Montgomery County Considers Dedicated Bus Lanes
If the plan moves forward, changes won't happen for years, WTOP reported.
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What will transportation across Montgomery County be like in 30 years?
Well, we may or may not have the Purple Line, but we could have dedicated bus lanes on major roads, WTOP reported.
The county's preliminary plan is to run buses resembling streetcars on major roads, like Georgia Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike. Existing road lanes would be used—i.e., re-purposed to bus-only lanes—where possible. But in other cases, dedicated bus lanes would be created out of median strips, WTOP added.
Montgomery County Master Planner Larry Cole said at a meeting on Nov. 8 that if the plans go forward, they won't be implemented for decades.
"We're talking about 2040. We're not talking about tomorrow and you've lost the lane and now you have to figure out how to get to work," Cole said, WTOP reported.
Additional open-house-style public meetings on the bus rapid transit plan will take place on:
- Tuesday, Nov. 13, at Montgomery Blair High School
- Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Shady Grove Training Facility
- Thursday, Nov. 15, at Wheaton Library
The open houses start at 6:30 p.m., and conclude at 9 p.m. Presentations will be made on the plan at 7 p.m.
Do you think dedicated bus lanes will help ease congestion (present or projected) in Montgomery County? If so, which routes would be ideal for dedicated bus lanes? Tell us in the comments.
