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@ MoCo BRT: I don't see the County saying the whole idea of BRT is bad, but I see there being some healthy skepticism that the entire 160 mile network is feasible/worth building in the next 10 years. They already have a 3 phase system set up, so why not just focus on phase 1, build that, let it operate for a while, and see how the development community and the citizens respond to it. Putting buses down a congested corridor will do nothing for traffic, if the congestion is generated in hundreds of miles of suburban neighborhoods located off the corridor, and the corridor is only a means of moving people through an area (Connecticut avenue!). BRT is better served by corridors like Rockville Pike and Georgia Ave where there are nodes of high density, higher transit dependent populations already in place, and on a couple of east/west routes as a way of regionally linking the local ride-on system.

I'd suggest putting the aggressive BRT plans into the local master plans, then using that language to justify redevelopment along the phase 2 corridors while phase 1 is being constructed, so that phase 2 will have density planned or built to warrant it, and, the redevelopment can help pay for the cost of the lanes and shelters. As a MoCo resident who generally does not mind higher taxes for public benefit, and understands the needs for transit, I find a potential 15% increase in property taxes steep, not just personally, but knowing how negatively that will be seen to the already whining business community and potential new residents to the DC area.

by Gull on Jun 1, 2012 9:53 am • link • report