31, no. 1, January 2017

renewed your membership for 2017! We hope the rest

help us push for better and safer transit, sidewalks,

bike facilities, and roads. You can join/renew at a level

that’s comfortable for you;

$ 50 – Conductor

Either mail a check with your contact info to ACT at:

Action Committee for Transit, PO Box 7074, Silver

on-line payment system running, and expect to have it

operational by the time you get this letter. Thank you

all so much in advance! Also check out our website,

www.facebook.com/actfortransit

Please come to our January 10 meeting prepared to

Vice President - Jennifer Hosey

Treasurer - Nick Brand

Board Member - Tracey Lewis

Miriam Schoenbaum (Boyds) - Upcounty