We need to Ease the Squeeze on our congested roads by investing in transportation infrastructure and employing smart and balanced land-use policies. Smart growth land-use protects and preserves our precious open spaces and prioritizes transit-oriented, mixed-use development that creates the livable, walkable, accessible communities that young families and businesses increasingly desire. Forward-focused investments in a comprehensive transportation network will create a sense of place with work, live, shop opportunities and will efficiently connect workers to job centers, and communities to each other. Our county is growing, so we need to respect the integrity and quality of life of our neighborhoods and ensure that our infrastructure – from roads to transit to schools – keep up with that growth. Effective transit-oriented development can’t just be accessible; it also must be affordable, which means finding creative ways to address the lack of affordable housing in Montgomery County.

Advocating for Comprehensive Transportation Solutions

In order for smart and balanced land-use policies to work, we need a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation network that incorporates Metro’s Red Line, the Purple Line, MARC commuter lines, and a fully-integrated bus rapid transit network that connects to local bus lines, so we can connect workers to their jobs and communities to each other. We also need to expand the American Legion Bridge, support improvements to I-270, and employ new technologies like smart lights that can improve traffic flow by 15 percent. It’s the only way to build a county that attracts businesses and residents well into the future, and does so in a way that doesn’t choke our potential economic growth with traffic congestion.

Fighting Against False Choices

It isn’t about creating false choices that pit one transportation project over another, or choosing between one mode of transportation over another. It’s about thinking comprehensively about how we most efficiently and effectively move people from where they are to where they’re going. We can’t get caught in the tired battles of the past – somehow believing, incorrectly, that transportation is a zero-sum game. Metro, for instance, is the backbone of our regional economy and I’ve fought to secure dedicated funding necessary to finally achieve a safe, reliable and accountable Metro workers, families, and businesses need. With one million trips per day, it’s the rail system that moves our regional economy. But it’s important to realize that 400,000 of those daily trips are on WMATA buses that drive on roads. To truly ease the squeeze on our roads and unleash the economic potential of our region, we need to recognize that an effective and efficient transit network requires an effective and efficient road network. These investments are doable, and they’re worth prioritizing to relieve congestion and unleash the economic potential of our county.

Creating Jobs Closer to Commuters

It also requires jobs in more parts of the county to relieve the congestion on our roads and allows for more residents to work closer to where they live. If we can cut down on the 40 percent of our current workforce that leaves the county each day for work, we will reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, improve our business climate by creating a better day-time economy, and make Montgomery County a more attractive place to live and work, so we can further invest in the infrastructure we need to build towards our future.