Pamela Lindstrom

February 2002

The Transit/Balanced Land Use Scenario, Summary

The Transit/Balanced Land Use (BLU) scenario was developed for the Transportation Policy Report, along with a road-emphasis scenario and baseline that projected growth under the current master plans. These scenarios were tested by traffic modeling and public response. The Transit/BLU scenario produced walkable, transit-served communities and saved many acres of wetlands, forest and farmland. BLU reduced vehicle miles traveled and time spent driving, air pollution, traffic fatalities, and even reduced congestion by some measures, compared to the road-building scenario. It won the public ÒvoteÓ handily.

The Transit/BLU scenario comprises the current transit backbone plus additional transitways, smaller road improvements, and a rearranged growth pattern. This Summary describes each briefly, and presents results, even more briefly.

The BLU transportation system.

The transit backbone includes the current Metrorail and MARC lines, plus

• the Inner Purple Line connecting Bethesda and Silver Spring with Langley Park, College Park; and TysonÕs Corner to the west;
• rail transit extensions in the I 270 Corridor from Shady Grove to Clarksburg
• light rail connector from Langley Park to White Oak.
• It also includes an expanded modernized bus system with more efficiently connecting routes. It contains various road improvements, but no new freeway projects except completing the HOV lanes on I 270. It provided a better east-west through route by widening Muncaster Mill Road, and the Norbeck Road (Route 28)-Route 198 route all to four lanes.

Balanced Land Use

BLU rearranged growth, within the accepted framework of wedges and corridors. Three major policies were used for location of growth:

• More development near transit stations. The stations included many of those for the new transitways, and a new Metro station between Rockville and Gaithersburg.
• Balance jobs and housing between eastern and western parts of the County. BLU reduces current and planned imbalances by moving part of employment growth from the I 270 Corridor to the Eastern County, including Silver Spring and Langley Park. Conversely, part of housing growth would move from Eastern County to the I 270 Corridor.
• Less sprawl housing not just in the agriculture reserve, but also in outer suburban areas like the edges of Germantown, Potomac and Olney.

The Road Scenario

The road scenario included all the roads in master plans, including the Intercounty Connector and extension of Midcounty Highway from Shady Grove Road to the ICC. It would widen the Beltway, I 270 and roads in Potomac leading to a new bridge to Virginia. For transit, it adds Georgetown Branch and busway service on the Corridor Cities Transitway route. It is designed to serve the master planned land use. The road scenario costs about 10% more than the BLU/transit scenario.

RESULTS

The scenarios were tested by traffic modeling by the Montgomery County planning department, compared to a baseline comprising the master planned transportation network minus the ICC, and master planned development extended to 2025 and 2050. Environmental and community impacts were calculated, and the scenarios were discussed at public meetings. Most attendees filled out a questionnaire, giving an unusually good picture of the opinions of the 450 people at the meetings.

Traffic Modeling

The Transit/BLU scenario performed well compared to the baseline and the Road scenario. (Congestion increased in all scenarios, compared to present levels.)

The BLU scenario: reduced vehicle miles traveled, hours of travel, miles of travel on local roads as well as on freeways, miles driven in congested conditions, average trip time and average trip distance (both car and transit trips.) BLU increased transit mode share, and pedestrian/bicycle mode share.

The BLU strategy maintained the same overall congestion level as the Road scenario, though the Road Scenario average driving speed was a little higher. The Road Scenario ÒVisionÓ is of people driving farther in congested conditions, taking more time for the trip, but driving at a slightly faster speed. Few people would consider that an improvement.

Environmental Impact

Environmental impacts such as wetlands, forest and parkland taken, as well as houses impacted, are much lower with the Blu/transit scenario. Slightly fewer traffic fatalities are forecast, due to the reduction in VMT.

Public Response

The 450 questionnaire results showed that over two thirds of attendees at public meetings supported the BLU land use and transit projects.

A full report on the BLU/transit scenario, with tables showing changed growth pattern and travel results, is available on request.

NOTE:  The Road Scenario cost about 10% or about $0.8 billion more than the Transit Scenario. This inequality was due to the last minute addition of the Corridor Cities Transitway to the Road Scenario. This addition explains the Road Scenario’s increase in Transit Accessibility compared to the MP Baseline.