Posts by Ben Ross — Contributor
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A major NTSB safety recommendation remains forgotten
After the fatal Metro crash at Fort Totten, state, local, and federal agencies all agreed that Metro must comply with the recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board at all cost. Metro is now spending well over a billion dollars to satisfy NTSB point by point. Yet our region’s transportation system is ignoring one NTSB recommendation — even… Keep reading…
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For gold-standard BRT, Montgomery must start now
The “gold-standard” bus rapid transit network proposed for Montgomery County will be expensive, but money might not be its biggest problem. Lack of will to take the first steps now could be a bigger obstacle to creating a bus system that is truly rapid. The county’s BRT Task Force correctly insists that BRT will only live up to its promise if buses can speed past… Keep reading…
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Parking minimums undermine Montgomery zoning changes
Montgomery County is rewriting its zoning code, but the proposed draft leaves old minimum parking requirements largely in place. This obstructs the very growth the county wants to encourage. Outside downtowns with parking districts, almost all new housing will still need 2 off-street parking spaces per dwelling, even in mixed-use or multi-family residential areas. Parking… Keep reading…
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Development moratoriums make traffic headaches worse
When traffic moves too slowly in any section of Montgomery County, a local law halts new development in the area until there are more roads. This is a failed remedy, no more effective than bloodletting with leeches to cure a headache. Prince George’s, Alexandria, and many other suburbs around the country have such a law, known as a “concurrency” or “adequate… Keep reading…
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Pedestrian safety slogan exhorts but does not educate
No one questions the need for public education about pedestrian safety, but Washington-area agencies are missing a real opportunity to educate the public in this year’s annual “Street Smart” safety campaign. Both drivers and pedestrians are ignorant of some important rules of sharing the road and only dimly aware of others. With the slogan “Obey… Keep reading…
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Taxpayers foot bill for parking giveaway in Silver Spring
Montgomery County just spent millions to build a new parking garage in Silver Spring. Just one block away, another garage is so underused that the county wants to hand half of it over to the Discovery Channel for pennies on the dollar. The 592-space Kennett Street garage in south Silver Spring sits mostly empty. Montgomery’s Leggett administration has just proposed leasing… Keep reading…
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Montgomery continues “pedestrian removal” in Wheaton
A growing number of residents in Wheaton primarily travel by bus or on foot. The area’s car-centric infrastructure makes life difficult and dangerous. But instead of helping pedestrians, Montgomery County’s transportation department is putting up new barriers against them. Keep reading…
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Rollin Stanley’s enemies can’t stop change in Montgomery
Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley is not a man known for tact. But he has apologized for referring to some of his critics as “rich white women” in a recent Bethesda Magazine article. The ongoing calls for his resignation are far out of proportion to this offense. Stanley’s critics are aiming at his ideas about the future… Keep reading…
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Hopkins lobbies for a slower, cheaper transitway
The Corridor Cities Transitway once promised a rapid transit ride north of Shady Grove, but Johns Hopkins University and other Montgomery County developers want to delete the “rapid.” That’s because development in the area is tied to the transitway. The cheaper the transitway can get, the sooner their plans can move forward. Six weeks ago, following… Keep reading…
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O’Malley’s sales tax on gas is the right way to fund transport
In his Wednesday state-of-the-state speech, Governor Martin O’Malley proposed ending the exemption of gasoline from Maryland’s 6% sales tax. This is the best way for the state to get more money for transportation. Ending the sales tax exemption, rather than increasing the gas tax beyond the current 23½¢ per gallon, accomplishes two things. First,… Keep reading…