Candidates walk the line over transit (Purple Line, Montgomery County)

Purple line map
Originally uploaded by rllayman.

An article in the Gazette, subtitled "Tours of Purple Line routes help politicians refine their positions to address residents’ concerns." It is a bit frustrating, because people seem to think that transit is life killing and car access isn't. The fact is that property closer to quality transit is worth more than equivalent property not close to transit. And the better placed that transit is, the more people will use it, which reduces car trips.

From the article:

‘‘The Purple Line, I think, is the best alternative for the future,” Klein said. Residents don’t necessarily disagree.

‘‘We’re not opposed to mass transit, but we’re opposed to the destruction of our neighborhood,” said East Silver Spring Citizens Association President Bob Colvin. ‘‘Who’s paying for it? The taxpayers are paying for it.”

The only way the community will support the portion of the project that goes through their neighborhood is if it goes underground, he said.

The neighborhood is already congested, with dozens of cars backed up on Fenton Street and surrounding side streets during rush hour, Roper said. A bus or light rail system could make traffic worse.

‘‘It’s a madhouse now,” she said, adding residents are also afraid the transit line will bring in development that their infrastructure can’t support. ‘‘If you really want to take traffic off the roads ... take a lane off Colesville Road and make it a dedicated lane,” Roper said.

There are several alternatives being studied for the 14-mile east-west transit line, including a no-build option and an alternative that would manage and improve transportation without building the transitway. The transitway would run between Bethesda and New Carrollton.

A full light rail train set takes hundreds of cars off the streets! I don't see why people are so out of touch with the numbers and the impacts (except for the fact that as a friend of mine says "people aren't empiracists"). But they're looking at it backwards, focusing on the car, rather than the throughput of people overall.


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