Transportation is a leading contributor to Climate Change, producing approximately 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland (GHG). A key way to address climate change is to improve our transportation sector to reduce the need to drive and public support for creating modern, clean transportation systems is strong. A recent Sierra Club survey across 11 states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions found that 70% or more of voters supported modern, clean transportation systems. Montgomery County homes, workplaces, and shopping centers are spread out and connected mainly by roads, with too few sustainable transportation options. Sierra Club initiatives focus on ways to reduce auto emissions and improve transportation options for County residents. We oppose expansion of highways, including new roads and additional lanes to existing roads, which research has shown leads to increased vehicle travel rather than reducing congestion. Instead, we support transit-oriented development, with expansion of public transportation options, and improved access to pedestrian walkways and bike lanes. The only way to reduce road congestion is to provide attractive non-automobile options for many trips.
Smart Growth transportation policies and practices concentrate growth around Metro stations and other transportation hubs, promote public transport, and provide the infrastructure that makes biking and walking convenient and safe. When appropriately enacted, Smart Growth policies can create more livable neighborhoods, reduce air and water pollution, preserve open space, foster economic growth, and mitigate climate change.
Advocating for Smart Growth in Master Plans. "On Wedges and Corridors" is the Montgomery County general plan on which local development master plans are based. It envisions highly developed corridors along major road and public transit axes, with rural land in the wedges and the Agriculture Reserve on the fringes. Within this framework, officials make decisions that promote Smart Growth ‑ or its antithesis, sprawl. Sierra Club has recently advocated for plans that improve sustainable development and transportation for the White Flint, Bethesda, and Strathmore localities. (“Thrive Montgomery 2050” is in progress and will be the next iteration of the general plan. Read our recent testimony here.)
Directly and in collaboration with like-minded groups Sierra Club Montgomery County supports Smart Transportation ‑ particularly transit ‑ and opposes transportation projects that expand road congestion and pollution.
I-270 Corridor. Sierra Club opposes Governor Hogan’s proposed expansion of the I-495 Beltway and I-270 and has submitted a 200-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) comment letter, signed by 52 organizations. This toll road project would increase carbon emissions, damage forests and streams, encourage sprawl and fail to reduce congestion. Instead, we call for expansion of public transit options from Shady Grove to Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Clarksburg. We also support the Corridor Cities Transitway, which would require state and county funding. Adding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along MD 355 would address travel needs better than adding roads or lanes. There is also an opportunity to expand the MARC Brunswick Line service by adding a third track in some locations and running trains more frequently.
Purple Line. Sierra Club Montgomery County has been a strong supporter of the East/West Purple Line now under construction. The Purple Line will connect four Metrorail stations and all three MARC lines, and provide a paved Capital Crescent Bike Trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring.
Bicycle Master Plan. We advocated for the County’s Bicycle Master Plan that was approved in 2018. The plan envisions how to make biking in Montgomery County more available, convenient, safe, and connected to public transit. Currently, bikers can plan rides using tools like the award-winning bicycle stress map.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). BRT systems have proven widely effective in the US and around the world. BRT systems that provide frequent, reliable, rapid service reduces vehicle travel and hazardous emissions, and helps create walkable, bicycle-friendly, mixed use developments around transit hubs. BRT attracts employers and jobs, is essential for low- and moderate-income families, and is popular with millennials. Sierra Club supports BRT service on US 29, MD 355, and Veirs Mill Road. The County’s first BRT “FLASH” opened for service October 2020 on US 29, with the FLASH vehicle traveling in dedicated lanes for the northern part of the corridor. The County is studying how to provide dedicated lanes in the southern part. Sierra club testimony has stressed dedicated lanes, efficient fare collection, and convenient schedules for BRT.
Promoting Low/No-Emissions Public Transportation. We support Montgomery County’s initiative to replace the current Ride-On bus fleet with electric-powered vehicles, as other jurisdictions have done, to decrease emissions and increase ridership.
Vision Zero – No Traffic Deaths by 2030 – Each year, many pedestrians and bicyclists are injured or killed in crashes. Montgomery County is one of the first county governments in the United States to initiate a Vision Zero plan for zero traffic deaths by 2030.
Shared Streets – We support MCDOT’s response to the COVID-19 health crisis to open up use of public rights of way as a key resource for residents and businesses – this allows for more socially distanced walking, biking and outdoor activities. MCDOT Director Chris Conklin has directed planners and engineers to “think creatively about how we can adjust the use of our streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities to best serve today’s needs. As a result, we are implementing a new initiative—Shared Streets.”
The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is a collaboration between Washington D. C. and 12 Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from transportation modes like cars, buses, and trucks and to accelerate clean, modern and multimodal forms of transportation. Maryland and other states are engaged in ongoing conversations and gathering of public input, with the facilitation of Georgetown Climate Center, to determine a regional policy that would reduce transportation pollution.
If you are interested in volunteering to address Transportation issues, please contact: Tina Slater (Transportation Chair, Sierra Club Montgomery County) slater.tina@gmail.com . There are many ways to get involved, including serving on the Sierra Club Montgomery County Transportation Committee, conducting research, attending and commenting at public hearings, submitting comments to the Planning Board and County Council, working for Sierra Club-endorsed candidates, handing out literature at public events, and more. Come join us!
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