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Montgomery County paves the way for bus network that could zip by traffic

By Ari Ashe

ROCKVILLE, Md. — With Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett running for a third term in November, transit advocates are planning an agenda for his next term.

Leggett will run against Republican James Shalleck in an overwhelmingly Democratic county.

For transit advocates, this means a push to turn projects such as the Purple Line, Corridor Cities Transitway and a bus rapid transit network into reality.

Both the Purple Line and CCT are in the works, but an 80-mile bus-rapid transit (BRT) network is still in the early stages.

At a forum in Rockville this week, the Communities for Transit and Coalition for Smarter Growth discussed how the BRT network would tie the Purple Line and CCT together into a transit network that could drastically reduce the need for cars.

“As the population grows in Montgomery County, it’s going to be harder to get from point A to point B. Traffic is only going to get worse,” says David Hauck, executive director at the Communities for Transit.

“Bus rapid transit is more dependable. It has its own transit-only lane. These vehicles can move past traffic jams. It can maintain a schedule. A trip from Rockville to Wheaton at noon might take 25 minutes. The same trip will take 25 minutes at 5:30 p.m. Or 6 p.m. Or 8 a.m.”

Getting the job done will require the reworking of a lot of major roads. It would mean narrowing existing lanes where you drive, shortening the shoulder, buying up lanes or paving over grass in the median between lanes.

A draft document from the Montgomery County Planning Board finds that most of these roads can support a brand new 11-foot lane without too many changes for drivers.

The proposed network would include lines on Md. 355, U.S. 29, Georgia Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue, Veirs Mill Road and Randolph Road. But the most likely scenario would include the Md. 355, U.S. 29 and Veirs Mill Road routes being built first, the others later.

But some stretches along 29 in Four Corners and 355 near the National Institutes for Health and Walter Reed can’t accommodate new lanes.

Along these stretches, a proposal would take away a current lane of traffic for cars and repurpose it for buses only. People living in these areas have opposed that idea because they are worried it’ll make bad traffic even worse for drivers.

“Common sense tells us that when you remove one of three lanes for cars, then 33 percent of cars will need to find a new lane. But if you actually go out and study it, the number of cars in a curb lane is 22 to 25 percent, because a lot of drivers already know they could be stuck behind a bus and avoid the lane,” says Hauck.

“But we don’t know whether traffic will get worse in those other two lanes. If we do nothing, traffic is going to get worse anyway along Route 29, so there might be more cars in those two lanes. But if we can also get people on these buses, it’ll give everyone a solution.”

The BRT line on Route 29 would connect Burtonsville to the Silver Spring Metro, giving Montgomery County residents access to Metro and the Purple Line. The Md. 355 route would start in Friendship Heights and connect to the Purple Line in Bethesda and the CCT at the Shady Grove Metro before ending in Clarksburg.

The CCT also will provide a bus-rapid transit network west of I-270 that connects to the Metropolitan Grove MARC station and eventually to the COMSAT Life Sciences Center in Clarksburg.

The biggest obstacle is money, even with the higher gas tax in Maryland providing more transportation cash.

Montgomery County will vie against other counties across the state for dollars. There will be competition within Montgomery County to get money to fund the BRT network, Purple Line and CCT. A slew of road projects including new interchanges and road widening, are also looking for funding.

Whether all three projects are under construction in 2018 remains to be seen, but the consensus is that something needs to be done about growing congestion during Leggett’s third term.

“Money will be spent in Montgomery County. I don’t believe residents will accept the scenario of a growing population, more jobs, more commuters and crippling traffic,” says Hauck.

State Highway Administration officials are now reviewing the draft plan for the network, then will make recommendations and changes to it.

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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