The Washington Post had an article in the Montgomery Extra on Thanksgiving Day, Purple Line Follows Path of Discord.
The Post writer, Katherine Shaver, attempted to describe the controversy over the Purple Line’s impact upon the Georgetown Branch Trail. The article focused on the usual hand wringing from Chevy Chase about losing some of the trees on the section of the trail adjacent to their Town. But the Post article completely missed the most important impact of the Purple Line on the trail – finishing the trail into Silver Spring.
when completed with the Purple Line.
The green line is the on-road route we have now.
The failure of the Post writer to see beyond Chevy Chase on the trail issues is not because of the quality of testimony and information presented at the hearing. I gave testimony about the importance of finishing the trail into Silver Spring neighborhoods, as did others. Several speakers made reference to the recent WABA announcement endorsing the Purple Line light rail because of the importance of completing the CCT into Silver Spring and completing the trail network.
These are points I raised in my testimony at the November 18 Bethesda MTA hearing:
The Purple Line would also complete the Capital Crescent Trail through my neighborhood and into downtown Silver Spring. We have been waiting for the Trail in Silver Spring for many years. …..It is extremely unlikely we will ever see the Trail come to Silver Spring as a good quality off-road trail without the Purple Line. We need the Purple Line to be able to acquire the right-of-way in the CSX corridor that is essential to build a safe and direct trail.Completing the CCT into downtown Silver Spring alongside light rail as a full width paved off-road trail, with a good buffer separating the Trail from transit, and with grade separated crossings of busy highways like Colesville Road, 16th Street, Jones Mill Road and Connecticut Avenue is NOT the devastation of the Trail claimed by Purple Line opponents. Finishing the Trail would the fulfillment of the potential of the CCT to serve Silver Spring neighborhoods, and to provide a complete, high quality trail connection between Bethesda and downtown Silver Spring. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association recognizes this, and issued a press release yesterday endorsing completing the Trail alongside the Purple Line light-rail.
It would be a gross social injustice to not build the Purple Line light-rail and to not complete the Trail in Silver Spring because a few small neighborhoods in Chevy Chase do not want to make any reasonable accommodation. The Purple Line AA/DEIS Socioeconomic Report shows that the population living near the future Capital Crescent Trail in Silver Spring neighborhoods is as large as the population now near the Trail in Bethesda/Chevy Chase neighborhoods. We need the Trail in Silver Spring at least as much as it is needed in Bethesda.
The complete testimony, with the supporting table presenting U.S. Census Bureau data on characteristics of Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Silver Spring neighborhoods along the future CCT, is available here.
The future Capital Crescent Trail will go well beyond Chevy Chase when completed. Katherine Shaver and the Washington Post need to start going beyond Chevy Chase when they cover the Trail.