- Under the proposed restructuring, the 37 as we currently know it will NOT change. The route will stay the same, as will the frequency.
- There could be some slight schedule changes (e.g. bus will leave at 5:57 instead of 5:59 pm or the like), but that level of detail isn't yet known.
- What is changing is what our bus will do AFTER we've all reached Grosvenor. The bus itself will continue on to Wheaton. Currently it's the 6 that runs from Grosvenor to Wheaton. It will be the 37 once the restructuring happens. The section between Potomac Community Center and Grosvenor will be unchanged.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
"Restructuring" the 37
If you are looking here, you've probably seen the notice that mentions that RideOn plans on "restructuring routes 37 and 6" for FY2010. There is a lot of confusion as to what this really means, so I called RideOn this morning to ask some questions. Here's what I found out:
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Celebration Dinner
We'd like to get everyone together for a celebratory dinner. Not only will it give everyone a chance to unwind & celebrate our efforts, it'll give people a chance to put faces together with names & email addresses and let us all get to know the people we ride with everyday a little bit better.
Date: Tuesday, March 11th
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Jade Billows Chinese Restaurant in the Cabin John Shopping Center
RSVP: email to let us know you are coming so we can tell the restaurant how big a table to put aside for us.
Spouses/significant others/well-behaved kids welcome, too. :-)
Hope to see you there.
Date: Tuesday, March 11th
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Jade Billows Chinese Restaurant in the Cabin John Shopping Center
RSVP: email to let us know you are coming so we can tell the restaurant how big a table to put aside for us.
Spouses/significant others/well-behaved kids welcome, too. :-)
Hope to see you there.
We DID it!!
I'm a little slow in posting this, but in case you haven't heard:
WE DID IT!! The 37 has been saved!
Here's the official notice:
As you know, Montgomery County is facing a serious budget shortfall of $400 million in fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1, 2008. Rather than wait until July to address this looming deficit, the County Executive directed every Department in the County to propose savings in order to meet the goal of reducing our current year budget by two percent.
Transit’s contribution to the savings plan included reductions in service to some of these Ride On routes with the lowest number of riders. But, before any changes were to be made to our critical transit service, we wanted to hear from our customers by giving them the opportunity to write or call us, or attend and/or provide input at a public forum on February 11. After carefully reviewing written comments and testimony from 250 customers and residents, we want you to know that your concerns have been heard.
Ride On is making the following changes:
Weekday Service
Route 7 Weekday Service: Retain the route as is due to the limited availability of alternatives. Trip times will be reviewed, as suggested by customers, in an effort to improve this route’s performance.
Route 34/42 Weekday Service: The merger of service on these two routes will begin May 4. The new combined route will be called Route 34.
Route 37 Weekday Service: Reduce the frequency of service to every 30 minutes, effective May 5. Ride On expects that 90 percent of riders will be retained with this change, resulting in a 20 percent improvement in performance (as measured by riders per hour).
Route 75: Retain the route as is.
Route 124: As originally proposed in the savings plan, Ride On will eliminate service on Route 124 after Friday, March 14th.
Route 127: Transfer operation of this bus route to the administration of Montgomery College, starting in fiscal year 2009. The last day of Ride On operated service will be May 16. The College can operate the service more cost effectively by only running it on school days. The County will include funding in the College’s fiscal year 2009 budget for the costs of operating their version of the Route 127 service.
Saturday Service
Routes 30 Saturday Service: Weekday service will continue, but Saturday service will be eliminated after Saturday April 5th.
Routes 36 Saturday Service Weekday service will continue, but Saturday service will be eliminated after Saturday April 5th.
Route 90 Saturday Service: Retain Saturday service, but reduce the span of service by two hours each day, effective Saturday, April 12. Ride On expects that 90 percent of riders will be retained, resulting in a 13 percent improvement in performance.
Sunday
Route 98 Sunday Service: Weekday service will continue, but Sunday service will be eliminated after Sunday, March 30.
This revised plan will still save $200,980 in fiscal year 2008, or about 58 percent of what was originally proposed, and $925,860 in fiscal year 2009, or about 57 percent of the original proposal.
Cutting existing service is not an easy decision – it is painful and difficult, particularly transit service. We have encouraged residents to use alternative transportation to relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality, and residents have responded. Ride On ridership has increased every month for 45 months. But, no service in County government should be immune from examination for potential increases in efficiency or cost reductions. Several times a year, Ride On routinely looks at its operations to identify and deal with the poorest performing bus routes and duplicative service and we will continue to do that.
Ride On wants to thank all of you who took the time to provide input during this difficult time.
Carolyn A. Jones, Manager
Customer and Community Relations Unit
101 Monroe Street, 5th Floor
Rockville, Maryland 20850
240-777-5800
e-mail address: transit.dpwt@montgomerycountymd.gov
WE DID IT!! The 37 has been saved!
Here's the official notice:
As you know, Montgomery County is facing a serious budget shortfall of $400 million in fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1, 2008. Rather than wait until July to address this looming deficit, the County Executive directed every Department in the County to propose savings in order to meet the goal of reducing our current year budget by two percent.
Transit’s contribution to the savings plan included reductions in service to some of these Ride On routes with the lowest number of riders. But, before any changes were to be made to our critical transit service, we wanted to hear from our customers by giving them the opportunity to write or call us, or attend and/or provide input at a public forum on February 11. After carefully reviewing written comments and testimony from 250 customers and residents, we want you to know that your concerns have been heard.
Ride On is making the following changes:
Weekday Service
Route 7 Weekday Service: Retain the route as is due to the limited availability of alternatives. Trip times will be reviewed, as suggested by customers, in an effort to improve this route’s performance.
Route 34/42 Weekday Service: The merger of service on these two routes will begin May 4. The new combined route will be called Route 34.
Route 37 Weekday Service: Reduce the frequency of service to every 30 minutes, effective May 5. Ride On expects that 90 percent of riders will be retained with this change, resulting in a 20 percent improvement in performance (as measured by riders per hour).
Route 75: Retain the route as is.
Route 124: As originally proposed in the savings plan, Ride On will eliminate service on Route 124 after Friday, March 14th.
Route 127: Transfer operation of this bus route to the administration of Montgomery College, starting in fiscal year 2009. The last day of Ride On operated service will be May 16. The College can operate the service more cost effectively by only running it on school days. The County will include funding in the College’s fiscal year 2009 budget for the costs of operating their version of the Route 127 service.
Saturday Service
Routes 30 Saturday Service: Weekday service will continue, but Saturday service will be eliminated after Saturday April 5th.
Routes 36 Saturday Service Weekday service will continue, but Saturday service will be eliminated after Saturday April 5th.
Route 90 Saturday Service: Retain Saturday service, but reduce the span of service by two hours each day, effective Saturday, April 12. Ride On expects that 90 percent of riders will be retained, resulting in a 13 percent improvement in performance.
Sunday
Route 98 Sunday Service: Weekday service will continue, but Sunday service will be eliminated after Sunday, March 30.
This revised plan will still save $200,980 in fiscal year 2008, or about 58 percent of what was originally proposed, and $925,860 in fiscal year 2009, or about 57 percent of the original proposal.
Cutting existing service is not an easy decision – it is painful and difficult, particularly transit service. We have encouraged residents to use alternative transportation to relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality, and residents have responded. Ride On ridership has increased every month for 45 months. But, no service in County government should be immune from examination for potential increases in efficiency or cost reductions. Several times a year, Ride On routinely looks at its operations to identify and deal with the poorest performing bus routes and duplicative service and we will continue to do that.
Ride On wants to thank all of you who took the time to provide input during this difficult time.
Carolyn A. Jones, Manager
Customer and Community Relations Unit
101 Monroe Street, 5th Floor
Rockville, Maryland 20850
240-777-5800
e-mail address: transit.dpwt@montgomerycountymd.gov
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Letter in Today's Washington Post
In case you missed it, you can find the letter Adam Garfinkle wrote for today's "Close to Home" feature of the Post here.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Meet the Press...
The Potomac Gazette has an article in this week's edition. You can find it online here
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Contact the County Executive!!
Everyone did a GREAT job at the public hearing earlier this week. 14 out of 32 speakers were speaking on behalf of saving the 37. There were also more ppl in support of the 37 in the crowd, so they couldnt' miss the fact that we were there. Anyone who wasn't there or who didn't speak can make their comments in writing up until Tuesday, February 19th. These comments should be addressed to Ms. Carolyn Biggins at transit.dpwt@montgomerycountymd.gov
Contacting Ms. Biggins is necessary, but it may not be enough. We need to go back to Councilman Berliner to encourage him to pressure County Executive Ike Leggett to reconsider this. Councilman Berliner put that message in his memo of Feb 4th, but now he needs to back it up with action! His email is councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
Lastly & probably most importantly, we need to contact County Executive Ike Leggett directly. A few ppl have done so & Leggett's response has been a formulaic non-response (see below). Calls to his office today have been taken by people who have no idea what we're even talking about. This is NOT acceptable!! The old saying goes that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so let's make sure Leggett hears us squeak!!! (Even better if he hears us *roar*!!) His contact information is:
Mr. Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County Executive
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 777-2500
oce@montgomerycountymd.gov
Let's bombard his office with phone calls & emails about how we feel about this proposal!!
I'm attaching below the letter Adam Garfinkle wrote to Leggett earlier this week, followed by the non-response he received back. This message from County Exec Leggett is the exact same response that Lisa Kruppa received to her letter -- VERBATIM!! Clearly, the County Exec is NOT paying attention, so it's up to us to inundate him/his office until he has no choice but to at least make himself aware of the issue!!
To: ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov
Subject: Ride On proposals, viz #37
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:52:35 +0000
> Mr. Leggett,
>
> Last night's Ride-On forum at 100 Maryland Avenue turned up some many
> interesting points about the unfortunate proposal by the County
> Executive's proposal to reduce public transportation, not least the
> proposed elimination of the 37 bus. I regret that no Council members
> were present last night. But I hope you and your colleagues interest
> yourselves in the proceedings, and that having done so you will
> reconsider a proposal that is manifestly retrograde and counterproductive to our community.
>
> Note that, of all the points made last night, two stand out. First,
> the problem with the 37 bus, and other routes as well, isn't one of
> ridership but of measurement. Just this morning 22 people rode the 37
> bus to the Grosvenor metro, and the driver did not collect a single
> fare or punch a single card because the fare box was broken. This is
> common, and Ride-On's method of counting does not take this into
> account. How can a route that was EXPANDED just 3 or 4 years ago because Ride-On pronounced it too crowded suddenly turn into an "underperformer"
> despite even Ride-On's testimony that ridership has increased? This
> makes no sense, as must be obvious to you.
>
> Second, the proposed reductions for all routes account for only, I am
> advised, four tenths of one percent of the deficit. For such a paltry
> amount of money, the Country will pour hundreds of cars into rush-hour
> traffic? Will strand the handicapped and the elderly and the poor who
> do not or cannot drive? Will leave five schools, two elder care facilities and a vibrant shopping mall unserved?
> Will accelerate the pollution of our air with greenhouse gasses? Will
> make a mockery of the Country and the State's adjuration to all of us to "go green"?
> This beggars the imagination.
>
> Indeed, sir, with all due respect, your proposal isn't even
> revenue-positive; it is revenue negative in the mid-term and beyond.
> It will reduce Country revenue from affected businesses, reduced
> property values and increased road maintenance costs, to name only the
> obvious factors. Has the County consulted a professional urban
> economist on this point? Why don't you consider doing this? Or is the County allergic to having actual knowledge with which to make its decisions?
>
> I say all this not in anger but in sorrow. I find it hard to believe
> that seemingly intelligent men and women can propose doing something
> that is so manifestly retrograde, ignorant, shortsighted and, as I
> have already indicated, embarrassing. I can't believe that other, less
> harmful ways to balance the budget are not available. Show me your
> budget and I'll find them for you, if you like.
>
> Note, too, that we are not averse to compromise. As Councilman
> Berliner suggested to you in his letter of February 4, the schedule
> for the 37 can be put back to what it was before expansion, at least
> temporarily. Smaller vehicles can be used, also temporarily.
> Reasonable fare increases are possible. But if the route is eliminated altogether, the chances of its being resuscitated are low.
> The long-term negative impact on the County would be magnified.
>
> So, Mr. Leggett, the Ride-On Forum has come and gone, but we are not
> done opposing this counterproductive proposal. Nor will we forget--all
> of us, literally hundreds of us and voters every one--if the County
> Executive persists in implementing this foolish proposal. You would be wise to reconsider.
>
> Sincerely,
> Dr. Adam Garfinkle
Here was the (non)response from Leggett:
From: "Ike Leggett"
> Thank you for your email regarding the proposed Ride On service changes.
> The County held a public hearing on the proposed service cuts on
> Monday, February 11, 2008 at the Council Office Building.
>
> * The routes proposed for elimination in their entirety are: 7,
> 37, 124 and 127. These routes operate weekdays only (7, 37 and 124
> operate weekday rush hours only).
> * The routes proposed for elimination on Saturday only are: 30,
> 36 and 90 (no change to their weekday schedules).
> * The route proposed for only a Sunday service cut is route 98.
> * It is proposed to merge the following into one route: Route 34
> which operates from Aspen Hill to Bethesda, and route 42 which
> operates from Medical Center to Friendship Heights. The current
> duplication of service within Bethesda will be eliminated (3 bus stops
> in each direction eliminated along Woodmont Avenue). This proposed
> change in service to routes 34 and 42 would operate 7 days per week.
>
> All of these routes/segments have less ridership and are below Ride
> On's service standards, which are 10-15 passengers per bus-hour
> (varies by type of bus and time of day/day of week).
>
> The close of the public comment period is February 19, 2008. After
> the hearing, all comments that are received will be reviewed and a
> final decision will be made. Transit Services will post the final
> decision about the proposed service reductions and route consolidation
> on its website. The website address is www.montgomerycountymd.gov and
> click on
>
> Ride On.
>
> I appreciate your sharing your views on this important transportation
> budget issue.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Isiah Leggett
> County Executive
It's clear he didn't read Adam's or Lisa's letters/doesn't address the concerns stated in that letter. Let's see if we can get Leggett to care a bit more, shall we?
Contacting Ms. Biggins is necessary, but it may not be enough. We need to go back to Councilman Berliner to encourage him to pressure County Executive Ike Leggett to reconsider this. Councilman Berliner put that message in his memo of Feb 4th, but now he needs to back it up with action! His email is councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
Lastly & probably most importantly, we need to contact County Executive Ike Leggett directly. A few ppl have done so & Leggett's response has been a formulaic non-response (see below). Calls to his office today have been taken by people who have no idea what we're even talking about. This is NOT acceptable!! The old saying goes that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so let's make sure Leggett hears us squeak!!! (Even better if he hears us *roar*!!) His contact information is:
Mr. Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County Executive
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 777-2500
oce@montgomerycountymd.gov
Let's bombard his office with phone calls & emails about how we feel about this proposal!!
I'm attaching below the letter Adam Garfinkle wrote to Leggett earlier this week, followed by the non-response he received back. This message from County Exec Leggett is the exact same response that Lisa Kruppa received to her letter -- VERBATIM!! Clearly, the County Exec is NOT paying attention, so it's up to us to inundate him/his office until he has no choice but to at least make himself aware of the issue!!
To: ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov
Subject: Ride On proposals, viz #37
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:52:35 +0000
> Mr. Leggett,
>
> Last night's Ride-On forum at 100 Maryland Avenue turned up some many
> interesting points about the unfortunate proposal by the County
> Executive's proposal to reduce public transportation, not least the
> proposed elimination of the 37 bus. I regret that no Council members
> were present last night. But I hope you and your colleagues interest
> yourselves in the proceedings, and that having done so you will
> reconsider a proposal that is manifestly retrograde and counterproductive to our community.
>
> Note that, of all the points made last night, two stand out. First,
> the problem with the 37 bus, and other routes as well, isn't one of
> ridership but of measurement. Just this morning 22 people rode the 37
> bus to the Grosvenor metro, and the driver did not collect a single
> fare or punch a single card because the fare box was broken. This is
> common, and Ride-On's method of counting does not take this into
> account. How can a route that was EXPANDED just 3 or 4 years ago because Ride-On pronounced it too crowded suddenly turn into an "underperformer"
> despite even Ride-On's testimony that ridership has increased? This
> makes no sense, as must be obvious to you.
>
> Second, the proposed reductions for all routes account for only, I am
> advised, four tenths of one percent of the deficit. For such a paltry
> amount of money, the Country will pour hundreds of cars into rush-hour
> traffic? Will strand the handicapped and the elderly and the poor who
> do not or cannot drive? Will leave five schools, two elder care facilities and a vibrant shopping mall unserved?
> Will accelerate the pollution of our air with greenhouse gasses? Will
> make a mockery of the Country and the State's adjuration to all of us to "go green"?
> This beggars the imagination.
>
> Indeed, sir, with all due respect, your proposal isn't even
> revenue-positive; it is revenue negative in the mid-term and beyond.
> It will reduce Country revenue from affected businesses, reduced
> property values and increased road maintenance costs, to name only the
> obvious factors. Has the County consulted a professional urban
> economist on this point? Why don't you consider doing this? Or is the County allergic to having actual knowledge with which to make its decisions?
>
> I say all this not in anger but in sorrow. I find it hard to believe
> that seemingly intelligent men and women can propose doing something
> that is so manifestly retrograde, ignorant, shortsighted and, as I
> have already indicated, embarrassing. I can't believe that other, less
> harmful ways to balance the budget are not available. Show me your
> budget and I'll find them for you, if you like.
>
> Note, too, that we are not averse to compromise. As Councilman
> Berliner suggested to you in his letter of February 4, the schedule
> for the 37 can be put back to what it was before expansion, at least
> temporarily. Smaller vehicles can be used, also temporarily.
> Reasonable fare increases are possible. But if the route is eliminated altogether, the chances of its being resuscitated are low.
> The long-term negative impact on the County would be magnified.
>
> So, Mr. Leggett, the Ride-On Forum has come and gone, but we are not
> done opposing this counterproductive proposal. Nor will we forget--all
> of us, literally hundreds of us and voters every one--if the County
> Executive persists in implementing this foolish proposal. You would be wise to reconsider.
>
> Sincerely,
> Dr. Adam Garfinkle
Here was the (non)response from Leggett:
From: "Ike Leggett"
> Thank you for your email regarding the proposed Ride On service changes.
> The County held a public hearing on the proposed service cuts on
> Monday, February 11, 2008 at the Council Office Building.
>
> * The routes proposed for elimination in their entirety are: 7,
> 37, 124 and 127. These routes operate weekdays only (7, 37 and 124
> operate weekday rush hours only).
> * The routes proposed for elimination on Saturday only are: 30,
> 36 and 90 (no change to their weekday schedules).
> * The route proposed for only a Sunday service cut is route 98.
> * It is proposed to merge the following into one route: Route 34
> which operates from Aspen Hill to Bethesda, and route 42 which
> operates from Medical Center to Friendship Heights. The current
> duplication of service within Bethesda will be eliminated (3 bus stops
> in each direction eliminated along Woodmont Avenue). This proposed
> change in service to routes 34 and 42 would operate 7 days per week.
>
> All of these routes/segments have less ridership and are below Ride
> On's service standards, which are 10-15 passengers per bus-hour
> (varies by type of bus and time of day/day of week).
>
> The close of the public comment period is February 19, 2008. After
> the hearing, all comments that are received will be reviewed and a
> final decision will be made. Transit Services will post the final
> decision about the proposed service reductions and route consolidation
> on its website. The website address is www.montgomerycountymd.gov and
> click on
>
> Ride On.
>
> I appreciate your sharing your views on this important transportation
> budget issue.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Isiah Leggett
> County Executive
It's clear he didn't read Adam's or Lisa's letters/doesn't address the concerns stated in that letter. Let's see if we can get Leggett to care a bit more, shall we?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Tonight's the Night!!
Tonight is the big Transit meeting. If you're interested in saving the 37 and there's *ANY* way you can attend the meeting, I strongly encourage you to do so. The more people we can have there showing support, the stronger our case will be!!
Here's the details on the meeting:
Date: Monday, February 11, 2008
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: 100 Maryland Ave, 3rd Floor Conference Rm, Rockville, MD
See you there!!
Here's the details on the meeting:
Date: Monday, February 11, 2008
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: 100 Maryland Ave, 3rd Floor Conference Rm, Rockville, MD
See you there!!
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