Me at Silver Spring Station, my closest and most frequent station. Image by the author.

Transit Diaries is a series in which residents of Greater Washington track how they get around the region for a week, shedding light on what’s working well and not so well with our transportation system. We’re looking for more people who are interested in writing their own transit diary. If that sounds interesting to you, please email editor@ggwash.org!

I’m Jacob Barker, and I live car free in Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. I’m a music teacher for Woodlin Elementary and a paid soloist at National United Methodist Church (NUMC). Nearby I can use the Red Line, MARC Brunswick, and Metrobus and RideOn bus lines. I occasionally get car rides from friends when they’re headed in the same direction as me. I also love riding my e-bike on special trips and when the weather is warmer to commute on Beach Drive.

Want to see what my week looks like at a glance? Scroll down to see the final tally!

Day 1: Monday

Waiting for the J1/J2 Metrobus nearby Silver Spring Station. Image by the author.

Woodlin Elementary at Grosvenor - 90 mins

  • 7:02-7:13 - ½ mile walk to Silver Spring Station
  • 7:27-8:18 - 8.5 mile J2 Metrobus ride to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 8:18-8:28 - ½ mile walk to work

Home - 75 mins

  • 5:13-5:25 - ½ mile walk to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 5:34-6:16 - 7.5 mile J2 Metrobus ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 6:16-6:26 - ½ mile walk to apartment

Modes I chose: I use the J1/J2 Metrobus lines because of the east-west connection of urban Montgomery County. There is a bus route in front of my school, but I usually walk that last half mile because the frequency is only every 40 minutes, making it essentially useless to me.

Highlights:

  • I was able to play games and read news on the bus.
  • I saw new bike lanes painted on Old Georgetown Road that were in the process of getting flex posts installed.

Hitches:

  • The J1 Metrobus didn’t show up due to a bus operator availability issue according to Apple Maps. Glad there are multiple lines serving my route.
  • The J2 Metrobus between Silver Spring and Bethesda is always packed with high school students. Seems like this bus needs to be more frequent, or the J4 Metrobus express route should be resurrected.
  • The driver took us on the route that is not used in the mornings because of a prohibited left turn at Rockville Pike and Cedar Lane. Glad I didn’t need one of the skipped stops.

Day 2: Tuesday

The walk from my apartment in the mornings. Image by the author.

Woodlin Elementary at Grosvenor - 60 mins

  • 6:49-7:00 - ½ mile walk to Silver Spring Station
  • 7:05-7:40 - 8 mile J1 Metrobus ride to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 7:40-7:51 - ½ mile walk to work

Home - 70 mins

  • 4:40-4:55 - ½ mile walk to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 4:57-5:41 - 7.5 mile J2 Metrobus ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 5:41-5:51 - ½ mile walk to apartment

Highlights:

  • Thankful for the J1 Metrobus; I like that it bypasses Bethesda and the route is shorter than the J2 Metrobus.
  • This afternoon they finished adding flex posts to the Old Georgetown Road bike lanes. Can’t wait to use those in the spring.

Hitches:

  • Both my morning and evening bus got caught in car traffic. I wish we had dedicated bus lanes along these corridors.

Day 3: Wednesday

Newly painted and flex post separated bike lanes on Old Georgetown Road near Wildwood Shopping Center. Image by the author.

Woodlin Elementary at Grosvenor - 70 mins

  • 7:14-7:23 - ½ mile walk to Silver Spring Station
  • 7:30-8:16 - 8.5 mile J2 Metrobus ride to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 8:16-8:26 - ½ mile walk to work

NUMC - 70 mins

  • 4:55-5:20 - 1 mile walk to Grosvenor Station
  • 5:28-5:39 - 6.4 mile Red Line ride to Tenleytown Station
    • Dinner at Roaming Rooster
  • 6:25-6:52 - 1 mile walk to NUMC

Home - 60 mins

  • 8:52-8:58 - 2 mile car ride to Van Ness Station
  • 9:07-9:41 - 13.6 mile Red Line ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 9:41-9:50 - ½ mile walk to apartment

Modes I chose: I usually choose to walk from Tenleytown to the AU neighborhood because I like the walk. Someone from the Wednesday night choir lives next to Van Ness and offered to drop me at the station on their way back home. I took the Rred Lline loop the rest of the way to Silver Spring.

Highlights:

  • I love walking in the cold air! If you’re layered correctly, it is quite enjoyable.
  • Thankful for the tunnel under Rockville Pike to remove the need to cross that terrifying road to access Grosvenor Station.
  • It’s nice that we’re down to seven minute headways on the Red Line. Let’s keep hoping for even better.

Hitches:

  • Walking on Grosvenor Lane as it gets closer to Rockville Pike is not enjoyable.

Day 4: Thursday

Woodlin Elementary at Grosvenor - 55 mins

  • 8:47-8:57 - ½ mile walk to Silver Spring Station
  • 9:03-9:32 - 7.5 mile J1 Metrobus ride to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 9:32-9:41 - ½ mile walk to work

NUMC - 80 mins

  • 4:25-4:47 - 1 mile walk to Grosvenor Station
  • 4:55-5:15 - 6.4 mile Red Line ride to Tenleytown Station
    • Dinner at Angelico Pizzeria
  • 6:15-6:43 - 1 mile walk to NUMC

Home - 65 mins

  • 9:05-9:20 - 3.5 mile N6 Metrobus ride to Farragut North Station
  • 9:29-10:00 - 10.6 mile Red Line ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 10:00-10:09 - ½ mile walk to apartment

Modes I chose: Tonight I took the bus down to Farragut North instead, which is what I would have done if my choral colleague hadn’t offered the night before.

Highlights:

  • 2 hour late start at school.
  • I’m glad they’re doing maintenance on the Rred Lline. It makes trains slower at night, but I’ll take safe trains and tracks over the alternative.

Hitches:

  • I was greeted by rain. But that’s no problem with a layer or two and my trusty umbrella.
  • Trains were stopped at Grosvenor and Medical Center at the request of the rail operations center for several minutes each. Made the trips longer (but happy to be safe).

Day 5: Friday

Woodlin Elementary at Grosvenor - 75 mins

  • 7:23-7:32 - ½ mile walk to Silver Spring Station
  • 7:23-8:25 - 8.5 mile J2 Metrobus ride to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 8:25-8:37 - ½ mile walk to work

Home - 90 mins

  • 4:47-5:00 - ½ mile walk to Wildwood Shopping Center
  • 5:18-5:59 - 7.5 mile J2 Metrobus ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 5:59-6:17 - ½ mile walk to get District Taco, then to apartment

Highlights:

  • Talked with a coworker about a book they are writing while on the bus.
  • Stopped to get tacos on the way home. Love living in such a walkable place.

Hitches:

  • I had to wait for a long time for my bus at Wildwood. It usually arrives much quicker. When it arrived, there were two buses bunched together for the same line.

Day 6: Saturday

Full bike/scooter rack across the street from the cycle track near the National Christmas Tree. Image by the author.

Well-placed bike rack at the Canadian Embassy (and my Gazelle e-bike). Image by the author.

Union Station Christmas Wreaths. Image by the author.

Today was Christmas Tree day (well, evening)! I went to downtown DC to see the National Christmas Tree, Canadian Embassy Tree, US Capitol Tree, and the Union Station Wreaths.

  • 5:20-6:20 - 7.5 mile e-bike ride to the National Christmas Tree
  • 6:30-6:40 - 1 mile e-bike ride to the Canadian Embassy Tree
  • 6:50-7:00 - ½ mile e-bike ride to the Capitol Tree
  • 7:10-7:20 - ½ mile e-bike ride to Columbus Circle to see the Union Station Wreaths
  • 7:25-7:30 - 1 mile e-bike ride to Seoul Spice
  • 8:00 - walked my bike one block to NoMa Gallaudet Station
  • 8:07-8:24 - 7.5 mile red line ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 8:24-8:28 - ½ mile e-bike ride to apartment

Modes I chose: I chose my bike because I hadn’t used it in a while, and I wanted to get a little bit of exercise on my trip! I used the Rred Lline because I didn’t want to have to bike back up all the hills. Yes, I realize those two thoughts don’t quite jive.

Highlights:

  • Loved using the 8th Street NW contraflow bike lanes.
  • The Pennsylvania Ave NW cycle track was great. Just wish it was grade separated.
  • The Canadian Embassy has a beautiful tree! You should all go see it next year!

Hitches:

  • Riding 13th Street NW was not very fun. Way too many close calls here.
  • Where are the bike racks? The ones I could find on 15th Street NW weren’t next to the cycle track, and they were entirely full of scooters. We need more bike racks.

Day 7: Sunday

NUMC- 70 mins

  • 6:05-6:17 - ½ mile walk to Silver Spring Station (I left way too early)
  • 6:29-6:49 - 5.5 mile RO-1 bus ride to Friendship Heights
  • 7:00-7:16 - 4 mile N6 Metrobus bus ride to NUMC

Constitution Hall - 25 mins

  • 2:55-3:20 - 4.5 mile car ride to Constitution Hall

Home - 60 mins

  • 5:05-5:25 - 1 mile walk to Metro Center Station
  • 5:29-5:55 - 10 mile red line ride to Silver Spring Station
  • 5:55-6:00 - ¼ mile walk to Underground Pizza to wait for my order (it was delicious)

Modes I chose: RO-1 to the N6 Metrobus is the most direct route on Sunday morning to get from Silver Spring to the area around Ward Circle. It was the clear choice to use the Red Line on the way home since I was so close to Metro Center.

Highlights:

  • My transfer time was a little shorter than normal between the RO-1 and N6 Metrobus.
  • Going downtown is always fun, and I wish I made that trip more often.

Hitches:

  • The headways on both my buses are so long that it causes me to waste a lot of time getting to places on time (read: 40 minutes early).

Final Tally: 46 trips, 57% walking

Mode Trips Share
Walk 26 57%
Bike 2 4%
Bus 11 24%
Metro 6 13%
Ride-hailing 0 0%
Drive 2 4%
Total 46

* Totals have been rounded.

Bottom Line:

Moving around the Washington region without a car is relatively easy, especially compared to other places in the US. My biggest takeaway is that most of my trips could be shorter with more frequent service that took more direct routes. I hope someday to see more of those changes in our bus schedules. Also, if you haven’t yet, hop on the bus! It’s great.

Jacob Barker is a car-free elementary music teacher and soloist living in Downtown Silver Spring. He loves to ride the bus and his bike as often as he can.