Montgomery County Residents Encouraged to Participate in Annual ‘Car-Free Day' to be Held on Friday, September 22; Register to Participate for Raffled Prizes

MCDOT encourages Montgomery County residents to participate in Car Free Day, a worldwide event that encourages traveling in ways that are greener than driving alone, such as walking, riding a bicycle, rail, bus, in a carpool or teleworking. Using more sustainable ways to get around helps reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion. The more people that travel using alternative modes, the fewer greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.

MCDOT will provide a “fare-free day” on Ride On buses. The action is coordinated with the Maryland Transit Administration who is offering free rides on Local Bus, Light Rail, Metro Subway, MARC, Commuter Bus and Mobility service starting Friday, Sept. 22, through Sunday, Sept. 24. 

Residents are invited to take the pledge to participate in Car Free Day by going car-free or car-lite on Friday, Sept. 22. Each entry will be entered into a raffle for some great prizes. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. Participants can take the pledge online here.

MCDOT’s Commuter Services team will be at the following locations with free giveaways and pledge cards that can be filled out to enter in a raffle drawing for gift cards, Capital Bikeshare annual membership or a $200 Smart Trip card:

• Bethesda Metro Station. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Friendship Heights Shops at Wisconsin Place. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Germantown Transit Center. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Shady Grove Metro Station. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Silver Spring Metro Station. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Twinbrook Metro Station. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Wheaton Marian Fryer Plaza. 6:30 am to 8:30 am
• White Oak Transit Center. 6:30 - 8:30 a.m.
• Lake Forest Transit Center. 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Wheaton Marian Fryer Plaza at the Hispanic Heritage Festival. 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Residents and employees working in the County who do not have a bike available can use the Capitol Bikeshare system. Thousands of pedal bikes and e-bikes are provided throughout the region, including Montgomery County. Check out a bike and return it to any bikeshare station near your destination. Single trip, daily and yearly memberships are available. The first 30 minutes of each trip is free. Visit the Bikeshare location map here. 

Many shared e-scooters are also available in higher activity areas of the County for use by those taking short trips or to get to and from transit.  Visit: montgomerycountymd.gov/commute and click on Bike and Scooter Sharing for more information.

Participants can take the pledge at carfreemetrodc.org/the-car-free-pledge. 

CARFREEMETRODC.ORG

MCDOT to Provide Supplemental Bus and Other Services During SafeTrack Surges

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) continues to develop plans to supplement the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) efforts to assist travelers during SafeTrack. SafeTrack is WMATA’s year-long effort to improve the safety and reliability of the Metrorail system. Three planned line segment repairs and around-the-clock single tracking projects, referred to as “Safety Surges,” will affect WMATA’s Red Line service in Montgomery County.

“Montgomery County residents and employees are going to be significantly impacted by SafeTrack and that is why I have directed MCDOT to take the lead in doing what we can to mitigate these effects -- not only for Red Line riders but for all travelers in the County,” said Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. “MCDOT is closely coordinating our response to SafeTrack with our regional partners – WMATA, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Capital Bikeshare -- through a multi-pronged approach in cooperation with our Police and Department of General Services -- to do what we can to offer options to our residents.”

MCDOT is coordinating with WMATA, MTA, MDOT and Capital Bikeshare to assist travelers as they continue to work on their service plans for later Surges. WMATA’s first Surge (Surge 6) in Montgomery County does not begin until August 1. WMATA has committed 40 buses to enhance service in surge areas. Responding to a request from MCDOT, MARC will add cars to existing trains during peak periods. Capital Bikeshare will offer a $2 one-time use option.

Throughout the Surges, MCDOT will be monitoring conditions and making adjustments as needed, but its initial plan is shown below:

ENHANCE RIDE ON SERVICE – INITIAL PLAN:

By keeping up to 17 recently replaced buses in service, MCDOT will both provide additional Ride On service on certain bus routes and free bus shuttles between affected Metrorail stations. Ride On will provide on-street ambassadors at affected Metrorail stations to help direct travelers to transit options.

Surge 6 - August 1 through August 7, 2016: Continuous single tracking from the Takoma to Silver Spring stations. 

Ride On will provide free bus shuttles every 10 minutes during peak travel times:

• Silver Spring to Fort Totten stations (connecting with Metro’s Green Line) with service at Takoma Station; and
• Grosvenor to Friendship Heights stations, with stops at Medical Center and Bethesda.

Surge 7 - August 9 through August 18, 2016: Continuous single tracking from the Twinbrook to Shady Grove stations.

• Ride On will provide a free bus shuttle between the Grosvenor and Shady Grove stations via I-270 every 10 minutes during peak travel times.
•  Ride On will add more buses to Ride On’s Route 46 that provides service from Grosvenor to Rockville via White Flint and Twinbrook, increasing bus frequency to every 10 minutes during peak travel times. Regular fares apply.

Surge 10 - October 10 through November 1, 2016: Total shutdown of Metrorail between NoMa-Galludet University and Fort Totten stations.

• Ride On will provide free bus shuttles every 10 minutes during peak travel times between the Silver Spring Transit Center and Fort Totten via Takoma Station along Blair Road.
• Ride On’s service will supplement WMATA’s bus bridge between Fort Totten and NoMa-Galludet University Station.

PROMOTE ALTERNATIVES THROUGH COMMUTER SERVICES

• Coordinate with area employers to use Fare Share transit and vanpool benefits and increased State tax credits to augment promotion of alternatives to Metrorail, including vanpools, buses and MARC train.
• Promote adoption of telework by employers by holding seminars and webinars and providing free consulting services. “Telework Quick Start” webinars are schedule for June 23 and 28.
• Promote employer-based carpooling by facilitating match-up meetings, online enrollment, Guaranteed Ride Home registration and incentives.
• Promote biking and Bikeshare.
• Provide interactive information through website links and personalized assistance: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/commute or email  mcdot.commuterservices@montgomerycountymd.gov  for more information

ENHANCE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT CENTER (TMC) OPERATIONS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW

The TMC monitors and provides information on traffic conditions and can make traffic signal adjustments in real time. The TMC will increase its emphasis on improving traffic flow in corridors affected by SafeTrack Surges, facilitating signal changes and providing enhanced response to disabled vehicles or other traffic impediments.

USE ON-STREET PARKING RESTRICTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT AS NEEDED TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW

MCDOT will focus efforts on traffic corridors in areas affected by SafeTrack.

Learn more about MCDOT's SafeTrack and WMATA's full plan.

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Montgomery Planning Seeks Public Input On MARC Rail Plans for Boyds and Germantown

 

Montgomery Planning is seeking public input on a new MARC Rail Communities Plan that builds on the recommendations of the previous 1985 Boyds Master Plan, the 1989 Germantown Master Plan and the 2009 Germantown Employment Area Sector Plan. The new plan will examine in greater detail the land uses, zoning, design and multimodal access to the two MARC stations. Read more. 

Community Workshops Planned in March on Plans for Areas Near the MARC Rail Train Stations in Boyds and Germantown

The Montgomery County Planning Department will be holding workshops to obtain community input on future plans for the areas around the Boyds and Germantown MARC train stations. The new MARC Rail Communities Plan will build on the recommendations of the previous 1985 Boyds Master Plan, the 1989 Germantown Master Plan and the 2009 Germantown Employment Area Sector Plan, and will examine in greater detail land uses, zoning, design and multimodal access.

This limited Master Plan will:

• Determine the appropriate land uses and densities at sites near each station.
• Provide recommendations to improve multimodal access to each station to help inform the access portion of this plan using information gathered during the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways and the Bicycle Master Plan.
• Consider other concerns raised during the planning process, such as parking.

The first set of workshops are planned for March 7 and 14-16, 2016 at the Upcounty Services Center, 12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown. See the full schedule, times of meetings and agenda online or contact Roberto Duke at roberto.duke@montgomeryplanning.org or 301-495-2168 or Leslie Saville at Leslie.saville@montgomeryplanning.org  or 301-495-2194.