With the Transit Center opening, Silver Spring is regaining some public space
Now that the Silver Spring Transit Center is open, what’s going to happen to all of those “temporary” bus stops? They could become parking spaces, or bike lanes.
Waiting for a bus at Wayne and Dixon Avenues. Photo by Dan Reed.
When the Silver Spring Transit Center broke ground, adjacent sidewalk and road space on Wayne Avenue, Dixon Avenue, and Bonifant Street were set aside for temporary bus stops and bus lanes. With Metro finally opening the Transit Center seven years later, the public is set to get the space back.
The bus stops and bus lanes have been up for so long that most of the Montgomery County employees I’ve talked with do not even remember what the roads looked like before 2008. So what should happen with this space now that it’s free again?
For now, the streets won’t change
I asked Don Scheuerman from the Montgomery County Department of General Services (DGS) and Dave Anspacher, the county planner leading the new Bicycle Master Plan, about this transition. They told me there are many possibilities, but nothing is set in stone.
With the transit center open, the county’s initial approach is to leave the streets as “status quo” so people walking, biking, and driving can become familiar with the new patterns. Afterward, Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) may look to restore the parking spaces on Wayne, Dixon, and Bonifant.
The agency is also looking at converting the bus lanes on Wayne Avenue into separated bicycle lanes, which already has strong support from County Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Tom Hucker.
Underutilized space on Wayne Avenue after the opening of the Silver Spring Transit Center, taken at the beginning of rush hour. Photo by the author.
Bike lanes would be a better use than parking
I walk those streets every weekday during rush hours, and I have never witnessed traffic heavy enough to warrant additional traffic lanes. Plus, with the hundreds of parking spaces in nearby garages, there is no need for on-street parking. Using this extra street space for bike lanes supports the county’s goals for infrastructure for people walking and biking.
These potential changes can’t occur, however, until DGS decommissions the area surrounding the transit center (including the temporary bus stops) in three to six months and constructs the Gene Lynch Urban Park, at the corner of Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road, in at least 18 months.
With the Silver Spring Transit Center finally open, the sidewalk and bicycle network surrounding the Metro may soon be transformed for the better. We still have a long way to go, but we are already moving in the right direction. What we need most now is the drive and the leadership to see this process through.