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MCDOT Has Temporarily Reduced Ride On Bus Service, Due to
Bus Operator Shortage
MCDOT
has temporarily reduced Ride On bus service due to a growing number of
employees sick from, or exposed to, COVID-19.
The
schedule changes offer considerably more service than the previous
pandemic-related cuts, but the system will have fewer trips on about
half of its routes while maintaining the same span of service. Overall,
service will be reduced by about 9 percent from the current schedule.
The
service changes will be revisited in six to eight weeks or once bus
operator availability begins to return to normal levels.
As
part of the reduced service changes, the Flash weekday service is now
operating on a weekend schedule, and Ride On Flex and extRa bus
services have been suspended. View the new bus schedules here.
MCDOT Announces ‘Heads Up, Phones Down’ Video Contest to be
Held Feb. 1-22 for Teens to Promote Safer Driving and Walking
Montgomery
County teens will have an opportunity to win some great prizes by
producing videos to encourage peers not to allow cell phones to
distract them while driving and walking.
MCDOT's
“Heads Up, Phones Down” high school video contest will accept entries
of 30-second Public Service Announcements (PSAs) starting Tuesday, Feb.
1. Montgomery County public and private high school students can submit
videos for the contest. Video entries can be submitted individually or
as a group of up to four in English or Spanish.
Entries
can be submitted for individuals or for groups of up to four. There is
one grand prize and a first and second runner up for both the
individual and group submission categories. Winning group submissions
will split the grand prize with gift cards for each member. Individual
submissions may qualify for prizes including a PlayStation Five, an
Apple Watch or tripod. Students can submit their entries on the
website’s entry form here. Students
may also qualify for up to five Student Service Learning (SSL) hours
for successfully completing an entry.
Visit
the contest website for more information at montgomerycountymd.gov/HUPD.
 MCDOT Provides Free Taxi Service to COVID-19
Vaccination and Testing Sites for Seniors 65+ and Residents with
Disabilities
Select taxicab companies that operate
in Montgomery County are providing free roundtrip transportation for
older adults and members of the disability community to COVID-19
vaccination and testing locations.
To schedule a free trip:
- Call Connect- A-Ride
at 301-738-3252 and provide your name, address, phone number and
age to receive a “Free COVID Taxi Code.”
- Then, call one of the
Taxicab companies listed below to arrange your roundtrip
transportation. You will be asked for the "Free COVID Taxi
Code".
- At the end of your
trip, the taxi driver will have you sign a voucher so MCDOT can
reimburse them for the transportation.
- Drivers and riders
must wear face coverings for the duration of the trip.
- Participating taxicab
companies include:
- Action Taxi:
301-840-1000
- Anytime Taxi
301-637-9292
- Regency/Barwood
Taxi: 301-990-9000 or 301-984-1900
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Bethesda's Woodmont Corner
Garage 11 Payment System Modernization and Rate Change Begin Tuesday,
Feb. 1
On Feb. 1 MCDOT will change the
payment system in the Woodmont Corner Garage (Garage 11) in Bethesda.
The existing pay on foot system will be replaced with a pay by plate system
The new system will operate like metered spaces where customers
estimate their duration and prepay prior to leaving for their
destination. The new hourly rate will be $1.50. The hours of
operations and PCS status will remain the same.
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 Don’t’ Be Salty, Be Salt-Wise
With snow in the forecast. Be
salt-wise, it's easy as 1-2-3.
1. Shovel right away
2. Use less salt
3. Sweep & reuse
MCDOT manages the County’s snowstorm
response and has implemented steps to reduce salt usage such as the
use of brine to pretreat roads, installing rubber bumpers on all snow
plows allowing for early plowing and staff and contractor training on
salt usage. Learn more about the Be Salt-Wise program at bit.ly/SaltWise.
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 Free Bikeshare Rides for Mobile SmarTrip Card
Offer Available Through June
Metro and Capital Bikeshare are
pleased to offer free bike rides to eligible Metro customers on the
regional bikeshare system. Create a mobile SmarTrip® card through the
end of the promotional period and you can earn ten free 45-minute
classic bike rides on any one of Capital Bikeshare's 5,000+ bikes
across 650 docking stations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Existing
mobile SmarTrip® users can also get in on the deal. The rides are available
for 30 days after signing up, and you can redeem your free bike ride
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sign up here.
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 The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Commuters Connection Program is Accepting Nominations for the 2022
Employer Recognition Awards
Award nominations are open to all
private sector companies, non-profit organizations, and government
agencies in Montgomery County who have initiated, enhanced or
expanded an alternative commuter or telework program. Nomination
deadline is Monday, Jan. 31. Learn more here.
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 County Executive Elrich Releases Recommended FY 23
Capital Budget and Recommended FY23-28 Capital Improvement Program
Learn more here.
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METRO UPDATES
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During the station closures,
construction crews worked around the clock to rebuild the
platform canopy at Rockville Station, install safety
and communications improvements at Shady Grove and Rockville
stations and advance safety-critical track work.
Some ongoing parking
closures will remain in effect as Metro completes
improvements and restores the parking facilities at both
stations over the coming weeks. The County's Ride On buses
will remain at the current site until work on the Rockville Kiss and Ride
lot is complete. Learn more here.
For Metro alerts and updates,
visit wmata.com/alerts.
Metro to Focus on Root Cause Analysis
and Technology Solutions Prior to the Return of 7000-Series Railcars
Metro will continue to operate its
currently scheduled rail service, with customer wait times averaging
less than 10 minutes on all lines. Learn more here.
Metro Reduced Bus Service Due to Bus
Operator Shortages
Metro has reduced bus service
schedules due to bus operator shortage. Learn more here.
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 Maryland Department of Transportation Seeks Public
Feedback on Draft Statewide Transit Plan
Maryland’s first Statewide Transit
Plan will provide a 50-year vision of coordinated local, regional,
and intercity transit across the state. This plan will define public
transportation goals and strategies for Maryland’s rural, suburban,
and urban regions with a vision toward increasingly coordinated,
equitable, and innovative mobility.
The draft plan is available for
public comment through Feb. 18. For more details, visit mta.maryland.gov/statewide-plan.
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 MDOT SHA to Develop State’s First Pedestrian
Safety Action Plan
The Maryland Department of
Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) initiated
the state’s first Pedestrian Safety Action
Plan (PSAP) to address the safety needs of pedestrians
and bicyclists.
Throughout
the development of the PSAP, there will be multiple opportunities for
residents to provide feedback.
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