Bus Rapid Transit on Route 355
The Action Committee for Transit broadly favors the creation of BRT lanes in the median of Route 355 between Clarksburg and Bethesda as recommended in the July 3rd 2019 Phase 2 Planning Study before the Planning Board. The construction of lanes dedicated to high-frequency BRT and local bus service will allow high trip reliability and time savings for transit riders and demonstrate the County’s commitment to a high-quality mixed use corridor not dominated by automobile traffic..
At the same time, we note that the improvements associated with the mixed traffic BRT alternative nearly double bus/BRT ridership with very little diversion from Metrorail, according to the study’s travel forecasts. The increases are attributed to faster running time (queue jumpers, selected bus-only lane areas, signal priority), more frequent service (as often as every 6 minutes), and new comfortable buses, stations, and high recognition/branding..
The next phase of work should explore how to quickly put into place this interim stage of BRT, and how to arrange/phase incremental improvements to also serve the longer horizon median lanes BRT. There is no point in delaying a big increase in transit ridership while we make the bigger investments to create the ultimate system. The ideal should not be allowed to obstruct the improvements in service that increase transit use..
The next phase of work should also strengthen the ridership forecasting to correct the shortcomings acknowledged in the study. This would mean incorporating the Veirs Mill Road and other BRTs into the transit network, and providing explicitly for the quality of service and reliability of a dedicated lanes BRT compared to the operation in mixed traffic. We agree with the study conclusion that the ridership of a median lanes BRT should be significantly better than that of the mixed traffic alternative, and feel that the difference is not sufficiently reflected in the forecasts..
We also urge you to recommend that conversion of existing travel lanes be further explored during the next phase of work to reduce cost and impacts from widening the roadway. Finally, we urge that preliminary engineering for both the Veirs Mill Road and Route 355 BRTs be advanced together – both are high volume bus corridors, and have a positive impact on each others’ effectiveness.