Posts about MDOT

For example, in Montgomery County, the state will build a $63 million interchange at Georgia Avenue (MD 97) and Randolph Road, to speed up traffic near the Glenmont Metro station. With ramps and longer crossings, the interchange will further degrade pedestrian access to nearby shopping from residences.

For the amount spent on this project, the county could build much of the long-discussed Georgia Avenue bus rapid transit project from Wheaton to Olney instead.

Montgomery County is pushing another grade-separated interchange at the Veirs Mill Road (MD 586) and Randolph Road. Based on past experience, we can expect that the planned Veirs Mill bus rapid transit project (the county's largest bus route) will continue to lose out to the expensive interchange for priority.

The interchange would not only compete for funds with this proposed rapid bus corridor, it would also make conditions much worse for the many pedestrians who cross these roads to stores and bus stops at the intersection. Read the whole list of the county's priority transportation projects here.

In Prince George's, despite numerous setbacks, the 6,000-acre greenfield Westphalia development project outside the Capital Beltway and miles from the nearest Metro station still maintains a top ranking on the list from local elected officials. The price tag for the road infrastructure to serve this massive tract of largely undeveloped land is $460 million.

The transportation projects would convert Pennsylvania Avenue (MD 4) into a freeway from the Capitol Beltway to Woodyard Road (MD 223), and add 4 interchanges along the way. The Westphalia plan calls for adding 14,000-15,300 new residential units and up 6 million square feet of commercial space.

The county transportation lists also contain important transit, bike, and pedestrian projects, but often these proposals languish while road projects advance. Other important transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and complete streets solutions never even make the list. We need to fund projects that meet the growing demand for more transportation choices that save time, energy, and money.

If Marylanders are asked to pay more, each dollar must be invested wisely. Residents need better and more affordable transportation choices. So where should this money go?

First, let's fix Maryland's existing infrastructure, like our aging roads, bridges and transit systems. Then, let's build modern transit to move more people efficiently and competitively, while providing alternatives to congested highways like the Beltway, I-95, and I-270. It's long past time for critical rail investments like the Purple Line, Baltimore Red Line and MARC expansion, and better bus service.

At the local level, state revenue to local governments should go to fix and maintain local street connections, sidewalks, and bikeways for existing communities.

Moreover, given high unemployment, smart growth transit options can help the economy. Public transportation and road maintenance are the biggest job creators. According to the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, investments in road maintenance projects create 9% more jobs than spending on new highway capacity; increasing transit capacity creates 19% more jobs than new highway capacity.

If Marylanders are going to pay more, we deserve to know what the money will buy. We need a bill that that specifies smart, fix-it-first policies for the state. Otherwise, we're just throwing our money into the dark.

The plan makes particular mention of a key element of the RAC report which BOT/COG glossed over: the importance of helping the WMATA Board focus on high-level policies and performance metrics instead of trying to get into the weeds of exactly how many cents SmarTrips should be allowed to go negative or which escalators seem to be out more often.

It also asks the working group to analyze one of the other major RAC recommendations, creating a better-defined public input process for board decisions.

Finally, the plan also puts off decisions on many of the specific BOT/COG proposals, some of which are sensible while others are unwise. The informal working group will evaluate those specifics over the next year and draft potential legislation to be introduced in the 2012 legislative session.

Unfortunately, this cuts Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax City, Loudoun, Montgomery and Prince George's local officials out of the decisions about which BOT/COG or RAC recommendations to implement. It's particularly problematic for the Northern Virginia counties and cities, who are the ones that pay for Metro.

The state government has long shown a reluctance to help fund transit in Northern Virginia, and Governor McDonnell's recent "great time to build roads" transportation plan continues in that tradition. Will NoVA governments have as much incentive to put up their own limited money when a Secretary of Transportation who's from another party and has political ambitions of his own is negotiating on their behalf?

DC and Maryland officials who deal with WMATA communicated a feeling that it's easier to work with one single state government than an association of local governments. Projects sometimes have to be split into more pieces so that Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria can participate, and some decisions take longer because the three need to coordinate and talk with the smaller cities as well.

However, this ignores the political realities. The DDOT and MDOT officials are prioritizing the convenience of doing their own jobs over the fact that Northern Virginia has a regional interest that Richmond lacks. If the state government wants to start contributing more meaningfully to Metro and make a long-term commitment, then it deserves more of a role in the governance.

During the RAC's deliberations, riders expressed appreciation for having local officials making decisions. Local officials are more responsive to riders and more directly aware of the actual issues on the ground versus just the theories. State DOTs, on the other hand, are notorious for being out of touch with residents, as this video so hilariously points out. MDOT and VDOT, especially VDOT, have not been exceptions. While I can see why state DOT officials would find it appealing to make WMATA more like a state DOT, other officials and riders should view this effort with skepticism.

If the Northern Virginia governments had actually been the problem with Metro, there would be sense in suggesting a more centralized decisionmaking structure, but if anything they have been some of the best board members and the strongest advocates for a good system. Their localities have also done the most to merge land use and transportation planning, in Arlington's case for decades, and with Fairfax making it a priority with the more recent Tysons plans.

On another note, while the writers of the report acknowledge the Riders' Advisory Council report as well as the Board of Trade/COG task force report, the appendix only lists three bullet points where the RAC report makes recommendations not in the BOT/COG report. It omits the rest of the letter that was taken from, which also lists the areas the RAC disagrees with BOT/COG.

That could be misleading, and the RAC is putting out a press advisory to clarify the situation. It seems unprofessional to excerpt the letter in this way. If the authors didn't want to call attention to the opposition to some ideas, the report could easily instead have simply listed the original list of recommendations (PDF, page 7) from the actual RAC report, like it listed the Board of Trade recommendations.

The WMATA Board is already changing. At least 6 of its 14 members will be new this year, and likely several more as well. The new board has a great opportunity to start governing well. If they succeed, perhaps all of these changes to appointment procedures and the like will be unnecessary. If so, the question will be whether the Secretaries of Transportation can put their own political interests aside and avoid pushing for too many "reforms."

As always, funding is the main obstacle. To this end, MTA and the Maryland Department of Transportation continue to work closely with members of the state's Congressional delegation and the Maryland General Assembly to find sources for more reliable and appropriate funding for MARC capital improvements.

MDOT has made this a priority in its efforts to influence Congress's work on a surface transportation reauthorization bill. Thankfully, Governor O'Malley and his administration remain committed to maintaining current service levels and to expanding service as the revenue picture improves.

The Plan has already resulted in one early improvement: a new rush-hour Washington-Baltimore Penn Line train that was added in 2008, substantially reducing the number of standees on the most crowded evening run. An additional late night round-trip added at the same time, however, was soon withdrawn due to a budget shortfall.

Another noticeable improvement for many passengers has been the replacement of all 19 of the older GP40 locomotives from the 1970s. MTA ordered 26 new MP36 engines, at least 18 of which are already in service, which should improve reliability and allow for service increases when money can be found.

13 bi-level cars have been added to the MARC fleet in the past two years, acquired from neighboring Virigina Railway Express. MARC now operates more passenger cars than at any previous time in the agency's history.

The agency has also been working to improve customer comfort. Seat cushions in all 63 bi-level cars have been replaced. The appearance of coaches should also be improving, as all cars' exteriors are now being hand-washed every 180 days when Amtrak inspects them.

Crews are beginning to install a new passenger information system at each MARC station, which will visually display GPS-based estimated arrival times for the next two trains, and make computer-generated audio announcements as a train approaches. Installation of this system on the Brunswick Line will be completed this winter, with the Penn and Camden Lines expected to follow by the summer. Amtrak's New Carrollton and Aberdeen stations, where Penn Line trains call, already have such systems.

Expanded parking is in place at Perryville, Aberdeen, Martin Airport and Point of Rocks, and work has begun to expand parking at West Baltimore.

MTA and Amtrak have agreed to terms laying the groundwork for the establishment of weekend Penn Line service, but further action was precluded by state budget constraints. The capital improvements and agreement with CSX necessary for additional Camden Line service have been funded, but there are no operating funds available to add one new round-trip which could otherwise start immediately.

MTA and CSX have agreed on near-term capacity improvements for the Camden and Brunswick Lines, some of which began in 2010. MTA plans to pursue the triple-tracking of portions of both lines incrementally as funding becomes available. Recovery Act-funded preliminary design work for a fourth track between Halethorpe and Odenton has also begun.

Recently-completed work by Amtrak now allows two MARC trains to arrive or depart simultaneously at Washington Union Station. Beginning in 2011, MARC plans to move trains to near Martin Airport for storage to free space at Baltimore Penn Station.

MTA has started to prepare specifications for a procurement of new cars in 2014, but is also exploring opportunities to acquire equipment as part of another agency's contract.

Aside from securing dedicated funding, the agency's other major priorities are to acquire Baltimore's Riverside shop from CSX and construct a new maintenance facility for MARC equipment.

Given the severe constraints it has had to operate under, and the mechanical deficiencies that have plagued its service, MTA has done a remarkable job of making meaningful improvements.

All Marylanders and the entire capital region have a stake in ensuring that MTA gets the resources it needs to bring the MARC Growth and Improvement Plan to fruition. Continue to urge your federal representatives and, if you live in Maryland, your state legislators to come up with a dedicated funding source for safe, reliable and affordable regional rail and transit service.

Back in October, Delegate Waldstreicher cc'd me in an email conversation he was having with Sarah Libby, the friend of one of the tragically deceased young men. She wrote,

I was trying to figure out a way to turn this terrible tragedy into something positive and I was thinking that perhaps there could be some sort of legislation regarding blinking lights around metro stops and large intersections. Adam and Rory were being responsible drinkers in that they took the metro home from the bar rather than drive ... after a certain time, the lights at that intersection [Rockville Pike and Marinelli Road] go from Green and red to blinking yellow and there is no walk sign.

Sarah struck a chord with my life experience. I use the Metro for play as well as work and have walked home after many nights out. The thought of being tragically killed after responsibly using the Metro for nightlife is sobering for anyone. When I asserted that Rockville Pike in its current pedestrian-unfriendly form would be an impediment to realizing the vision of the White Flint Sector Plan, I did so from the both the heart and from personal experience as a pedestrian.

After speaking to staff and the Maryland SHA and MCDOT, Del. Waldstreicher updated Sarah on November 9,

MCDOT and SHA are conducting a station-by-station review to focus their safety efforts on those Metro stops with significant post-midnight pedestrian traffic. For example, I assume there will likely be light changes near stations like Wheaton, Glenmont, and Bethesda (in fact, this has already happened at the White Flint station). Meanwhile, less dense stations like Medical Center and Grosvenor will likely have no light changes. I think this common-sense approach is exactly what we need from both a procedural (less bureaucracy) and substantive point of view.

Delegate Waldstreicher made another fair point,

Hard-red lights at 2 a.m. could possibly encourage non-compliance by drivers (there's no-one around so they'll just go). It may have the same effect on some pedestrians. Even though I believe we are in the right and the net effect will be positive, I don't want to pretend that cycled lights are a silver bullet.

As frustrating as the substance of this point may be, I think it's a valid concern. A traffic light could lull a pedestrian into a false sense of security when a motorist is just going to run them over anyway while ignoring a red light. Sarah subsequently replied:

I understand the concern of non-compliance with the lights during the later hours causing more danger and might I suggest red light cameras in those intersections? ... If nothing else I do believe that the 24 red/green lights will slow people down. According to some witnesses, this young man who killed Adam and Rory was going between 70 and 100 mph.

Being from the area, he like most of us probably knows that all of the lights around here blink after midnight and while yellow means yield, realistically that does not happen. I think that had he known that there is an actual non-blinking light ahead he would have started to slow down, especially if he knew he could get a red light ticket."

The replies from the SHA, MCDOT, and the county police were all very prompt, professional, and responsive. They deserve credit for listening and trying to make things better in the short term. None of the current staff of MCDOT or the SHA is responsible for decisions in the 1960's that turned Rockville Pike into the monster that it is today.

This tragic event shows how quickly people who are otherwise uninterested in transportation policy quickly become experts when it touches their life. It also underscores how much our infrastructure and urban form shape our everyday life. In another email with Sarah, I compared my experiences that inspired me to become an advocate to taking the Red Pill in The Matrix, a metaphor she agreed with. Sarah and the families of Adam and Rory have taken the most painful kind of Red Pill.

Very often, a painful life experience can inspire someone to make a difference in the world. The silver lining of the tragic deaths of Adam and Rory is that the county and state are now closely examining pedestrian transportation policy around Red Line Metro stations. The actions will move Montgomery County towards a more balanced transportation system for all.