Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Go Montgomery! December 31, 2019


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purplelineillustration

Silver Spring Transit Center Bus Stop Location and Schedule Changes Begin Jan. 5  

Purple Line construction will impact the following Ride On bus routes in and outside the Paul Sarbanes Transit Center for the next several months. Learn more. 

hawk

MCDOT Activates HAWK Beacon in Bethesda  

MCDOT continues efforts to enhance pedestrian safety by activating the newest high intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) beacon where Tuckerman Lane is crossed by the Bethesda Trolley Trail. The beacon flashes yellow when a pedestrian presses the signal button, then turns solid yellow and finally red to stop oncoming traffic; pedestrians are then given a walk signal. Learn more. 

acecaward

MCDOT Wins Award of Excellence for Region's First Protected Intersection 

The Second/Wayne Avenue Cycletrack in Silver Spring has won an Engineering Excellence Award from ACEC/MW. The project included the State's first protected intersection, a two-way separated bike lane, a floating bus stop, and the County's first bicycle traffic signal and bikeometer. Learn more about this project and award. 

fentonstreet

Fenton Village Bike and Pedestrian Projects Community Meeting to be Held Jan. 21

MCDOT will host a public meeting to brief the community on and receive feedback about several bicyclist and pedestrian and safety improvement projects in the Fenton Village and downtown Silver Spring areas. The projects to be discussed are:
  • Fenton Street / MD 410 Intersection
  • RedesignGrove Street
     Neighborhood Greenway Pilot
  • Fenton Street Bikeway Study

visualimpaired

Orientation and Mobility Assistance to be Offered to Visually Impaired Customers of Silver Spring Transit Center  

Orientation and Mobility specialists will offer appropriate guidance for navigating the temporary bus and pedestrian changes around the Silver Spring Transit Center on January 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at the Silver Spring Metro Station, south entrance in downtown Silver Spring. RSVP to Marybeth Cleveland, O&M Specialist at mbcleveland@fastmail.net, subject line JANUARY 11 or call 301-412-4224. For a few days before and after January 11, additional County staff will be stationed around the Silver Spring Transit Center/Metro Station to help direct people to the locations of the temporary bus stops.  

newsidewalk

MCDOT to Hold Public Hearing About Proposed Sidewalk on Jones Lane in Darnestown, Jan. 22

MCDOT invites the public to provide comments concerning construction of a sidewalk proposed to facilitate safer travel on Jones Lane in Darnestown.  The hearing will start at 7 p.m. in the Jones Lane Elementary School located at 5110 Jones Lane, Darnestown. 

purplelineinterview

MCDOT's Purple Line Coordinator Interviewed on Montgomery Al Dia

Maricela Cordova, MCDOT's Purple Line Coordinator, was interviewed on Montgomery Al Dia about upcoming community impacts resulting from the Purple Line construction.  Montgomery al Dia's is the County's Spanish 'live' radio show on Radio América 900 AM. See interview conducted in English and Spanish.

pedestriancomfortlevmap

Update on Pedestrian Master Plan 

Earlier in December, staff updated the Montgomery County Planning Department on the Pedestrian Master Plan, a comprehensive project to improve pedestrian safety and comfort across Montgomery County, making it safer and walkable for pedestrians of every age and ability. [See the December 19 staff report.] The update included a summary of community outreach and education efforts. Residents are invited to comment on the Pedestrian Level of Comfort Map, which allows community members to visualize the varying comfort of the county's sidewalks, pathways, trails and street crossings for pedestrians. 

roadclosedsign44

Alderton Road to Temporarily Close During Storm Drain Construction 

MCDOT will be excavating replacing a storm drain culvert along Alderton Road in Silver Spring, beginning in early January 2020 for about three months. Construction work will occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

kimlamphier

Montgomery County Native Inspires Funding for State Bike Projects 

(December 20, 2019 by Kate Masters) 
Longtime cycling advocate and Montgomery County native Kim Lamphier wasn’t alive to see more funding awarded to bike trails across the state. But friends say she would be gratified by a December 20 announcement from Gov. Larry Hogan, who pledged $3.8 million to the state’s Bikeways Network Program for the next two years. Read the Bethesda Beat article. 

projects33

MCDOT’s US 29 Flash Bus Rapid Transit Project Featured on WAMU 

(December 20 by Jordan Pascale) 
In an online article, “Five D.C.-Area Transportation Projects To Watch For In 2020”, MCDOT’s plans to have buses arrive every 7.5 minutes during peak rush hours and 15 minutes otherwise along the Route 29 corridor. The service will run from 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. every day, providing a critical, reliable transit link. Follow @Flash_BRT on twitter or visit www.ridetheflash.com to learn more.

ezpass

Ensure Your E-ZPass Transponder is Mounted Properly

Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) tweeted last week, asking riders to make sure their transponders are mounted correctly, otherwise it may not work.
Learn more.

car2go

Share Now (Car2Go) Will Only be Available Through the End of February

Starting February 29, Share Now, the car-sharing service, will no longer be available in North America. The company will be pulling back its service to focus on 18 European cities. Read the Washington Business Journal article.

mobilemetro

SmarTrip App Coming Soon to Apple

Metro's long awaited mobile payment system app is coming to iPhone and Apple Watch next year. Riders will be able to use a virutal SMarTrip card stored in their Apple Wallet to tap in at fare gates and load value through their phones. More announcements to come! Read the Washington Post article.

driveatnight2

Ten Safety Tips for Driving at Night From AutomotiveFleet.com

An estimated 90 percent of all driver decisions are based on what the driver can see. Yet at night, one's vision is compromised, which may account for the fact that approximately 40 percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents occur at night. Now is a good time to take steps to ensure your safety when driving at night. See 10 tips. 

supershuttle

SuperShuttle Ceases Operations to Reagan National and Dulles International Airports

SuperShuttle, the service that ferries travelers to and from airports across the country, stopped serving Dulles International and Reagan National last Sunday, amid reports that the company is shutting down operations entirely at the end of the year. Read the Washington Post article.

gomofooter

December 31, 2019


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2020newyear

Transportation-Related Schedule Changes for  New Year's Day

  • County Offices - Closed.
  • Ride On - Operates on a Sunday schedule. 
  • Ride On Flex - Does not operate.
  • Commuter Stores - Closed.
View more schedule changes.

soberridenewyear

Don't Drink and Drive this Holiday Season, Use SoberRide For Free!

Why risk driving impaired on New Year’s Eve when there’s an option for a free ride home for up to $15? The Washington Regional Alcohol Program - WRAP - is offering its Holiday SoberRide® program, in partnership with Lyft, nightly from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. through January 1, 2020. Learn more.

metronbc4

Metrorail Service Will Stay Open Later on New Year's Eve

Riders will be able to take Metro until 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve, but the system will open late on New Year's Day. Learn more at wmata.com.

nowhiring

Work with us! MCDOT is hiring for the following positions:

  • Manager III - Transit (applications due 1/2/20)
  • Program Specialist I – Transit Communications (applications due 1/3/20)
  • Senior Transit Information Systems Technician (applications due 1/7/20)
  • Engineer III/II/I - Traffic (applications due 1/8/20)
  • Capital Projects Manager – Parking (applications due 2/14/20)
  • Transportation Systems Technician I/II/III (applications open until filled)
Go to MCG Careers to learn more.

AAAOtto

MCDOT Partners With AAA on Promoting Safety

The Safe Routes to School team partnered with AAA's talking robotic car "Otto the Auto" to educate students at Travilah Elementary School about pedestrian and bike safety and distribute safety reading materials and reflective bags. 

onlinebikemap

Online Interactive Bike Map Helps You Get Around

Did you get a new bike over the holidays? Looking for places to ride in Montgomery County? Check out MCDOT's interactive BIKE MAP online.

bikeridewalk

Bike, Ride or Walk - Be Safe, Be Aware!

There may be fewer bikes on our roadways during cold weather, but it's still important to remember to allow at least 3 feet when passing a cyclist. Bicyclists most follow all the rules of the road when riding in traffic. Be on the lookout for one another and read these tips for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.

snow winterguide
Go Montgomery's Snow Edition Now Available!

vrchallengewheatonmall

MCDOT Hosts VR Safety Challenge at Westfield Wheaton Mall

On Dec.14, educational safety materials and giveaways were distributed to over 2,000 shoppers, who had a chance to participate in an interactive, virtual reality experience, where participants encounter multiple traffic scenarios and learn ways to reduce injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists.

rideonflexbanneriedited

Try Ride On Flex 

If you haven’t already, try Flex, Ride On’s first on-demand service. Download the free Ride On Flex app and use it to request weekday rides in the Glenmont/Wheaton and Rockville areas. Learn more at www.rideonflex.com.