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The Purple Line Should Stop at Dale Drive

Testimony Before Montgomery County Council, June 29, 2010

Presented by Tina Slater on Behalf of 179 Neighbors

We, the undersigned 179 residents, are advocates for the Purple Line and for building a station at Wayne Avenue & Dale Drive.

In our metropolitan area, we are very fortunate to have an established Metrorail system that serves residents and visitors; however people traveling east-west don't have good transit options. The proposed Purple Line will improve this by linking several important transit centers. The Planning Board has approved its draft of the Purple Line Functional Plan, which recommends the route, mode and stations. We urge the Council to approve this plan, but with one modification — the Planning Board supports the possibility of a future station at Wayne Avenue and Dale Drive, however, we ask the Council to consider including the station in the initial construction phase of the Purple Line.

And it's not only neighbors who want to see a station there — the MTA's analysis shows that adding that station will improve the cost-effectiveness rating for the whole project. This rating will be important to the Purple Line as it competes for Federal funds with other transit projects from across the nation.

The station would serve not only local residents, but people coming from outside our neighborhood to visit the two public schools and “Old Blair” auditorium located right there at Wayne and Dale. Plus it will allow people outside the area to access the recreational opportunities offered at Sligo Creek. A station at Wayne and Dale would encourage more people in our close-in neighborhood to leave their cars behind and use public transit. They could ride the Purple line to Metro and their jobs in DC, or ride the Purple Line to visit the restaurant and entertainment offerings of Bethesda, downtown Silver Spring, and the Takoma/Langley International Corridor, or ride the Purple Line to classes, performances and sporting events on the College Park campus. We want to live in a neighborhood like this and we envision future generations wanting to live like this too. The proposed Purple Line is an infrastructure project that will serve the Maryland suburbs and integrate various transit modes for the next 75 years. This is not a wait and see situation; we need the station now.

A stop at Wayne and Dale would provide:

• the advantage of a light rail stop in our neighborhood to offset the impacts of the Purple Line (which will travel in front of closely spaced homes, requiring strips of property to be taken from some front-yards)

• a convenient, car-free connection to the Metro Red Line, helping to reduce to rush-hour congestion

• a convenient way for parents, teachers and guests to reach the two adjacent schools: Silver Spring International Middle School and Sligo Creek Elementary School

• transit service to audiences attending programs at the renovated Elizabeth Stickley (Old Blair) Auditorium, which should be opening about the time the Purple Line would be built

• a station for people outside the area to access the recreational opportunities offered at Sligo Creek

• easy access to the expanded integrated transit network, and therefore enhanced property values

Thank you for the opportunity to express our views on the Purple Line.