 TODAY: Montgomery County Steps Up Impaired Driving Enforcement and Provides Safe Ride Options for St. Patrick's Day on Thursday, March 17St. Patrick’s Day for many is a holiday associated with alcohol use. As a result, impaired driving makes the holiday a dangerous time. In an effort to prevent death and injury that often accompany driving under the influence, the Montgomery County Police Department is ramping up enforcement efforts and the MCDOT is providing safe ride resources for residents who will be celebrating with alcohol. Learn more here. |
 MCDOT Celebrates ‘Transit Driver Appreciation Day’ on Friday, March 18, and Encourages Community Support for Bus Operators MCDOT will join in the worldwide celebration of “Transit Driver Appreciation Day” with County Executive Marc Elrich who will present a proclamation recognizing the day at 12:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Bus Depot. County Executive Elrich will be joined by MCDOT Director Chris Conklin, UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO President Gino Renne and other County representatives. This event will be dedicated to celebrating the service of public transit employees and will be streamed live on the @MCDOTNow Twitter account. MCDOT is one of many public transportation providers to recognize the public service of transit employees and employs more than 650 bus operators to support the transit services that include Ride On, Ride On extRa, Flex and Flash. Passengers may take a photo with a “Thank You” sign, then tag @RideOnMCT and @MCDOTNow on Twitter with the hashtag #TransitAppreciationDay to receive a free SmarTrip card while supplies last. Once the photo is posted, direct message Ride On with an address noting where to mail the SmarTrip card. Comments and notes of thanks are also appreciated.  MCDOT Increases Ride On Bus Service; Reinstates Ride On extRa, Flex and Flash Bus ServiceThe new schedule changes returned bus service to 86% of pre-COVID levels on Sunday, March 13. This is a 6% increase from the temporary January reduction due to the number of employees who were sick from or exposed to COVID-19 during the recent surge. The bus routes that have resumed service or increased frequency include: - Ride On Flex, the on-demand service in Wheaton/Glenmont and Rockville is now in service.
- Ride On extRa, the limited-stop service along MD 355 between Lakeforest Transit Center and Medical Center is now in service.
- Flash, the bus rapid transit bus line servicing US 29 has resumed full weekday service and continues to service the Food and Drug Administration campus in White Oak.
- Ride On bus service increased frequency on routes 9, 14, 20, 30, 43, 56, 61, 63, and 100.
Learn more here. |
 Classes are led by certified WABA instructors and designed for adults aged 18 or older who have never ridden a bike before, have tried to learn but have been unsuccessful or who have not ridden for some time. Students will learn the basics of balancing, gliding, pedaling, and stopping using techniques to ride comfortably and confidently. The adult "Learn to Ride” and “Basic Skills” classes will be offered for $10 for County residents and free for Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and Capital Bikeshare For All members. Bikes and helmets will be provided to participants. Classes are offered in April, May and June. Learn more here. |
 Montgomery County High School Students Can Become ‘Vision Zero Youth Ambassadors’ and Help Make Roadways Safer; Deadline to Apply is Monday, March 21MCDOT is seeking 30 Montgomery County high school students to submit applications to serve as ‘Vision Zero Youth Ambassadors.’ The project-based learning program teaches teens leadership skills, outreach and engagement techniques to address traffic safety needs in their community. Youth Ambassadors are tasked to complete a group project that encompasses engineering, education, or enforcement topics. Resources and project guidance are provided by the County to execute projects that will ultimately improve the safety of County residents. Students can earn 21 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for participation. Interested public, private and home-schooled high schoolers can learn about the program and apply here.  Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich Presented His FY23 Recommended Operating Budget; Includes Investment in Education, Transportation and Climate ChangeCounty Executive Marc Elrich presented his recommended operating budget for FY 2023 on Tuesday, March 15. The presentation was recorded and available for viewing online here. The Council’s public hearings on the operating budget are scheduled for April 19 and April 20 at 1:30 p.m. and April 19, 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. Those interested in testifying in person or virtually can sign up starting on March 24. Learn more here. |
 Public Invited to Attend the Virtual New Hampshire Avenue Roadway Safety Forum, Tuesday, March 22Do you have roadway safety concerns about New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650)? Join this virtual public forum at 7:30 p.m. to voice your opinion, recommendations, and concerns about New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650) from I-495 to Piney Branch Road (MD 320). A future roadway safety audit will identify the risk to road users: pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists. The information gathered in this public meeting will be used to recommend improvements. Register to attend here. Sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids or services will be available upon request by contacting Wade Holland at 240-777-2623 or email visionzero@montgomerycountymd.gov. |
 MCDOT to Host the First New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Virtual Meeting in April MCDOT will kick off the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) planning study with the Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC) at the first virtual meeting on Wednesday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. Staff will introduce the project and share some of the initial work being done and lay out the work ahead. Residents can register to attend here. A recording of the meeting as well as presentation materials will be available after the meeting on the project website. |
 Bike to Work Day registration is now open and the first 15,000 bicyclists who register and participate will get a free T-shirt and automatically entered into a raffle for a chance to win a new bike. The event is held across the nation on the third Friday of May to celebrate bicycling as a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work. Starting at 6 a.m., bike riders can stop by one or all six pit stops that will be sponsored by MCDOT for refreshments, to listen to live music, visit local vendor displays and participate in free raffles that include a chance to win a new bike. Teleworkers and leisure riders are encouraged to participate. Learn more here. |
 Metro Will Boost Weekend Metrorail Service for Cherry Blossom Season Beginning Saturday, March 19, Metrorail will run more trains to increase weekend service with no daytime track work scheduled for four consecutive weeks. Traditionally one of the busiest ridership periods, the Cherry Blossom season and other spring activities bring large crowds of visitors to the National Capital Region. To accommodate additional riders, every weekend between Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, April 17, Metrorail will operate as many trains as possible matching weekday service levels – every 10 minutes on the Red Line and 20 minutes on all other lines. In Downtown DC where most stations are served by multiple lines, trains will arrive every 6-10 minutes. Learn more here. Bicycles Allowed on Metrorail With weather warming, a reminder that bicycles are welcome on Metrorail during all hours. Metro encourages bicyclists to be considerate of other customers and adhere to these rules when traveling with a bicycle. Rockville Metro Station Updates - The East-side Kiss and Ride lot will be closed on Friday, March 18. Vehicles parked in this area may be ticketed and towed.
- The West side Bikeshare Station is now open after being closed for several months due to the Rockville Canopy construction project. View the Bikeshare Station Map here.
Before traveling check Metro’s Status and Alerts page or follow @Metrobusinfo on Twitter for up-to-date information about service disruptions and delays. |
Hampden Lane and Wisconsin Avenue Temporary Lane and Sidewalk Closures at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda On Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., the Berg Corporation will conduct sidewalk and road closures to facilitate the demolition of the existing structure at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue. Hampden Lane will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic between East Lane and Wisconsin Avenue. The sidewalk of southbound Wisconsin Avenue will be closed to pedestrian traffic between Montgomery Lane and Elm Street. For questions contact Brent Walker at 301-908-5921 or bwalker@bergdemo.com. Georgia Avenue Temporary Lane Closures at 8787 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring On Saturday March 19 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., the Silver Spring Apartments, LLC will close northbound and southbound lanes on Georgia Avenue/MD 97 at the Planning Place intersection for paving. For questions contact Shannon Strong at 410-703-6544 or shannon.strong@bozzuto.com. Montgomery Avenue Temporary Lane Closures at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda Avocet Towers Investors, LLC has temporarily closed two lanes of traffic on Montgomery Avenue at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue/MD 355 between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday for storm drain work. Closure is expected to last until the end of April. For questions contact Nathan Squires at 301-395-5772 or nsquires@flippo.com.  The US government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), also known as the five-star safety rating, is getting a major update. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a set of new proposals for the federal program aimed at curbing the surge in pedestrian deaths. For the first time, NHTSA will consider the inclusion of advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) features, like automatic emergency braking, blind-spot detection, and lane-keep assistance. These ADAS features, which are quickly becoming standard in most vehicles today, could become essential criteria for a five-star safety rating from the government. |
 AAA: $4 Gas is the Tipping Point for Most AmericansA new AAA survey finds 59% of Americans will make lifestyle changes as gas reaches record highs. Among Americans who said they would make changes in response to higher gas prices, a majority (80%) said they would opt to drive less, with some differences among age groups: - 18 to 34 year-olds are almost three times as likely as those 35 and over to consider carpooling (29% vs 11%), which would likely involve major changes to their daily travel plans.
- Those 35 and over are more likely to favor combining tips and errands (68% vs 52%) and to reduce shopping or dining out (53% vs. 43%).
Read the AAA press release here. |
 Opinion: Why Bad Driving Habits from the Pandemic Might be Here to StayRoads seem much more dangerous, even though fewer people are driving. Read the Washington Post article here. |
 Paying Too Much at the Pump? Low-Cost Electric Bikes Can Do 500 Miles for $1It is ridiculously cheap to charge an electric bicycle, and efficient. Read the Electrek article here. |
 For transportation updates, follow @MCDOTNow on Twitter, visit the department website at montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot or sign up to receive the latest MCDOT news. |
