Safe and Connected Communities in Purple Line Station Areas
Read the Safe and Connected Communities in Purple Line Station Areas report.
Safe and comfortable multimodal access to Purple Line stations is a cornerstone goal shared by the public agencies building the new transit line and the communities that live and work around the future stations. Government agencies and the community agree that the streets, sidewalks, paths, and public spaces around the stations should allow people of all ages and abilities to be able to get to and from the stations safely, especially because there will be no vehicle parking at Purple Line stations. They should be vibrant human-scaled places with slow motor vehicle traffic speeds, ample opportunities to cross streets on foot and in wheelchairs, accessible pedestrian routes, and clear connections into the surrounding neighborhoods. The station areas should be an integrated part of the fabric of the community, enhancing access to opportunities, supporting local economic development, and fostering high transit ridership. Montgomery County and Prince George’s County have been planning, preparing and implementing changes to allow for this safe and comfortable multimodal access for years.
County and State work to further this goal has been extensive. The Purple Line Corridor Coalition documented these efforts for eleven station areas, and information about what is being implemented can be found on the PLCC site (Technical Notes). Relevant programs and plans include Montgomery County DOT’s BiPPA program; and Prince George’s County’s Safe Streets for All grants; SHA’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan for MD 650 from MD 193 to Metzerott Road, and M-NCPPC local land use and transportation plans like the Montgomery Pedestrian Master Plan. The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC) has been engaging with key public sector stakeholders working on these projects, and the communities around the future Purple Line stations for more than a decade to encourage collaboration and promote equitable outcomes. Most recently, the PLCC has focused on assessing the physical environment around eleven of the twenty-one total stations to document current conditions and consider planned and proposed improvements. The PLCC reviewed previous plans and studies, assessed recommended and planned future transportation improvement projects, and documented remaining, unaddressed gaps and barriers for safe and comfortable multimodal access.
The PLCC also organized and coordinated community-led walks around the Long Branch and Piney Branch Road, Riverdale Park-Kenilworth, and Takoma-Langley stations to cultivate a robust dialogue between the local community, area stakeholders, and public transportation agency representatives, focusing on a shared vision for safe and accessible multimodal access around the future Purple Line stations. In partnership with several community-based organizations, PLCC recruited community members who are not traditionally participants in pedestrian planning– such as PTA members, Spanish-speaking renters, and small business owners. The individuals who led these walks are future Purple Line riders and potential beneficiaries of new investments along the line. Their perspectives provided crucial insights on remaining needs in the post-construction environment.This report highlights key findings from the multi-modal access assessment at the eleven stations along the corridor which face the most significant pedestrian accessibility challenges, mainly along arterial roads and state highways.
This report is supported by a Transit Oriented Development Planning Grant from the Federal Transit Administration being executed by National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) on behalf of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration. For more information about this report contact Nicholas Finio, Ph.D. at nfinio@umd.edu.
Read the Safe and Connected Communities in Purple Line Station Areas report.