 MCDOT Hosts Free ‘Community Safety Day’ Event in Rockville this Saturday, May 11MCDOT will host a free family-friendly, student-led “Community Safety Day” event from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. this Saturday, May 11, in the Carver Educational Services Center parking lot located at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. The fair will highlight driver, bike and pedestrian safety with interactive and educational experiences including moon bounce, inflatable racetrack with power wheel cars, a drop top Camaro with a virtual reality experience, safety demonstrations including watermelon drops with and without helmets and a local high school rock band. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery County Recreation are co-sponsoring the event. Safety Day was organized by members of the County’s Vision Zero Youth Ambassador program. There will be FREE shuttle buses (school and Ride On buses) picking up families from the main entrance at John F Kennedy, Seneca Valley and Walter Johnson high schools. Learn more here.  Montgomery County Releases a Zero Emission Bus Transition Plan to Reach Goal of Zero Emissions by 2035MCDOT and the County Department of General Services (DGS) have released a Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Transition Plan to convert the County’s transit fleet of nearly 400 Ride On buses to zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The Ride On bus system currently operates 14 electric vehicles. The ZEB plan is purposely flexible to accommodate for emerging technology and relies heavily on State and Federal grants that MCDOT has so far been successful in receiving. Recent grant awards have totaled more than $30 million for environmentally friendly transportation solutions over the last two years. |
 MCDOT to Host Annual Give and Ride Food Drive May 26 - June 1MCDOT and Manna Food are hosting the thirty-first annual Give and Ride Food Drive from Sunday, May 26 to Saturday, June 1. MCDOT is asking the public to donate a non-perishable food item on any MCDOT Ride On bus or at designated drop-off sites. County bus riders who donate will have their bus fare waived. A 2023 Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger states that at least 14% of children in Montgomery County, approximately 34,000, are food insecure. Participating drop-off locations, aside from all County buses, include: |
 MCDOT to Sponsor Eight Pit Stops During ‘Bike to Work Day’ on Friday, May 17MCDOT will sponsor eight pit stops throughout the County as part of the Washington region’s participation in “National Bike to Work Day” on Friday, May 17. This year’s pit stops will include a new stop in Germantown at the BlackRock Center for the Arts. The free pit stop events offer refreshments, music and local vendor displays at varying times throughout the morning of May 17. There will be free raffle prizes and a grand prize raffle of at least one new bike at each of the MCDOT-sponsored pit stops. Residents biking to work, as well as leisure riders, are encouraged to participate. Registration is encouraged. The first 15,000 bicyclists to register will get a free t-shirt and will be automatically entered into a raffle for a chance to win a new bike. In addition to the eight pit stops sponsored by MCDOT, there will be an additional pit stops operated by other organizations. Participants should visit the Find Your Pit Stop Map to check pitstop locations and times and plan a route in advance. Capital Bikeshare is offering 30-minute free ride on classic or e-bike for new riders use promo code RIDEBTWD24. |
 MCDOT to Celebrate Public Works Week With Free ‘Truck Day’ Event on Saturday, May 18, in RockvilleMCDOT will kick off “Public Works Week” from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. with a free, family-friendly “Truck Day” event. The event will be held at the MCDOT Truck Depot and Salt Barn at 17000 Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville. Truck Day invites members of the community to touch, climb and explore the many first-response, construction and transportation vehicles that keep the County running. Truck Day will offer the opportunity for a hands-on experience with MCDOT vehicles including a bucket truck, tractor, semi-truck and bus. MCDOT Highway Services employees will be available to answer questions and share how their vehicles work and the role their vehicles serve. As part of the event, MCDOT will showcase entries in the annual “Paint the Plow” contest. A total of 16 Montgomery County middle schools participated in a competition to name and decorate a snowplow. Attendees at Truck Day will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite snowplow name and design. First-, second- and third-place winners will receive cash prizes for their schools. The popular snowplows are deployed across the region during snowstorms in the winter months. Learn more here. |
 Registration Open for MCDOT’s Adult Bike Classes in JuneThe classes will include Learn to Ride and Basic Skills classes. Advance registration is required to participate with a cost of $10 for Montgomery County residents. There is no charge for Washington Area Bicyclist Association or Capital Bikeshare For All members. However, registration is still required. Bicycles and helmets will be provided at no charge for the adult Learn to Ride class and can be rented from WABA, if needed, for the Basic Skills class. The classes are open to residents 18 and over and are limited to 25 people. Adult Learn to Ride Bike class schedule: Adult Basic Skills Bike Class schedule: |
 Ride On Bus Schedule Changes Began on May 5MCDOT adjusted seven Ride On bus route schedules to improve efficiency and on-time performance. Although service levels are staying relatively the same, the changes reflect a shift of resources to allow for more reliable service where there is higher demand. The new schedules are available online at rideonbus.com and in print by request. |
 MCDOT to Plant 1200 Additional Street Trees by 2025MCDOT is entering the last year of a 3-year grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust titled “MCDOT Equity Greening.” Thanks to the grant, 1,200 additional street trees are being planted in equity emphasis areas within Montgomery County. Street trees shade cars and houses, filter the air, make neighborhoods more walkable, and protect streams. Trees have been shown to improve both physical health by filtering air, as well as promoting mental well-being. View this interactive map to see the visual impact of the 844 trees planted thus far under the grant. MCDOT is exploring future grants to expand on this effort. Combined with MCDOT’s traditional planting program, over 2,400 new street trees were planted this fiscal year. MCDOT arborists also distributed nearly 1,000 tree seedlings comprised of 15 different species at this year’s GreenFest. Learn more about how to request a tree planting in the right-of-way along your neighborhood road. |
 Hybrid Public Information Meeting on the Forest Glen Passageway Project in Silver Spring Will be Held on Thursday, May 16On Thursday, May 16, starting at 6:30 p.m., MCDOT will hold a hybrid (online and in-person) public information meeting to discuss the proposed Forest Glen Passageway project in Silver Spring. The public will have an opportunity to provide comments and ask questions. The in-person meeting will be held at 2425 Reedie Drive in Wheaton, Floor 2, Room 2-303. The virtual meeting will take place on Zoom. Registration for the virtual meeting is open online here. This project provides for the design, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations and construction of a new grade-separated connection under Georgia Avenue to improve access to the Forest Glen Metro Station from neighborhoods and institutions located on the east side of Georgia Avenue. The public is encouraged to visit the project website and provide feedback via the online comment form. |
 Attention Residents 50+, Get Comfortable with Traveling on Public Transit with a Free Travel TrainingRide Smart Travel Training is a free workshop from the JCA Connect-A-Ride program designed to help Montgomery County residents aged 50+ gain confidence using local public transportation. Participants learn how to plan a Ride On bus trip, read the Metro map, understand digital schedule signs, load a fare card and quickly find a station’s emergency and accessibility features. Travel Training includes classroom training, a trip on a Ride On bus and a visit to a Metro station. - Thursday, May 16
Wheaton Senior Center, 11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton.
- Wednesday, July 17
Rockville Senior Center, 1150 Carnation Dr., Rockville.
Advance registration is required. No walk-ins are allowed. Call 301-738-3252 or email connectaride@accessjca.org to learn more and register. |
 Montgomery County is Developing Jeremiah Park in DerwoodThe County is kicking off a community engagement and land planning initiative to explore opportunities for the redevelopment of Jeremiah Park, a County-owned site located at 16651 Crabbs Branch Way in Derwood. The Shady Grove Sector Plan envisions the property as an inclusive, walkable community with a mix of uses. The County is exploring replacing the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) bus depot currently on-site with a new, modern co-located bus depot that will support both MCPS and MCDOT Ride On buses as they transition to zero emissions vehicles, along with mixed-use development highlighted by amenities and open space. Community input is critical to shaping the future of this project. Submit your feedback through this online survey by Tuesday, May 28. Find more information at jeremiahparkproject.com. |
 Speed Limit Reduction Coming to Veirs Mill RoadThe Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) recently approved a City of Rockville request for a speed limit reduction on a busy stretch of Veirs Mill Road in Twinbrook. The lowered speed limit will be 35 mph, down from 40 mph, on Veirs Mill Road between Edmonston Drive and Twinbrook Parkway. The change makes the speed limit consistent with that of other sections of the road. SHA is expected to update speed limit signs over the next two months. |
 Get Purple Line Updates Through Virtual Meetings in MayThe Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration will hold Purple Line Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings in May. The virtual meetings will be targeted for specific neighborhoods and will include member-driven teams of representatives appointed by neighborhoods, community residents, civic and business associations and local governments. Questions can be directed to the outreach team at outreach@purplelinemd.com. Learn more here and view Purple Line's latest newsletter here. |
 Metro Red Line to Shut Down from June Through AugustThe Red Line will be closed between Glenmont and Takoma from Saturday, June 1, through Saturday, August 31. The closure will extend to Fort Totten through Saturday, June 29. Free shuttles and dedicated bus lanes along Georgia Avenue will be implemented. Learn more on WMATA’s website here. View Metro's recent Summer 2024 Red Line Construction newsletter here. |
 To Increase Job Access, Try Dedicated Bus Lanes, This Study Says Urban Institute researchers found that well-enforced bus lanes could reduce costs for transit agencies and help provide equitable access to employment opportunities. The study, which focused on Washington, D.C., found that if priority bus lanes were clear 100% of the time, the average D.C. resident would see the number of jobs reachable within 30 minutes jump by about 90%. Read the Smart Cities Dive article here. |
 The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Adopts New Tree Canopy Goals Between 2014 and 2018, the District lost nearly 500 acres of tree canopy — about 400 football fields’ worth. That trend has continued in recent years, not just in D.C. but across the DMV, according to a recent report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. In response, the regional body voted earlier this month to adopt a new goal: maintaining tree canopy coverage of at least 50% across the metropolitan Washington region. Read the Washington Informer article here. |
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