A Vision of Better Transit and Better Communities
The Action Committee for Transit has a vision of a Montgomery County where it is easier to travel and more pleasant to live — a county built for people and not for automobiles.
Click on the image above to see a larger version of the same map.
Years of experience have shown, and studies prove, that building highways leads to more traffic and more congestion. Affordable, convenient transit gives us a way to get past the traffic jams and fosters a better quality of life in our neighborhoods.
It is time to change priorities:
- Connect our communities with a network of rail lines.
- Redesign our streets to make it easier and safer to walk and to ride a bike.
- Create the kind of neighborhoods we want to live in.
The Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton, now under construction, is the key to creating a livable, transit-oriented future for our county, but it is only a first step. The next steps for Montgomery County are:
- Run trains all day on the MARC line to Frederick as part of a comprehensive rail network for Maryland.
- End traffic deaths through Vision Zero.
In the long run, we will need a Red Line extension to Germantown, the Corridor Cities Transitway from Shady Grove to Clarksburg, streetcars on Route 355, and light rail on U.S. 29.
Latest Updates
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ACT urges County Council not to destroy key elements of Pedestrian Master Plan by designating improvements in walking access as "non-priority." New schedule for Purple Line puts completion date as Spring 2027. Major reason for 7-month delay is that state failed to continue work on utility relocation while seeking replacement construction contractor, contrary to what it said at the time. Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller tells ACT's June meeting that state plans to go forward with some or all of Beltway/I-270 toll lanes, but will not decide what to build or how to finance it until after environmental lawsuit is resolved. Video of talk here. |
Meetings
We have returned to in person meetings at Silver Spring Civic Center
ACT's monthly meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month, at the Silver Spring Civic Center, One Veterans Place. Meetings begin at 7:30pm.
The Silver Spring Civic Center faces the ice rink and Ellsworth Avenue. It is an eight minute walk north from the Silver Spring Metro Station. Many bus routes can take you to and from the meeting. Ride-On #15 and #19 stop at the corner of Wayne Ave. & Fenton St.; Metrobus routes Z6 and Z8 and Ride-On routes #9 and #12 stop along Colesville Road; Ride-On #16, #17, and #20 pass by on Fenton St. If coming by car, plentiful evening parking is available at the Town Square garage on Ellsworth Drive and at the Wayne Avenue garage, both at reasonable cost.
- October 10 - The Impact of the Purple Line on Housing Costs
Speakers: Nick Finio, National Center for Smart Growth at UMD College Park
Sheila Somashekhar, Purple Line Corridor Coalition - November 14 - Speaker to be announced
- December 12 - Speaker to be announced
- January 9 - Annual meeting, election of officers
Speaker to be announced