Montgomery council members eschew public transit for own cars
By: Alan Suderman
Examiner Staff Writer
November 12, 2009
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| Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, D-at large, said she used public transit to travel to campaign events, but that “after a while, it became a real hassle.” (Examiner file) |
The nine reserved parking spots for Montgomery County Council members are almost always full during a council meeting.
That's because all of the council members, who are tasked with making key public transportation decisions that will affect generations of commuters, drive to work.
So is that a problem?
"It is a problem," said Ben Ross, president of Montgomery County's Action Committee for Transit. "Elected officials do tend to see things through a driver's eyes."
Mass transit advocates said it's hard to criticize council members when their work schedules often take them to several events around the county, but added that there's no better way to understand the county's transportation needs than to actually ride the county's trains and buses.
"There isn't a substitute for at least some of the time taking transit," said David Alpert, who writes the pro-transit blog Greater Greater Washington.
But council members said their personal commuting habits haven't hampered their strong support of public transit in the county and encouraging its use. This year the council rejected cuts to the county's public bus system proposed by County Executive Ike Leggett. Leggett is often chauffeured in a county-owned sport utility vehicle, although his spokesman said the county executive often uses Metro trains to go into the District.
And many Council members added that while they currently drive to and from work, they aren't strangers to using public transportation. Some said they use Metro trains when they go into the District and others said they have relied on public transportation to get around in the past.
"I didn't have a car until I was 25, so I used public transit and walked all the time," said County Council President Phil Andrews.
About 15 percent of the county's nearly 1 million residents regularly use public transit, according to county records.
Currently, the council is debating a number of transportation and land use issues that have large public transit components, including a proposed transitway along the Interstate 270 corridor which is aimed at easing congestion.
Many Council members said they'd like to use public transit more for their jobs, but there is no other option that comes close to being as convenient as a car.
"During the campaign, I would say half the time I was taking mass transit to political campaign events," said Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, D-at large. "After a while, it became a real hassle."
