Metro News Release
For immediate release: October 2, 2009
Metro hosts public hearings on proposed restructuring of Veirs Mill Road line
Metrobus route Q2 to become more efficient
Metro will host a public hearing later this month to receive the public’s input on proposed changes to Metrobus route Q2, the Veirs Mill Road line.
The hearing (number 546) will take place at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, October 13, at the First Baptist Church of Wheaton, Fellowship Hall, 10914 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD. An open house will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Metro, in coordination with Montgomery County and the Maryland Department of Transportation, has developed a service plan that restructures Metrobus route Q2 (Veirs Mill Road Line), which currently operates between Shady Grove and Silver Spring Metrorail stations. This route is being proposed for restructuring to address continuing performance-related issues, including schedule adherence, bus bunching, traffic congestion, delays, passenger crowding and long trip durations.
The proposed service plan will split the current Q2 route into two routes: route Q2A, the northerly route, would provide service between the Shady Grove and Wheaton Metrorail stations and route Q2B, the southerly route, would provide service between the Rockville and Silver Spring Metrorail stations. The changes would provide overlapping service along Veirs Mill Road between the Wheaton and Rockville Metrorail stations which will operate as the all-day, base service. Focus will be placed on improving frequencies along the higher-demand Veirs Mill Road segment (Rockville to Wheaton) with 7 1/2-minute peak service and 15-minute off-peak service, while providing wider headways along the Md. Rt. 355 segment (Shady Grove to Rockville), where parallel Ride On service is available, and the Georgia Avenue segment (Wheaton to Silver Spring, where parallel Metrobus service is available) with 15-minute peak service and 30-minute off-peak service.
All organizations or individuals desiring to be heard with respect to the proposed adjustments to passenger fares, parking rates and fees will be afforded the opportunity to present their views and make supporting statements and offer alternative proposals. Individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at these public hearings are requested to furnish, in writing their name, address, telephone number and organization affiliation, if any, to Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. Alternatively, requests to speak may be faxed to 202-962-1133 or e-mailed to public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com. Please submit one speaker’s name per letter and include reference to the hearing number for the hearing at which you wish to speak. Lists of individual speakers will not be accepted. Others present at the hearing may be heard after those persons who have registered have spoken. Public officials will be heard first and will be allowed five minutes each to make their presentations. All other speakers will be allowed three minutes each.
Written statements and exhibits may be submitted until close of business on Friday, October 16, to Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Alternatively, individuals may send an e-mail to public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com or fax to 202-962-1133. Please reference the hearing and/or docket number listed above in the submission.
Media contact for this news release: Bessy Guevara or Lisa Farbstein at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.
News release issued at 2:31 pm, October 2, 2009.