Motorists Can Cope With Winter By Learning Transit Options

SS/planb.pr 96-433 Contact: Edward Daniel, 301-217-2976

MOTORISTS CAN COPE WITH WINTER
BY LEARNING TRANSIT OPTIONS For Immediate Release: Dec. 18, 1996

Montgomery County's Department of Public Works and Transportation urges commuters to
learn, in advance, how to switch to buses or trains on days when snow or ice is forecast. To
help motorists prepare a "plan B" for easier winter commuting, the department has several
suggestions.
TRANSIT PARKING LOTS AND GARAGES
Commuters from areas not served by buses can "park-and-ride," by utilizing one of the
many available transit parking lots and garages. All of the sites listed below have space to
handle more cars:
Gaithersburg-Germantown
Germantown fringe lot -- park free at Milestone Center on Shakespeare
Boulevard, west of MD Route 355 for rush hour Ride-On express buses to Shady
Grove Metro.
Germantown MARC Rail Station -- park free in lots located on Route 118 at the
railroad bridge. MARC trains run between 5:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and return in
the evening between 5 and 8:40 p.m.
Metropolitan Grove MARC Rail Station (behind the State Motor Vehicle
Administration building, off Clopper Road) -- park free for MARC trains to
Silver Spring and Union Station. Trains run

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TIPS FOR WINTER COMMUTING 2-2-2

between 5:45 and 8:40 a.m. and return between 5 and 8:40 p.m. For train fares
and schedules, call the MARC System at 1-800-325-RAIL.
Rockville-North Potomac
Rockville and Twinbrook Metro Stations -- excess parking is usually available
at these stations until 9 a.m. Metro's parking fee is $1.00. Privately owned
lots are also available near the Rockville station.
Montgomery Mall fringe lot -- free parking for Metrobus Route N-7 to downtown
Washington, D.C. or Route J-2 to Medical Center Station.
Georgia Avenue corridor
Norbeck fringe lot on MD Route 28, just east of Georgia Avenue -- free parking,
with rush hour buses to Wheaton Metro Station.
Glenmont Metro garage -- parking is free; frequent bus shuttles to and from the
Wheaton Metro Station. The garage is located on Georgia Avenue, just north of
Layhill Road.
Wheaton Metro Station -- parking is available in the public garage at Reedie
Drive and Amherst Avenue, one block east of Georgia Avenue.
Colesville-Cloverly
Free lot on New Hampshire Avenue, one block north of Randolph Road, with direct
Z-2 or Z-3 Metrobus service to the Silver Spring Metro Station. Cross-county
bus service to Wheaton and Twinbrook is available by walking one block to
Randolph Road.
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TIPS FOR WINTER COMMUTING 3-3-3

U.S. Route 29 corridor
Free parking lots with express bus service to Silver Spring Metro Station are
located at Burtonsville, Greencastle, Briggs Chaney and near the intersection
of U.S. Route 29 and Randolph Road.
BUS ROUTE MAPS AND SCHEDULES
More than 100 Ride-On and Metrobus routes are available to help County commuters reach
their destinations. All routes connect to Metro stations and many provide convenient cross-
county service. The one-way bus fare is $1.10.
Commuters can learn which bus routes serve their communities by calling the County's
Transit Information Center. The center is staffed from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and
from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays.
Since the center's phone lines are busiest on snow days, commuters are urged to call
in advance. Free bus maps and schedules can be mailed out in time for individual route
planning. The center's phone numbers are 217-RIDE (217-7433) for touch-tone callers and 217-
6434 for rotary dial callers. A toll free line, for the convenience of pay phone callers, is
available at 1-800-732-3327. The TDD number is 217-2222.
ROAD CONDITION INFORMATION
During snow emergencies -- and every weekday during the morning and afternoon rush
hours -- up-to-the-minute information on road conditions is provided both on County Cable 55
(found on channel 5 for cable subscribers who do not use a converter box) and on the County
Department of Transportation's transportation advisory radio network, at 590 AM and 1070 AM
on the dial.

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TIPS FOR WINTER COMMUTING 4-4-4

Live video from traffic surveillance cameras, combined with continuously updated
information, are provided to County Cable 55 viewers directly from the County's state-of-the-
art Transportation Management Center.

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