Save The Trail Coalition

Testimony -- December 10, 2009

before the Montgomery County Planning Board

Yvonne Finnegan, Kensington, MD

My name is Yvonne Finnegan, and I live in Kensington, MD.  I am here to testify against changing the Master Plan to build a double-tracked light rail along the Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring.

First off, I’d like to say that I’m a big fan of public transportation.  In particular, I would enthusiastically support a project that makes sense, like a heavy rail Metro connection underground, or along the Beltway, between Bethesda and Silver Spring.  Unlike the Purple Line, this would seamlessly connect the two legs of the Red Line and improve Metro’s infrastructure.

Please note that I live near White Flint, miles from the Trail. But like tens of thousands of Trail users, I use this nature Trail all the time and therefore I have a strong personal interest in protecting it.  I am a runner, a walker, and a biker. I am a member of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club, and I am voicing the opinions of many of my running companions.

The Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring is an important component of a healthy lifestyle for many people all over the metropolitan region.   It is a crucial link in the 20-mile loop that distance runners and bikers use on a weekly basis, going from Bethesda to Georgetown, back up Rock Creek Park and joining the Capital Crescent Trail back to Bethesda.

I believe, and it is obvious to anyone who actually walks along the Trail, that the multi-uses of the Trail -- by hikers and bikers of all ages and abilities -- are incompatible with the presence of a double-track light rail transit system.  The canopy of mature trees and the shade it provides, which is a most valuable attribute of the trail, will be destroyed. The wildlife will be sacrificed.

This portion of the trail is particularly quiet and beautiful, truly a sylvan escape and refuge.  I wish you could see what I see on my runs. I see a very old gentleman who takes his walk daily, slowly progressing with his walker; he always smiles. I see families with very small children riding their bikes—the dangers here are few, the families can relax. I see people walking their dogs. I see people running, people power-walking, people talking, sitting on benches. I see birds and squirrels and the occasional tortoise.

But there is so much more that I don’t see: the oxygen that the trees supply; the lower temperatures that the foliage provides in the summer; the animals that keep a low profile.
But with the Purple Line, it would be just another noisy urban transit corridor.

It is a given for conscientious urban planners that green space is an invaluable resource. Many progressive urban communities around the nation are seeking to create or restore such pockets of nature—quality of life reports always include accessibility to nature trails.

Forward-thinking members of the medical community, as reported in the Health & Science section of the November 17 2009 Washington Post, are now, and I quote, “medicating their patients with nature in order to prevent (or treat) health problems ranging from heart disease to attention deficit disorder.”a So here we have a wonderful resource.  Why would we want to destroy it, when far more suitable alternatives exist?

We can put transit in many places.   But we have very few beautiful, continuous Trails like the Capital Crescent Trail.  If you preserve this oasis of green, generations to come will thank you, just like we thank Justice William O. Douglas for saving the tow path along the Potomac River.

Thank you.

aMiller, Daphne. “Take a hike and call me in the morning.” The Washington Post, Tuesday, November 17, 2009, p. E1.

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