Montgomery County, Md., which has been historically plagued with traffic clogs along its busiest corridors has moved one step closer to getting a public transit system.
County executive Ike Leggett announced this week plans and funding for a bus rapid transit system designed specifically to assuage the aforementioned congestion.
"With the state's cooperation, we could have BRT operated along our first corridor in less than four years," said Leggett. The first portion of the system would run buses along Route 29 from Burtonsville to the Silver Spring Transit Center. The county also plans to turn some existing road shoulders into dedicated bus lanes.
"We want people to chose to get on the bus and you do that when you have a high-quality service, which bus rapid transit offers. We want it to have Wi-Fi, dedicated lanes, and be faster and more efficient," said Councilman Roger Berliner.
Leggett’s proposal puts $5 million from his own budget into the project; he is asking the state to match that money. Leggett's plan now heads to the county council for consideration.
