State Transportation Priorities
The Action Committee for Transit (ACT) strongly encourages the Montgomery County Council to prioritize transit projects, particularly improvements to the MARC system, in its upcoming letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) regarding the Consolidated Transportation Plan (CTP).
Montgomery County residents depend on access to public transportation for their day-to-day lives. According to Census data from 2017, over 15% of Montgomery County residents depend on public transit for their daily commute. On the 2017 Resident Satisfaction Survey, almost 40% of residents reported using public transportation rather than driving at least twice a month. Congestion on our roads and environmental concerns will only drive these numbers higher in the future, provided Montgomery County and the State of Maryland continue to invest in our transit infrastructure.
While public transportation is essential to the economic and environmental health of Montgomery County, ACT believes that the 2017 Priorities Letter the Montgomery County Council sent to MDOT did not sufficiently emphasize transit projects, particularly improvements to the MARC system. While we agree that providing “more midday and off-peak trains will increase the value MARC service provides to Montgomery County,” the letter did not ask MDOT to prioritize an additional third track in the Barnesville Hill area of the Brunswick Line. Such an addition would significantly increase the capacity of the MARC system and help move the system toward the goal of all-day, two-way MARC service, a major boon to Montgomery County businesses and commuters.
We have local evidence that this kind of service improvement can significantly boost ridership. In December 2018, WMATA ended the Grosvenor turnback on Metro’s Red Line. Over six months, this resulted in an overall 4% increase in ridership, with some stations like Twinbrook experiencing an 8% increase in ridership. Transit service improvements, like the addition of a third-track on the MARC Brunswick line, drive increases in ridership. This type of infrastructure investment would significantly improve the ability of Montgomery County residents to move around the county.
Additionally, ACT encourages the Montgomery County Council to prioritize transit projects in general. The 2017 letter saw highway and road projects given pride-of-place above transit priorities like Metro and MARC. Our county cannot pave its way out of traffic and congestion. We must increase both transit and highway capacity in a balanced manner, but that balance must give at least equal priority to transit projects and improvements that will do more to improve congestion and commutes than any highway widening.
Finally, ACT believes it is premature for the Council to take a position on the Governor's toll lane proposal, prior to receipt of the Traffic and Revenue Model and other information requested by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). In the past, the County has supported research on a variety of methods to reduce congestion along this corridor, and the County should continue this dialogue once the public is properly informed.
Our community depends on public transit. Every day, tens of thousands of Montgomery County residents use public transportation options, like MARC, to commute to their jobs, to get home to their families, even just to go to a restaurant or shopping. We must ensure that our public transportation receives at least as much attention as our highways. Prioritizing MARC improvements and expanding MARC capacity will improve the safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life for all Maryland residents.