SMTA Advocacy

Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance P.O. Box 10352 Rockville, MD 20849

Congress: Proposed Cut to Metro Funding Not Wise

May 1, 2015 | Author: John Fineran

As Dr. Gridlock wrote in the Post recently, Congress is weighing possible cuts to Metro funding that would be both severe and unwise.  Here is a link to the Washington Post article. Members of Congress from the DC region should unite to oppose this short-sighted proposal.  Experts across the region, as well as the public, recognize the key role Metro plays in keeping Greater Washington moving, and the federal government in particular has every reason to support Metro, given it's critical role in supporting the transportation needs of the large federal workforce here....regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:

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SMTA Weighs in Again on Purple Line Debate

March 6, 2015 | Author:MoveMDweb

Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance (SMTA) Vice Chair, Richard Parsons, spoke out strongly in favor of the Purple Line at a recent debate at the AFI Theater in Silver Spring, organized by the Maryland Public Policy Institute.  Parsons squared off against noted transit critic, Randall O'Toole of the Cato Foundation. Parsons made the case that both the economic development the Purple Line would bring -- tens of thousands of new jobs every year in addition to thousands of short-term construction jobs -- and the transportation benefits from creating a regional transportation...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:

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Business Leaders Make their Case for Purple Line

February 4, 2015 | Author: John Fineran

Business leaders from the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, other local Chambers and leaders in the building industry from across the Washington Region came together today at the University of Maryland for a strategy session with top political leaders on advancing the Purple Line, which is due to begin construction by the end of 2015. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has included initial funding in his first budget, and will be making a final decision on the project after a 90-day...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:

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Area Experts Ask: Why Not Extend the ICC?

January 5, 2015 | Author:MoveMDweb

The Washington Post recently ran a provocative article submitted by two leading transportation experts, Alan Pisarski and Peter Samuel, entitled Expand the Intercounty Connector for a Truly Regional Transportation Network. The authors note correctly that -- contrary to the "spin" we often hear from anti-road activists -- tens of thousands of people are using the Intercounty Connector (ICC) every day.  In fact, more passengers are traveling on the ICC each day than on the much more expensive Silver Line, traffic on the parallel section of the Beltway has dropped 8% since the ICC...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:

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Purple Line May Face New Post-Election Hurdles

December 30, 2014 | Author: John Fineran

The Purple Line, a long-debated light-rail transit line running from the Bethesda through Silver Spring, College Park and eventually connecting all the way to New Carrollton, may be facing new hurdles with the election of Larry Hogan as Maryland's next Governor.  As reported in the Washington Post, during the campaign Hogan expressed skepticism regarding the need for the Purple Line, though he later moderated his comments and now says he will keep an open mind.  We hope so. SMTA has long supported the Purple Line as an important suburb-to-suburb connection between key...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:

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Final Section of ICC to Open Fully by November 10

November 6, 2014 | Author:MoveMDweb

[caption id="attachment_897" align="alignleft" width="242"] Construction on final ICC segment[/caption] New Interchange in Prince George's County also Set to Open by Monday The InterCounty Connector, or ICC, will soon be open all the way from the I-270 corridor to Route 1 in Prince George's County. Here is a map of the new intersection at Route 1.  Please watch for new traffic patterns. More details are provided in the update below from the Maryland Transportation Authority.   FINAL SECTION OF ICC AND NEW INTERCHANGE IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY TO OPEN BY MONDAY...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:

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