Posts by Miriam Schoenbaum — Contributor
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The MARC’s Brunswick Line only goes one way in the AM and the other in the PM. It could do both.
Service on the MARC Brunswick Line only runs one way at a time: toward DC in the morning and away from DC in the afternoon and evening, on weekdays only. Some MARC riders think there is a simple way to make service between DC and Brunswick run both ways in the early and mid-afternoon. Keep reading…
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MARC fares may go up more than they have to
Candidate, now Governor, Larry Hogan said he opposed higher fees and taxes. Yet the Maryland Transit Administration is increasing MARC fares by more than the state law seems to require. This coincides with large cuts to tolls for drivers, raising more questions about the Hogan administration’s support for transportation that runs on rails. Keep reading…
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Rural Montgomery residents write their own transportation proposal
Boyds, a rural town in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve with a MARC station, is a commuting destination for the residents of Clarksburg, a rapidly growing town just north. To handle increasing traffic and make transit more accessible, Boyds residents want to move both a central road and the MARC station. Keep reading…
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MARC will add a bicycle car to some weekend trains
MARC plans to allow bicycles on some weekend trains on the Penn Line before the end of the year, a MARC official said last week. Bicycle advocates have long asked MARC to allow passengers to bring ordinary bicycles aboard MARC trains. MARC allows only folding bicycles on regular passenger cars. However, MARC is now spending $359,000 to convert two single-level passenger… Keep reading…
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One strip mall’s owners block, but then restore, a pedestrian path to the neighborhood
In suburban, car-oriented neighborhoods, simple footpaths can do a lot for people who don’t or can’t drive. When the owner of a Rockville shopping center inadvertently closed a popular footpath to nearby apartments, residents spoke out and were able to keep it open. Federal Plaza is a car-oriented shopping center on Rockville Pike near the Twinbrook Metro station. Keep reading…
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Bus Rapid Rabbit Transit pulls into Gaithersburg
Bus Rapid Transit is years away in Montgomery County, but residents got a preview when Action Committee for Transit and Transit Alternatives to Mid-County Highway Extended brought a bus rapid rabbit transit bus to the 76th annual Gaithersburg Labor Day Parade. Keep reading…
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Purple Line meets a stone wall in Chevy Chase
While Chevy Chase spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby against the Purple Line, town officials are demanding over $1,000 to provide documents about their campaign. Meanwhile, they’ve asked Maryland to waive fees for their own information request. When the Action Committee for Transit filed requests under Maryland’s Public Information Act, the… Keep reading…
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Turn on a bulb-out to protect White Flint pedestrians
If Montgomery County is serious about creating walkable places, it must fix dangerous intersections like Hoya Street and Montrose Road in White Flint. Drivers turning right from southbound Hoya to Montrose can’t see pedestrians beginning to cross. A bulb-out would make pedestrians visible and the intersection safer. Keep reading…
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Will Montgomery County study a transit alternative to M-83?
M-83, also known as Midcounty Highway Extended, is an environmental calamity that will cost hundreds of millions. Yet Montgomery County continues to pursue its construction. Will county leaders consider a transit alternative to a new highway? When Montgomery County planners put M-83 on the master plan of highways in the early 1960s, the county’s population was 340,000. Keep reading…
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MD highway planners to pedestrians: you’re on your own
If you’re a pedestrian who uses a state road in upper Montgomery County, don’t expect much help from the State Highway Administration (SHA). That’s the message in highway planners’ response to a letter from the Action Committee for Transit (ACT) about pedestrian safety in the upcounty. ACT’s letter asked SHA to look at 4 problem areas for pedestrians… Keep reading…