County must find funds for transportation

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

County must find funds for transportation

E-mail this article \ Print this article

Montgomery County’s traffic congestion is justly notorious. I live near the most congested intersection in the county, Georgia Avenue at Forest Glen Road.

The county’s 2002 transportation plan identified $7 billion in needed transit and road projects, but budget issues at the state and county levels may prevent all of those projects from going forward.

The County Council is considering a plan to assemble a task force of residents to recommend ways to raise at least $50 million a year for transportation. This would be a big step toward the congestion relief that we have all been demanding for a long time.

The failure to fund necessary transit and road measures has real consequences.

I urge the council to pass this plan. We’ve been talking about reducing congestion and encouraging transit for quite a while, so let’s figure out how to pay for it.

Adam Pagnucco, Silver Spring

The writer is chairman of the Crossing Georgia Committee, which promotes pedestrian safety at Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road.