Residents urge county to prioritize bus frequency, accessibility and earlier depot funding
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Summary
Speakers at a Montgomery County Council public hearing pressed for improved transit accessibility and reliability, calling for audits of bus stops, earlier bus-depot construction, more frequent service, and targeted small-project funding rather than delaying fixes until major BRT buildouts.
Jake Goodman, who said he lives with a rare vision impairment, told the council that many county bus stops lack sidewalks, curb cuts, shelters and lighting and called the conditions "shameful." He urged a countywide accessibility audit of every ride-on stop and offered to consult with officials on expert review.
Ben Ross, a Downtown Bethesda resident, focused on frequency as the critical metric for riders and warned the proposed CIPs timeline would worsen service: "The proposed budget doesn't start construction, does nothing until 2030," he said, arguing the transition to zero-emission buses and BRT requires more vehicles and an earlier bus depot to maintain pre-pandemic service levels.
Margaret Schop, representing the Climate Coalition, and Bill Pugh of the Coalition for Smarter Growth also urged prioritizing frequency and modest increases to the countys bus-priority and school-transportation programs. Schop recommended incremental route and frequency changes before investing in expensive infrastructure: she asked the council to extend Route 101 on MD-355 and to boost frequency on the Damascus Route 90.
Concerns about project sequencing surfaced in testimony opposing a large, corridor-level funding approval without local vetting: Nick Brady, speaking for the Woodmoor Pinecrest Citizens Association, urged the council not to approve $116 million for a Route 29 median-running flash-BRT lane before holding a separate BRT corridor hearing required by the countywide transit corridors master plan. Brady said prior studies favored a "managed lane" option that benefits more buses, while a median lane could lengthen travel times for local and school buses.
Speakers proposed near-term, lower-cost actions to improve reliability and equity: targeted bus-priority projects that speed buses at chokepoints; increased funding for the countys small bus-priority program; accelerated investment in a bus depot so the county can house additional vehicles needed for higher frequency; and a full audit of stop accessibility and lighting to reduce safety risks for riders with mobility or vision disabilities.
The hearing included no formal decisions; council members will consider the testimony during budget deliberations.