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"Our over-reliance on cars and $4-per-gallon gasoline has led us to dig a really deep hole for ourselves. The Purple Line is the ladder that helps us climb up out of this hole toward the light of rational land use, friendly commutes and a stable climate." Mike Tidwell, director of CCAN |  |
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Newsletter of Purple Line NOW! March 31, 2008
1) MTA Ridership Projections Reach New Heights MTA has issued revised ridership estimates for the Purple Line. The LRT medium and high options are now up to 68,000 boardings per day – far higher than previous estimates released in December 2007. These put the Purple Line in the upper echelon of transit new starts (although the final comparison in the eyes of FTA must factor in cost). 2) Prince George’s Master Transportation Plan Update is Underway Prince George’s County is in the process of updating its transportation plan and is looking for input into the process. Two outreach events were held on March 31st and April 2nd. An update on the outcome of these will be presented Purple in a future newsletter. 3) Montgomery County Council Gives Big Boost to Purple Line with Commitment of Construction Funds In early March, the Montgomery County Council approved $55 million in the Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) to fund the Red Line/Purple Line connection and new south entrance to the Bethesda Metrorail station. The Council reviewed the Transportation and Environment Committee's recommendations and approved the allocation of the funds for FY12 and FY13 without objections (there was no actual vote). Special thanks to Councilmember George Leventhal for sponsoring the project, and to Councilmembers Valerie Ervin and Nancy Floreen for supporting it in the Transportation and Environment Committee. If this decision is sustained during the budget reconciliation process, it will be the first commitment of construction funds for the Purple Line. Council Members Berliner (D-Bethesda) and Elrich (D-at large) support the new entrance only if the Purple Line goes forward. Other council members point out that the Council would have a future opportunity to remove the funds in the unlikely case the Purple Line is not built. PLN agrees with the findings of a WMATA study that the South entrance is warranted regardless of whether the Purple Line goes forward. Many other Metrorail stops have two means of egress, including Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton, which improve safety and access and limit peak hour congestion. ACTION: You can help ensure that the commitment for construction funds is not revisited. Sending an e-mail message to Mike Knapp, County Council President at: Montgomery County Council thanking the Council for their action. 4) UMD Undergrads Join Grad Students in Support of Purple Line While MTA continues to work on the comparison between the Chapel Field and Campus Drive alignments, the UMD Student Government Association (SGA) passed a resolution supporting the Campus Drive alignment. The SGA represents 25,000 undergraduates and joins the Graduate Student Government, Resident Halls Association, and other student groups in support of the Purple Line on Campus Drive. For more information: (1) Diamondback Article: click here (2) The SGA Resolution: click here (3) A Faculty Voice article: click here 5) News from the Coalition
6) MORE POLITICAL NEWS Last month we reported on candidate Nancy Navarro’s (D) support for the Purple Line. The Action Committee for Transit has surveyed all of the District 4 candidates and reports the following: Don Praisner (D) indicated his intention to continue the legacy of support established by the late Marilyn Praisner. Robert Patton (R) opposes the project: “I only support the bike trail, not the Purple Line”. Mark Fennel (R) supports it in concept but wants to see results of MTA’s study prior to commenting on specifics of configuration. Steven Kanstoroom supports “the underground option for the Purple Line”. The Special Election to fill this seat will be held on April 15th. 7) UPCOMING EVENTS
8) SHORT RIDES
9) THIS NEWSLETTER This newsletter is produced by volunteer supporters of Purple Line NOW! which was founded in January, 2003. Purple Line Now was formed by representatives of business, labor, environmental and community organizations to promote a light rail transit line connecting Bethesda, Silver Spring, Long Branch, Takoma/ Langley Crossroads, College Park and the University of Maryland, Riverdale Park and New Carrollton. We support completion of the hiker-biker trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring, as well as pedestrian enhancements as part of the transit project elsewhere along the alignment. Send news tips to: Colleen Mitchell. |
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68,000 riders each weekday is huge! Counting down to completion of Purple Line DEIS; Latest news: Latest News; How you can help 
See: We need you to help keep the Purple Line a state and county priority. Write a letter, make a call or send an e-mail in support of the Purple Line today. See: Contact List |
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