MORE PARKING,

MORE TRANSIT,

MORE RIDERS

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!!

I've been promoting the expansion of MARC rail for four years now, and April's ridership numbers are up to record levels on current routes.

Penn Line: +3.5%

Camden Line: +8.9%

Brunswick Line: +3.1%

And this is just the beginning. Why do I say that?

Because there is more demand than there is parking! Part of the Orwellian Doublespeak practiced by developer-backed "smart" growth organizations and blogs, is the bizarre concept of reducing parking - everywhere! And one of the strangest places they want to reduce parking, is at Metro and MARC stations(!!).

Let me get this straight: You supposedly want everyone to abandon their cars, and use mass transit. Okay, so where do I abandon said car? These "smart" growth "proponents" want to reduce parking, and charge higher rates to park in the spaces that remain.

That sounds like a winning strategy, right?

Seriously, it's time to stand up to these phonies with real transit solutions.

The MARC lots at Germantown and Boyds, for example, are in need of expansion. Overcrowding is pushing some potential riders to take their cars instead. If our so-called smart growth politicians succeed in their "no parking, have-the-poor-subsidize-the-rich-fare-increases" plan, transit will never grow beyond the 15% who use it now.

What we need is more parking, at an affordable daily price, at all Metro and MARC stations. And lower Metro and MARC fares. Imagine what ridership might be then. MARC rail for the Purple Line and CCT could allow us to use the money saved to build additional MARC routes or extensions.

Finally, we need to implement a Unified Transit Card to increase convenience and ease of use.

More parking + more transit options + convenience = higher ridership.