Because the Washington, DC metropolitan area has the worstrated traffic gridlock in the country, Governor Hogan must

approve a
plan for the Purple Line light-rail transit system between Montgomery
and Prince Georges counties, which will reduce traffic congestion, use
less energy than transit buses, and provide faster and more energy
efficient public transportation. The line will go from Bethesda to New
Carrollton, with stations near the Silver Spring and Takoma Transit

Jillian Wilson
Blue Group
Why The Purple Line Is A Good Idea for
Maryland
Critical Thinking Paper
March 28, 2015
Centers and the University of Maryland. One proposed route for the
Purple Line goes on major streets including Wayne Avenue and
University Boulevard, which has been a topic of controversy because
the route would go through residential neighborhoods, possibly cutting
into peoples front yards and bringing more noise in the form of the
machines required to build the line to these neighborhoods. The
construction of the line and surrounding residential and retail units
would create over 6,300 jobs in the lines corridor and provide an
efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to buses and cars.

The undertaking of building a light rail between Bethesda and

New Carrollton has been in discussion for 15 years, beginning in 2000
as a $1.2 billion transportation enterprise and is now estimated to cost
just above $150 million per square mile, or $2.4 billion. The Purple Line
project was supported by former Maryland governor Martin OMalley,
but the new governor, Larry Hogan, hasnt been as supportive as his
predecessor. Recently, he pushed back the deadlines for bids on routes
from this month to August and called the project an environmental and
fiscal disaster (marylandreporter.com). Over the years, there have
been attempts to fix the lack of an efficient transportation system
between the eastern and western regions. The Ride On buses, which
have been apart of the public transportation since 1973, provide
transportation going from the east to the west and vice versa, but the
commute is longer than it needs to be and ...it is often slow and
unreliable because it operates in traffic on a congested roadway
network...is provided by multiple operators and often requires that
patrons transfer between routes and providers (Purple Line
Environmental Impact Study, 6). The Metro railway system, which
started running in 1976, provides a faster form of public transportation
than the buses and goes through Maryland, Virginia, and the District of
Columbia. Similarly to the bus system, the railways also make
commutes longer than necessary. Currently, in order for a commuter to
get from Silver Spring to Bethesda by train, he has to take the red line

in a U-shape. The Purple Line would cut that in half since the route just
goes right across, saving time and money for commuters in both
Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties and fuel for the already
existing diesel buses and trains.

The problem is that The Purple Line corridor faces numerous

transportation challenges as a result of limited infrastructure for eastwest travel. The primary east-west travel routes in the corridor are
heavily congested during peak periods and on weekends (Purple Line
Environmental Impact Study, page 8) and that people in Prince
Georges County are not seeing the same economic improvement as
the people in Montgomery County. In the ten years before the Baker
Administration took charge, Prince Georges County lost 5, 400 (1.8%)
of the entire countys jobs. The only section of employment that has
shown improvement is the Travel and Tourism industry, which
increased by 63.8% in the county over the regional growth of 33.8%. In
Montgomery County, economic incentive programs have given the
county economic growth and stability, and now ...a large portion of
new jobs are filled by new residents or commuters from other
jurisdictions (Horowitz, Clinch, and Flowers, 8). The Prince Georges
County citizens are trying to gain the same stable jobs and economy
exist in neighboring Montgomery County, but the commuting system in
place currently is slowed down due to traffic congestion and The

impacts of these traffic conditions on bus service are already

substantial and future conditions... congested roadways mean that
buses cannot operate on schedule and travel times are not
predictable(Purple Line Environmental Impact Study, page 8). This
prevents workers in Prince Georges from getting to those good
Montgomery County jobs and families in Montgomery County going to
visit their children attending college at the University of Maryland in
Prince Georges County

The way to solve the problem is by building the Purple Line.

Since the line is a light rail, it runs on electricity and not diesel, like the
buses and the train. An advantage of a light rail is that the tracks can
be placed on trails, which is where the expansion of the Capital
Crescent Trail part of the project comes from, and on streets. Having a
light rail on the major, connecting streets is estimated to take around
17,000 cars off the road by 2020, reducing the long term traffic
congestion at many busy intersections. The idea of having the line go
on residential streets is a subject of controversy in the project. Though
the construction will be noisy and cause traffic problems while the line
is being built, once it is done, the amount of cars on the street will be
reduced and the train itself will make little noise when it comes down
the street. Along with the line would come everything that usually gets

built when a new line or station is just constructed: apartments and

affordable housing near the stops. People who get to live in one of the
over 24 proposed real estate development projects that are to be
constructed along the line will be able to walk out their building doors
and walk a short distance to a Purple Line station. The construction of
the line and surrounding residential units will create over 6,300 jobs for
people in both Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties. The Purple
Line project is a much needed one, according to Henry Kay, the
Executive Director for Transit Development and Delivery, who said that
the Purple Line addresses a long standing deficiency in the
transportation system in the Maryland pocket of the DC region, which
is your ability to travel east and west between major business districts
and residential areas safely, quickly, and efficiently. Many Americans
are leaning towards the idea of public transportation since the money
being spent on the ownership and operation of a car is rising. In a
recent America THINKS survey from the HNTB Corporation, results
showed that 76% of Americans are fine with taking public
transportation as opposed to driving and 48% say that one of the
things they would look for when moving to a new place is good public
transportation before considering making the move (news.hntb.com).

The Purple Line will not only provide economic stability and a
reduction in traffic congestion, but also an energy efficient and long

lasting way to get around. Light rails run on electricity instead of

diesel, which is what the buses and trains are using to power
themselves. Diesel is created by oil and, according to the Institute of
Mechanical Engineers, the level of oil production could possibly come
down to 15 million barrels per day, which is only around 20% of the
current oil consumption and not enough for the growing worldwide
population. Light rails, which use 34% (0.34 kilowatt-hours) energy per
passenger mile compared to a transit bus (1.08 kwh) and a passenger
train (0.63 kwh) (pressherald.com), use train cars that, with one
operator, can take six times more passengers than a single Metro
bus(purplelinenow.com). The light rail train cars also last longer than a
bus, so that brings down the money spent on making new ones every
few years.

The Purple Line is a step in the right direction in improving the

environmental conditions in the DC metropolitan region. The light rails
that are to be laid down next to the biking and walking trails will be put
down on grass tracks. This will decrease rain water runoff and heat
increases along the line. By the completion of the project, the Purple
Line is predicted to be used by 68,000 commuters, taking carbon
emitting cars off the street and enhancing the regional air quality,
helping reduce greenhouse gas and air pollution in the area (Smart
Choices, Less Traffic, 17). Being near the nations capital, the project

will pull closer in regional development and encourage revitalization

where it is necessary. According to the MTA, the Purple Line will bring a
revenue of $1.8 billion, increase property values by $8.4 billion and
every 30 years, create over 27,000 new jobs((Smart Choices, Less
Traffic, 17).
If the Purple Line is not built, then the traffic congestion will only
get worse as the population grows. Right now, Washington, D.C., has
the dubious distinction of being number one in two areas. It is the
capital of partisan gridlock, and now traffic gridlock
(washingtonpost.com). Analysts at the Texas A&M Transportation
Institute have predicted that in 5 years from now, the ordinary United
State have been in traffic an additional seven hours and used six more
gallons of gas than is really needed. (washingtonpost.com). As the
population grows and more sixteen year olds start learning how to
drive, the number of cars on the road will increase. Those new cars will
add to the existing air pollution and greenhouse gases in our
atmosphere, which has already caused global warming and the hole in
the ozone layer. New buses will be built and unless the bus companies
decide to move away from using diesel as a fuel source, the oil
reserves will be depleted until nothing is left. Economies in the DC
region could get worse too, if people cannot get to the better jobs in
better places that will give them the opportunities they need to provide
economic stability for themselves, their families, and the government.

Maryland Governor Hogan must pass a plan for the Purple

Line because it will reduce traffic congestion, save energy, and fossil
fuels, and connect two counties to each other. If the Governor doesnt
choose one and decides that the project isnt worth it, the congestion
could get worse, along with global warming caused by the millions of
cars and buses on the road, and Montgomery County will become less
accessible to citizens in Prince Georges Counties.

Works Cited
Horowitz, Mitchell, Richard Clinch, and Marisa Gaither Flowers.
"Economic Drivers and Catalysts: A Targeted Economic Development
Strategy for Prince George's County, Maryland." Mar. 2013. Reading.
This report provided me with in-depth information about the flawed
economy in Prince George's County and what their plan for fixing it and
increasing the stability is for the next few years.
Howard, Craig, and Natalia Carrizosa. "Review of Montgomery
County's Economic Development Incentive Programs." 26 Feb. 2013.
Reading. This report was helpful in figuring out the economic state of
Montgomery County and what the county government plans to do to
further increase and develop the economy in the years to come.
Kazanjian, Glynis. "Purple Line Part I: To build or not to build a
$2.4 billion light rail." MarylandReporter.com. Maryland Reporter, n.d.
Web. 2 Mar. 2015. <http://marylandreporter.com/2015/01/12/purpleline-part-i-to-build-or-not-to-build-a-2-4-billion-light-rail-line/>. This
article provides information about the pros of building the purple line
and the recent information on the project while understanding the cons
and opposition to the project.
"Metrorail, Circulator, and Shuttle Map Washington, DC."
Beam24. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.dcmetromap.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/dc-metromap2.jpg>. This picture showed me the shape of the red line, which

stops at both the Silver Spring and Bethesda stations, that proves that
the commute from the two cities is longer than it needs to be.
Purple Line. "Purple Line Final Environmental Impact Statement
and Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation." Reading. This report goes in depth
about why the Purple Line should be built and covers everything from
the economic growth of the area to traffic congestion to the connection
between the Metrorail lines and Montgomery and Prince George's
County.
Purple Line Now! "Why light rail?" Purple Line Now! Purple Line
Now!, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.purplelinenow.com/why_light_rail.html>. This webpage
gives a short and to the point version of why the Purple Line should get
built. In a small amount of text, they managed to pack in a load of
important information.
"Ready to ride: America THINKS transit." HNTB. HNTB, 5 Nov.
2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://news.hntb.com/news-releases/readyto-ride-america-thinks-transit.htm>. This article provided me with a
good source that shows Americans really are willing to make the move
to public transportation versus cars and that having a good
transportation system in the area is important to people.
The Sierra Club. "Smart Choices, Less Traffic 50 Best and Worst
Transportation Projects In the United States." Nov. 2012. Reading. This
report really helped me with the environmental aspect of the paper

because the other sources had only little snippets, but this one went in
depth about the environmental side of public transportation that isn't
always talked about as much as it should be.