Maureen Jais-Mick, Rethinking the Purple Line
My name is Maureen Jais-Mick. I represent Rethinking the Purple Line, a coalition of citizens in 18 Maryland communities interested in Purple Line alternatives that are (1) affordable, (2) serve the most people and jobs, and (3) preserve the Capital Crescent Trail as a natural and safe green space.
(1) Affordable – Bus Rapid Transit is more affordable
The Environmental Impact Study (EIS) offers light rail and bus rapid transit alternatives. Light rail is not only more than twice as expensive as bus rapid transit to build, it is more expensive to maintain, and in some cities – Portland OR is one example – it has reduced the percentage of people using public transportation, due to its high fares.
The EIS (page 2-31) is vague about fares – Purple Line transfers to Metro will “initially be free,” but then what? In Maricopa County AZ, whose light rail service hasn’t even begun, both bus and light rail fares are being substantially raised to cover costs. The increases are projected to decrease passenger boardings by 28 million people over three years.
In St. Louis, fares cover only 28.2 percent of operating costs; in Baltimore 19.4 percent; and in Buffalo 21.4 percent. Taxpayers pay the rest - forever. It is irresponsible to pay $100 million per mile for a light rail system when we can’t meet our contractual obligations to our teachers and other County employees. Even if times were great, it would be irresponsible to spend $100 per mile for a system that will need a subsidy forever.
(2) Serve the most people and jobs.
Of the alignments covered by the EIS, we support the Jones Bridge Road Alignment. In 1989, when Governor Schaefer offered Montgomery County $70 million to build a cute little one-way trolley on the Capital Crescent Trail, none of us could have imagined that 20 years later the transfer of Walter Reed services to the Bethesda Naval Medical Center would drastically change our public transportation needs.
Bus Rapid Transit along Jones Bridge Road (JBR) will serve more people and jobs. As reported by Sam Schwartz Engineering, “The JBR alignment currently serves more than twice as many jobs as the CCT alignment and employment in this area is expected to grow 19% by 2030, compared with 16% job growth along the CCT alignment.” Those of us who live or work near the Naval Medical Center are concerned about congestion. Unfortunately, this is not a priority of the Purple Line, which aims simply to decrease travel times from east to west.
(3) Preserve the Capital Crescent Trail as a natural and safe green space.
Each week, 10,000 pedestrians and bikers use the Georgetown Branch of the Capital Crescent Trail for recreation and commuting.
Along with “smart growth” we also need to be smarter about growing and saving our green spaces. On November 14th, Governor O’Malley unveiled Maryland: Smart, Green & Growing. He pointed out that “As Marylanders, we are blessed with a tremendous quality of life . . . but the quality of life we leave to our children and theirs is not inevitable.” John R. Griffin, Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, added that “Forests are the region’s most strategically important natural resource.”
We agree. The EIS minimizes the fact that 15 acres of mature trees between Bethesda and the Chevy Chase Country Club will be gone forever to make way for a light rail or a bus rapid transit route. Most disturbingly, the EIS makes it clear that funding for construction and maintenance of a trail alongside a transitway is not secure.
We don’t want to push our strollers next to trains that run every five minutes. We don’t want to exercise on a tree-less path that is miserably hot in the summer. We don’t want our kids to bicycle where there used to be trees that cleaned our air, protected our water quality, eliminated storm water runoff, and provided habitat for wildlife.
What we want is a better Purple Line.
Thank you.
Maureen Jais-Mick
7017 Exfair Road
Edgemoor Neighborhood (west Bethesda)
Bethesda MD 20814
jaismick1@verizon.net
Randal O’Toole, “Debunking Portland – The City That Doesn’t Work,” in Policy Analysis, July 9, 2007, page 5.
AZCenter.com
“Analysis of MTA Purple Line Alternatives and Alignments,” Sam Schwartz Engineering, April 23, 2008, page 13.
It appears that the Purple Line would primarily serve as a feeder to existing Metro stations for a continuation of north/south travel. This function could be better and much more cheaply achieved by improving existing bus service or upgrading to bus rapid transit.
“Governor O’Malley Announces Smart, Green & Growing Initiative,” Press release issued by Shaun Adamec and Christine Hansen in Governor O’Malley’s office.
|
