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Go Montgomery is distributed by Montgomery County Government Department of Transportation.
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Friday, March 18, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
MCDOT Accepting Applications for Landscaping and Photography Competitions
Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is accepting applications for
its 30th Annual Keep Montgomery County Clean and Green (formerly Keep Montgomery County Beautiful) Landscaping and 25th Annual Amateur Photography competitions.
MCDOT’s Community Outreach website will post photos of last year’s winning entries for both contests after they are announced at GreenFest on Saturday, April 30. The Landscaping and Photography contest applications explain the guidelines and judging criteria.
For more information, call
Community Outreach at 240-777-7155 or email mcdot.outreach@montgomerycountymd.gov to
request a nomination form either by mail or electronically.
Leggett Announces Recommended FY17 Operating Budget; Includes Funding to Move Forward on Bus Rapid Transit
On March 15, County Executive Ike
Leggett released his recommended fiscal year 2017 budget. A highlight of his
announcement was funding for Bus Rapid Transit and improved Ride On service for
key corridors. In the memorandum that transmitted Leggett’s budget to the
County Council, he explained the critical role that providing more transit will
play in enhancing the County’s economic future:
“The future economic vitality of
our County depends on increased transportation investment to accommodate more
residents and to encourage job growth. One of my highest priorities is to
provide world class transportation options to our residents who live and work
throughout the County. While we continue to work with the State to plan for
longer-term solutions, I am committed to putting practical, cost-effective transit
options on the ground in the near-term.
“On Maryland Route 355, I am
programming $5 million in my Capital Budget and calling upon the State to match
my commitment to move the MD355 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) study to the next
stage. In addition, I am recommending the peak period express Ride On bus
service from Clarksburg to the Shady Grove Metrorail Station to begin Spring
2017 and funding for bus acquisition for Ride On Plus priority service from the
Lakeforest Transit Center to the Medical Center Metrorail Station. On US29, I
am recommending $6.5 million in my Capital Budget for the planning and design
of a high-quality BRT with the intent of getting this route up and running in
less than four years.”
Other transportation highlights
include:
- Continue to roll out the Parking Guidance System that uses dynamic signage to direct visitors to the Capital Crescent and Bethesda/Elm Garages. The signs will be installed at key locations in downtown Bethesda and will display real-time space availability and hourly rates.
- Enhance the Call-n-Ride program, a subsidized taxi service for low income seniors, by reducing age eligibility from 67 to 65 to add 445 participants to the program.
- Respond to 13 storms totaling 52.5 inches of snow in FY16.
- Work with the Maryland Congressional Delegation to secure $100 million in federal transportation funding towards construction of the Purple Line.
- Install new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in garages and lots in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton.
- Convert single space parking meters to multi-space pay machines at the NOAA and Kennett Street garages and the Bonifant and Easley parking lot in Silver Spring. These new machines allow payment using coins, credit cards and pay-by-cell phone; provide receipts; and allow real-time communications, web-based management and secure wireless alarming.
- For the Call-n-Ride program, reduce average trip costs from $23 in 2012 to $16. The savings resulted from the introduction of a new swipe card system. With these savings, participants can take about three more trips per month.
- Implement a load testing program on bridges where heavy vehicles are restricted to provide more accurate calculations that could allow restrictions to be lifted and eliminate costly rehabilitation projects.
- Convert five new diesel Ride On buses to CNG using a petroleum reduction initiatives grant of $550,000 to reduce fuel usage by more than 825,000 gallons over the next 12 years, saving the County more than $1 million in future fuel costs.
- Complete construction of two new compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, one of which is open to public use. The CNG will replace more than one million gallons of diesel fuel a year, saving the County $2.2 million in operational and maintenance costs over the next 10 years.
First of 57 New Ride On Buses Have Arrived
New Ride On buses have begun
arriving in the County and as soon as they are checked and approved, are being
put into service. By June, riders will see 57 new buses that will be replacing
the oldest buses in Ride On’s fleet.
MCDOT’s Gary Erenrich Moderates Session at Global Mass Transit Report Conference
On March 8, Gary Erenrich,
Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) acting Deputy Director for
the Office of Transportation Policy, moderated a national conference session on
policy guidance for transit management and safety issues. The fourth annual
Transit State of Good Repair conference was hosted by the Global Mass Transit Report in Washington, D.C. The conference's focus was to explore the
implications of new transportation legislation, The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which is the first long-term transportation bill
passed by Congress in 10 years.
The conference program is available
online.
New Report Shows Traffic Crashes Cost Employers $47.4 Billion in 2013 (From March 3, 2016 Network of Employers for Traffic Safety Newsletter)
A new report, funded by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), highlights ways businesses can
help save lives and money through roadway safety education in the workplace.
Protecting employees from motor
vehicles crashes could be a profitable investment for U.S. businesses,
according to a new report released today by the Network of Employers for
Traffic Safety (NETS). In 2013, U.S. traffic crashes cost employers $47.4
billion in direct crash-related expenses, which includes medical care,
liability, lost productivity and property damage. The study showed that
employers could control costs by promoting safe driving habits, including seat
belt usage and the elimination of speeding, drunk driving and distracted
driving, whether or not employees are on the clock.
The study was funded by the U.S.
DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and updates a 2002 study,
titled the Economic Burden of Traffic Crashes on Employers.
“The consequences of traffic
crashes are far reaching. It’s a domino effect that negatively impacts
individuals, families, communities and businesses,” said Dr. Mark Rosekind,
NHTSA Administrator. “It is critical that individuals make safe choices.
Driving behavior change in traffic safety is something NHTSA is exploring
through a series of regional summits. We hope employers will join us and look
at this report as a motivator to help save lives and prevent injuries on our
roads.”
The report shows that more than 1.6 million work days were lost due to traffic crashes, with nearly 90 percent of those days attributed to crashes that occurred off the job, involving employees and/or their dependents. The report details the costs to employers of traffic crashes occurring on and off the job associated with driver behavior.
The report shows that more than 1.6 million work days were lost due to traffic crashes, with nearly 90 percent of those days attributed to crashes that occurred off the job, involving employees and/or their dependents. The report details the costs to employers of traffic crashes occurring on and off the job associated with driver behavior.
Speeding resulted in $8.4 billion
in crash-related expenses, with distracted driving close behind, at $8.2
billion. Driving under the influence of alcohol resulted in $6.0 billion in
losses and not wearing a seat belt added $4.9 billion to the total. In
addition, the report finds that medical costs paid by employers per employee
injured in a crash were nearly double in on-the-job crashes where the employee
was not wearing a seat belt and increased by a third for off-the-job crashes.
Click here for an Infographic of the findings.
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| Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA Administrator |
"The consequences of traffic
crashes are far reaching. It's a domino effect that negatively impacts
individuals, families, communities and businesses...We hope employers will join
us and look at this report as a motivator to help save lives and prevent
injuries on our roads." says Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA
Administrator
"When people think of the
human and financial impact of traffic crashes on the workplace, they think
about company car drivers," said Jack Hanley, Executive Director of NETS.
"This new report is an eye-opener. It shows that employers bear the crash
costs of all their employees, not just their company drivers. Investing in road
safety is good business and today's report provides employers with a blueprint
for developing business cases in support of employee road safety."
In tandem with the new report, NETS
is introducing a free toolkit to help employers encourage employees to wear a
seat belt. The toolkit was piloted by Coca-Cola Refreshments at its Bismarck ND
site, where observed seat belt usage increased from a baseline 54 percent to 84
percent over a 6-week period. Coca-Cola Refreshments is a unit of The Coca-Cola
Company, a NETS board member. All the materials used are available in the
toolkit and require minimal time and cost to conduct an all-employee site-wide
seat belt usage improvement campaign. The free toolkit is available at
2seconds2click.org. NETS also offers at no charge The Comprehensive Guide to
Road Safety™ for employers with occupational drivers—available via its website
at trafficsafety.org.
The Senior Connection Wins National Award; Senior Connection Seeking More Volunteer Drivers
The Senior Connection relies on
volunteers and is looking for more volunteer drivers to escort senior clients
to medical and other appointments.
Training and liability coverage are provided, and volunteers have
flexibility to create their own schedules.
The trainings are held at the
Senior Connection office located in the Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950
Ferrara Drive, Silver Spring. Sign up for a volunteer training session on one
of the dates listed below:
- Wednesday, March 23 from 7-8:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 13 from 10-11:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, April 27 from 7-8:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 11 from 10-11:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, May 25 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Get a volunteer application online
or contact volunteer@seniorconnectionmc.org
for more information.
MCDOT Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Four More Garages
This brings the number of County
parking garages with EV charging stations to 10, providing charging spaces for
24 vehicles. The other garages are: Bethesda Capital Crescent (Garage 31), Woodmont
Corner (Garage 11) and Waverly (Garage 47) garages in Bethesda; the
Cameron/Second Street Garage (Garage 7) and Kennett Street garages (Garage 9)
in Silver Spring; and the Amherst Garage (Garage 45) in Wheaton.
All the stations are connected to
the nationwide ChargePoint Network of searchable charging stations, are
Chargepoint Level 2, and accept payment using a ChargePoint Network card or
RFID enabled credit card.
MCDOT Conducts Intensive Effort to Fill Potholes
Earlier this month, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) began conducting an intensive effort to fill the
County’s potholes. Since January, the department has filled more than 1,000
potholes reported through MC311 and others crews encountered as they made their
rounds. MCDOT has been focusing on pothole repair by adding extra equipment and
staff from all seven of MCDOT’s regional depots. MCDOT repairs potholes every
day of the year except during rain and snow – and this year has been no
exception. However, “Snowzilla” and the wide fluctuations in temperature over
the last couple months have accelerated the creation of potholes, so crews will
be out in force to aggressively respond.
“This has been a winter of extremes
in temperature, which exacerbate formation of potholes on our County roads,”
said Leggett. “That’s why our Division of Highway Services crews are out in
full force to ensure that our roads are in decent shape. I want to thank our
staff for their tireless efforts to keep the roads clear of ice and snow and
for all they do to repair and maintain our transportation infrastructure.”
MCDOT relies on residents to report
potholes through MC 311’s online system or by calling the MC311 Call Center at
311 or 240-777-0311, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Drivers are
asked to be cautious and patient when encountering crews filling potholes.
MCDOT maintains over 5,200 lane
miles of roads in Montgomery County. The Maryland State Highway Administration
(MSHA) fills potholes, plows snow and maintains numbered routes in the County,
such as Maryland routes 355 or 97. MSHA can be reached at 301-513-7300 or
online. In addition, municipalities, such as the cities of Rockville or
Gaithersburg, handle their own repairs.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Go Montgomery - March 3, 2016
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Go Montgomery is distributed by Montgomery County Government Department of Transportation.
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Leggett Announces Plans to Have BRT Operating in County Within Four Years
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| From Left to Right: Councilmember Berliner, Councilmember Elrich, Couty Executive Isiah Leggett, MCDOT Director Al Roshdieh and Councilmember Navarro |
Implementing BRT on US 29 within the next four years;
- Starting Ride On Plus priority service on MD 355 from the Lakeforest Transit Center to the Medical Center Metrorail Station in less than two years;
- Adding peak period express Ride On bus service on MD 355 from Clarkburg to the Shady Grove Metrorail Station to begin spring 2017;
- Programming funding to advance the MD 355 BRT study to a Locally Preferred Alternative stage;
- Requesting that the State fund the annual WMATA operating cost necessary to begin peak-period, MetroExtra service on Veirs Mill Road;
- Evaluating options for design and construction of BRT on Veirs Mill Road once the State-led BRT planning study has determined a Locally Preferred Alternative in FY 2017; and
- Continuing to fully support the State’s plan to seek Federal funding for the Corridor Cities Transitway and actively explore with the State opportunities to implement the system in phases to lower the initial cost.
New Bikeshare Station Installed at Medical Center Metrorail Station
A new Bikeshare station
– the County’s 54th -- was installed on February 23 at Medical Center between the Metro station and the Kiss and Ride parking lot. The station
features 10 bikes, with room for 19 bikes to dock.
Montgomery County’s Capital Bikeshare program was launched in September 2013 in Bethesda,
Friendship Heights, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Rockville, Shady Grove and the
Life Sciences Center area. Bikeshare ridership helps reduce the number of
people driving alone, improves air quality and maximizes the County’s
investment in transit infrastructure like Ride On.
More information about
Capital Bikeshare is available online.
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