[RP TownTalk] Riverdale Purple Line Meeting - Monday, April 21st, 7 pm

[Alice Ewen Walker]

Yes, I did. There was not much new information but it was a good briefing of
what the plans are to date. The next community briefing and comment session
is May 8 from 5-8 pm at the College Park Town Hall.
Here's the extremely condensed version from the recent meeting in Riverdale
Park:

   - The purple line could be built three ways, in order of expense -
   heavy rail, light rail, or bus rapid transit.
   - Most community feedback thus far has been against bus rapid transit
   and in favor of light rail or heavy rail.
   - One caveat to the bus option is that bus rapid transit routes can be
   changed easily. A developer is more likely to sink money around a rail line
   since it is a permanent investment.
   - 2 stops are planned for Riverdale Park - one in the M-Square area
   and the other for somewhere near the intersection of EW Hwy / Kenilworth.
   - There are a few different alignment scenarios to get from College
   Park station to go east on E-W Highway. One brings the line out at River
   Road and Kenilworth and then heads south on Kenilworth to turn left on E-W
   Hwy. Another crosses M Square in the area near Riverdale Community Park and
   comes out on EW Hwy heading east.
   - They studied putting a stop at Town Center but the route was
   rejected because it basically backtracks the route and adds a lot of travel
   time, with few potential riders. M Square and the corner of EW Hwy and
   Kenilworth offer worker density and residential density.
   - Another open house is planned on May 8 in College Park if you are
   interested. See more information at
   http://www.bi-countytransitway.com/pages/meetings.html
   - The chief items that Riverdale Park has called to MTA's attention
   are 1) Concern that the E-W Hwy/Kenilworth stop is safe to walk to. There
   will need to be a comprehensive effort to increase pedestrian safety in the
   area. 2) Interest in the M-Square station stop being located near the
   Gosling Pond/Riggs Bank/Raytheon building area, to get it closer to the
   residential area of Riverdale Park for walkers/bikers/etc. from the
   neighborhood.

- Alice

On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 10:44 PM, Nancy Augustine <nya_md at verizon.net>
wrote:

> Did anybody go to this?  Anything to report?
>  Nancy
> --
>
Alice Ewen Walker
Councilwoman, Ward 1
Town of Riverdale Park
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