Posts by Ben Ross — Contributor
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Montgomery DOT roadblocks thwart popular BRT plan
A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network could bring major transportation improvements to Montgomery County. But instead of pushing to advance the project as soon as possible, county transportation officials have thrown up obstacles and mired the project in unnecessary delays. Montgomery County’s roadways are filled to capacity with single-passenger vehicles. To help… Keep reading…
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Is this pedestrian safety or just pedestrian removal?
If you take the Metro to White Flint, Montgomery County welcomes you with a large and unfriendly wall. The county Department of Transportation built the wall several years ago to stop pedestrians from using a popular, existing crosswalk. Keep reading…
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Why is the ICC so empty? How long will it stay that way?
Travelers on Maryland’s newly-opened Intercounty Connector (ICC) highway see a road that seems empty and overbuilt. Yet the Maryland Transportation Authority, which runs the road, says that traffic is slightly heavier than forecast. Can both be right? Yes, they can. The ICC could carry 70,000 cars a day without backing up even in the busiest… Keep reading…
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WMATA budget not a crisis thanks to leadership, though some harmful cuts remain
Last year’s budget season was full of emergency appeals to save Metro. This year, there have been none. Yes, Metro has a budget gap this year. As it did last year, and the year before. Early projections said that if fares and jurisdictional contributions stayed the same as this year, Metro would be $74 million short of the money it needed to maintain the same level of service. … Keep reading…
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Metro’s future rides on Saturday night
The builders of our Metro envisaged a railroad that would take commuters from scattered residential neighborhoods to jobs in a small downtown. Non-work trips by tourists and residents were expected, to be sure, but they were an afterthought. And sixteen years ago, a commuter railroad is essentially what we had. In May 1995, nearly one trip of every ten carried… Keep reading…
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Maryland transportation “lockbox” has a big hole
Maryland is considering raising its gas tax. This long-overdue measure would allow some of the general revenues now subsidizing highways to go to the Purple Line, the Baltimore Red Line, and MARC expansion instead. This need has unfortunately gotten mixed up with a proposal, originating mostly from the highway lobby and its supporters, to put transportation money into a “lockbox.”… Keep reading…