Purple Line: Nothing better for traffic reduction

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Purple Line: Nothing better for traffic reduction

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Everywhere we look we are reminded of today’s pressing energy demand and its threat to our climate. Gas has broken $4 a gallon with no relief in sight. Traffic in the region is terrible and getting worse. And every step of the way the planet is getting progressively warmer.

People are calling for clever solutions like congestion pricing and hybrid cars. But fuel-efficient vehicles are in such high demand that a used Geo Metro actually costs more today than it did when new 15 years ago.

At the same time, residents of Bethesda and Chevy Chase are meeting one of the most promising traffic reduction plans in history with resistance that is irrational if not hypocritical.

I am writing, of course, about the Purple Line. There could be nothing better for traffic reduction than getting all of those drivers off of the Beltway and onto public transportation. People save money and the atmosphere is spared more carbon dioxide than a few trees on the Capital Crescent Trail can ever sop up. Opposition based on safety is irrational if not discriminatory. Opposition based on environmentalism is simply hypocritical.

It is time Montgomery County led the way in supporting this vital transportation link.

Danny Rogers, Bethesda

I appreciate concerns about the safety of the Purple Line alignment on Jones Bridge Road, particularly in the vicinity of schools (‘‘Jones Bridge is dangerous option for Purple Line,” May 21 letter).

Any Bus Rapid Transit vehicles would operate within established speed limits. Jones Bridge Road is currently used by many buses and cars, without special safety restrictions near schools.

By reducing the number of cars on the road, especially after the impact of the BRAC move of Walter Reed to the area, a BRT alignment there would help lower overall traffic density in the area. And, BRT vehicles would run on clean fuel, not something we can say about most current vehicles on the road.

All communities are rightfully concerned about pedestrian safety in the vicinity of roads and rails. The Capital Crescent Trail alternatives would affect the walking route of Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School students, many of whom now cross the trail in the dark on winter mornings.

Trains in the immediate proximity to homes, bikers and pedestrians are certain to lead to safety problems and accidents; fencing is not going to solve those problems.

Safe, clean, efficient buses along existing roads with appropriate traffic safety upgrades would yield fewer cars and help improve safety for all of our communities.

Marty Saggese, Chevy Chase