August 7, 2002
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Transit Service
The Transportation Policy Task Force devoted one of its committees to study bus service in the county. They identified reasons some people in the county are reluctant to use bus service: waiting times, lack of certainty of when buses will appear, lack of certainty when another bus will follow should they miss a bus, convenience and the lack of desire to transfer multiple times on a commute. Some of the ways the Council voted to address this include the following measures:
* Express bus service in new Beltway HOV lanes
* Express bus service in new I-270 HOV lanes
* Running all Metrorail trains to Shady Grove and Glenmont (currently some trains stop at Strathmore/Grovesnor requiring transfer to a bus)
* More MARC service between Rockville and Silver Spring
* Bus frequency improvements
* Express bus on Norbeck Road extended
* Shuttle Bus from Federal Research Center to Metro Stations
* Shady Grove express bus from MD 124 P&R to Shady Grove Metro
* Clarksburg-Boyds MARC Shuttle Bus Service
Transit Technology
Park and Planning officials stated in worksessions before the Council that people using bus service perceive their waiting time to be three times longer than in actually is when they are not aware or cannot see when a bus is coming. Recommendations include an improvement in technology to tell riders when the next bus will appear, as well as an increase in bus infrastructure and the number of buses on given routes. The Council voted for the following measures:
* Improve bus technology; provide real-time bus information
* Improve Ride-On infrastructure
* Make all bus stops accessible with sidewalks
* Optimize traffic management systems for transit
* Randolph Road Bus Rapid Transit (Montrose Crossing to US 29)
* Transit infrastructure maintenance and improvements
Transit Promotion
The Fare Share and Super Fare Share programs are designed to make access to the county's transportation system, including Ride-On buses, Metro buses, and Metro more convenient and more accessible. Users, for example, can use a fare share card for bus service rather than needing to have change available to use buses; discounts can be made available for users of the program. The Council voted for:
* More funding for Fare Share/Super Fare Share; double the budget
* Improvement of marketing activities; double current budget
Transit Centers and Parking
* Clarksburg transit center
* Four Corners transit center
* Glenmont Metro Garage
* Norbeck Road P&R lot enhancements
* Olney transit center
* Takoma/Langley transit center
* White Oak transit center