 Montgomery County Resuming Ride On Bus Fare on Aug. 1; Fare Will Be Reduced to $1After 28 months of temporarily suspending fare collection due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation's (MCDOTs) Ride On bus system will resume fare collection on Monday, Aug. 1 on all services, including Ride On, Ride On extRa, Flex, and Flash. Fares will continue to be free throughout July. The new fare will be set at $1. The one-way pre-pandemic fare was $2 per ride. Monthly passes, which were $45 per rider prior to the health crisis, will be $22.50 starting Aug. 1. The new fares were supported by County Executive Marc Elrich and approved by the County Council in May. County bus fares will be free for seniors (age 65 and older), persons with disabilities and youth under 19 (older if still in high school). Specialized SmartTrip cards are needed and can be obtained through the MCDOT Mobile Commuter Store, Silver Spring TRiPS Commuter Store, any County library or the Montgomery County Division of Treasury in Rockville. Students can also obtain their specialized ‘Youth Cruiser’ card through their school. Learn more here. |
 Ride On and Metro Bus Routes Available to Take Residents to Montgomery County’s 14 Early Voting Centers During Primary ElectionEarly voting in Montgomery County for the 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election will be available at 14 early voting centers from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Thursday, July 7, through Thursday, July 14, including Saturday and Sunday. MCDOT’s Ride On bus service has several routes available to transport voters to the early voting centers located throughout the County. For bus routes and to learn more click here. Ride On bus fare remains free through the end of July. |
 Montgomery County Showcases Its New High-Tech Flood Sensor Program That Can Provide Earlier Alerts to Residents About Potential FloodingMontgomery County showcased its expanded early warning Flood Sensor Program that can alert residents sooner about flooded roadways, potential dam failures and streams overflowing their banks. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and MCDOT Director Chris Conklin were among those at a demonstration of one of the 35 high-tech sensors in Germantown last month. The U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate is providing the County with the sensors. The sensors detect rising water levels and provide early warnings about high water or flooding. They are being installed at flood prone sites across the County. Learn more here. |
 Beginning Sunday, July 17, the MCDOT will be launching the new Ride On Bus Route 27 to serve Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Center and the surrounding Silver Spring area. This new service comes after a public hearing held on Thursday, June 2 which allowed MCDOT to receive input and feedback about the new service, in order to provide the best opportunity for implementing a successful service. The new route will operate between Hillandale Transit Center and the Tech Road Park and Ride lot with stops along Powder Mill Road, Cherry Hill Road, Plum Orchard Drive, Broadbirch Drive, and Tech Road. The route will have connections with Metrobus, Ride On, and Flash bus routes, as well as other transportation services within the network. |
 MCDOT Seeks Public Feedback on Amherst Avenue Bikeway Project in Wheaton by Thursday, July 21The Amherst Avenue Bikeway project is identified in the Bicycle Master Plan as one of the highest priority bikeways in the Wheaton Central Business District (CBD) in Montgomery County. Located just a block from and parallel to Georgia Avenue (MD 97), the Amherst Avenue Bikeway Project would substantially improve the bicyclist’s safety and connectivity for people of all ages and bicycling abilities biking to and through the Wheaton CBD by installing an on-road bikeway. On Tuesday, June 28, MCDOT hosted a virtual public meeting to present the current design, the 2-way cycle track, stormwater management concepts, as well as other intersection improvements. A recording of the meeting and the presentation are posted on the project website under the "Project Document" tab. Public input is key to the success of a capital improvement project as it helps us to better understand the needs and concerns of the community. The public has until Thursday, July 21 to provide input through this online form. |
 Montgomery County's Ride On Flex - Celebrates Three Years of Convenience, Reliability and Ease of UseMCDOT’s Ride On Flex on-demand transit service is celebrating three years of helping riders get around Rockville and Glenmont/Wheaton. The simple and convenient bus service is hailed for its ease of use and reliability. Read the WTOP article here. |
 Public Invited to Virtual and In-Person Visioning Workshops July 6, 14 ,19 and 22 to Share Ideas and Feedback for the Future of the Fairland and Briggs Chaney AreaEach Visioning Workshop will include a presentation of the equitable engagement efforts to date, followed by a discussion on the community’s vision. The feedback and ideas collected during the Visioning Workshops will inform Montgomery Planning’s preliminary recommendations for the master plan. Online registration is required to attend each event. |
METRO UPDATES UPDATE: Rockville Metro Station East Side Closure – Temporary Bus Stop Relocations – Extended Through Early October The ongoing Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Administration (WMATA) construction and paving work at the Rockville Metrorail station has been extended through at least early October 2022. All bus stops on the East Side will remain closed and temporarily relocated due to this project, which began on Tuesday, June 7. Bus stops have been moved from the east side to either the west side or on the street at MD 355. Wayfinding signs have been placed at the Metro station to help riders locate their bus stops. Ride On staff will be onsite at the station, for rider assistance. Learn more here. Lower-Priced Unlimited Metrorail and Metrobus Passes Now On Sale Metro announced lower-priced, unlimited Metrorail and Metrobus monthly passes on July 1. The passes provide more flexibility and value to customers who no longer commute five days a week. In addition, all customers traveling on Metrorail after 9:30 p.m. on weekdays will pay a flat fare of $2 per one-way trip. Learn more here. |
ROAD CLOSURESA Portion of Montgomery Avenue to close for Avocet Towers Investors, LLC Building Project at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda From 5 a.m., Saturday, July 9 through 9 p.m. Friday, July 15 one lane will be closed on Montgomery Avenue between Wisconsin Avenue and Waverly Street for paving work. For questions contact Traffic Engineering Services Project Coordinator Lauren LeVardi at 443-531-8228. Traffic Pattern Changes on a Portion of Massachusetts Avenue (MD 396) in Bethesda There are vehicle and pedestrian traffic pattern changes on southbound Massachusetts Avenue (MD 396) at Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda. The traffic pattern change was requested by MCDOT as part of a long-term closure of Ridgefield Road for a realignment project. Weather and progress permitting, Ridgefield Road should reopen by year-end 2023. The work performed during the traffic change and road closure is part of the nearby Westbard development project. During the Ridgefield Road closure, Ride On busses traveling southbound on Massachusetts Avenue will be permitted to make a left turn onto Little Falls Parkway during morning and afternoon peak traffic hours. No other vehicles are permitted to make this left turn movement. For questions on this work contact Eric Davidson, Senior Manager at 904-598-7829 or EricDavidson@regencycenters.com. Washington Gas Closes a Portion of River Road (MD 190) in Bethesda From 7 a.m. Monday to 7 p.m. Saturday there will be lane shifts with two-way traffic on River Road (MD 190) between Fenway Drive and Bradley Boulevard for the next 3-5 weeks for a gas valve project. For questions call 703-750-5222 or email community@washgas.com and reference project number S14V5-2022-REP. State Road Projects in Montgomery County View a list of upcoming lane closures and planned construction in Montgomery County here.  Transportation Research Board Details Efforts to Make National Travel More ADA AccessibleAs part of a running series on equity, the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board (TRB) recently laid out in detail the resources aiding transportation accessibility in the U.S. for people with disabilities – an area governed and aided by the federal American with Disabilities Act. Read the Transportation Today article here. |
 Map: Pedestrian Fatalities in the U.S. Reach Four-Decade High; See Which States Had the MostPedestrian deaths in the U.S. reached a count not seen in 40 years. An estimated 7,485 pedestrians were killed in 2021, up 12 percent from the 6,711 deaths reported in 2020, according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit organization that tracks those figures. Fatalities increased in all but 13 states, including California, Maryland and Missouri, from 2020 to 2021. According to a GHSA analysis, states in the Southwest and South have the most deaths when adjusted for population. Read the NBC News article here. |
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