County council member Valerie Ervin (D-5) warned South Silver Spring residents Monday night that opposition to the Purple Line project was mounting.
“This is a nervous time in our community. People are afraid of change of any kind,” Ervin told about 30 members of the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association. “I am very worried about this.”
Her concerns for the Purple Line stemmed from a meeting last week between the state transit administration and East Silver Spring residents. According to Ervin, most people at that meeting opposed construction of the light-rail line, which would connect Bethesda with New Carrollton through Silver Spring.
“The problem is that people think the Purple Line is the Metro,” Ervin said. However, the light-rail project “will be quieter than the Metro,” she contended.
Ervin indicated that the state transit administration was leaning away from a subterranean route beneath Silver Spring and Thayer avenues in East Silver Spring. According to Ervin, the transit administration determined the cost of tunnel construction to be prohibitive.
The transit administration is considering another route through East Silver Spring, which would run the Purple Line at street level along Wayne Avenue. However, none of the routes through Silver Spring have been finalized.
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The Purple Line is an outdated solution. Given the volume of traffic that now exists on the Capital Beltway, several studies have shown that this would have a minimal impact on traffic congestion, and a major impact on the poorer communities of east Silver Spring and Langley Park.
Since a significant portion (about 40%) of the traffic on the outer loop (mornings) and inner loop (evenings) is due to the commuting of federal workers (e.g.,the National Institutes of Health), a solution already exists. Enforce staggered work hours and ride sharing (not voluntary, but mandatory). This would go a great deal further to relieve congestion on the beltway and secondary road commute than will an old, obsolete solution
Monorail looks like the smartest option. It has the least impact – only regular posts anchored in the ground to support a slim overhead beam or beams. Monorail trains are practically silent and much more energy efficient than light rail (on the ground) or subway trains, and they are more pleasing to commute on because of the view. Because the only construction on the ground required is the installation of the posts – the construction time for monorail is much shorter than laying all the at-grade track for light rail or tunneling for heavy rail. The beams laying across the posts are prefabricated and simply craned into place and secured. The architecture of the monorail can be designed in an aesthetically pleasing way and will add to the neighborhood – unlike the long term construction site that will be present for the building of the other two train styles. Monorail is also more time effective in the act of moving people than light rail because it does not have to stop at traffic lights. It is also cheaper to maintain and safer. There are many monorail systems in use around the world now. The Purple Line should be monorail.
Since when does Wayne Ave count as a very busy street? Perhaps once it reaches Whole Foods (though that entire area is poorly planned and congested) but the Wayne I know well, from Flower to Fenton, is never terribly crowded. And that seems to be the section where most of the “No Train in My Front Yard” signs are.
To be honest, I see myself benefiting from the Purple Line only as a bus substitute. Much of this area is already well-served by bus lines. I imagine if you were looking for a long-haul trip from end-to-end or from College Park to Bethesda it would be useful…