Committee outlines transit options

Members say College Park needs better busing, parking garage

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006

A citizen-run committee recommended College Park improves its bus services and increase awareness of transportation alternatives as a means to alleviate traffic on Route 1.

College Park’s Committee for Transit Alternatives (CTA) advocated for more detailed bus route maps and centralized parking in the downtown area – most likely in the form of a parking garage being pursued by Mayor Stephen Brayman and the City Council. The committee has held monthly meetings beginning in December 2004.

CTA Chairman Jonathan Hseih said the need for more downtown parking was emphasized when committee members met with consultants from the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year.

Creating a consolidated map of bus routes, committee members said, would encourage first-time mass transit users.

‘‘The biggest issue is getting people [to use public transportation] for the first time,” Hseih said, adding that many people are confused by the various routes of Metro buses and the University of Maryland’s Shuttle UM departures. ‘‘But once you use it, they might see it’s not so hard.”

Mary Cook, a co-president of the city’s Committee for a Better Environment and a CTA member, said the city should encourage incoming developers to participate in a bus system that runs from North College Park to the downtown Route 1 area. Having developers agree to allow buses to stop on or around their property, Cook said, would make it easier for residents to utilize mass transit.

Electing College Park residents to policy-making positions on the county and state level will be critical in making Route 1 improvements a priority in Maryland’s corridors of power, Hseih said.

‘‘You’ll have more voices for the city,” said Hseih, adding he was pleased to see Councilwoman Joseline Pena-Melnyk (Dist. 4) and Councilman Eric Olson (Dist. 3) running for District 21 delegate and the Prince George’s County Council, respectively. ‘‘Having voices from the community will have more of an impact on decision makers. ... They live here and they’re going to think about their wants and needs ... and those of their neighbors.”

Olson, who stressed that many Route 1 improvements must be implemented from the state level, said improving the corridor for pedestrians and bikers has been a priority of the current City Council.

‘‘It’s definitely a goal of the council to increase the pedestrian friendliness of our community,” Olson said.

College Park could make walking a more viable option if crosswalks are improved, said City Councilman Dave Milligan (Dist. 1). Installing concrete islands in the middle of some parts of Route 1, he said, should be considered a stopgap measure that needs improvement.

‘‘We need to be a little more aggressive on that,” Milligan said. ‘‘Crossing [Route 1] is difficult right now.”

E-mail Dennis Carter at dcarter@gazette.net.