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

MOTORISTS CAN COPE WITH WINTER
BY LEARNING TRANSIT OPTIONS            For Immediate Release: Dec. 14, 1995


      Montgomery County's Department of Transportation urges commuters to
learn now, 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
      _     Shady Grove Metro Station -- 1,300-space parking garage accessed
            from I-270/I-370 or from Shady Grove Road. The surface lots fill
            by about 8:30 a.m., but space is available in the garage until at
            least 10 a.m.
      _     Germantown fringe lot -- park free on Crystal Rock Road, north of
            MD Route 118 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
            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.

      Poolesville-Barnesville
      _     Free parking at Barnesville MARC Rail Station, with train service
            between 5:30 and 8:25 a.m., returning between 5:15 and 8:45 p.m.

      Rockville-North Potomac
      _     Rockville, Twinbrook and White Flint Metro Stations -- excess
            parking is usually available at these stations until 10 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-half block from station.

      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.

      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.
      Live video from traffic surveillance cameras, combined with continuously
updated information, are provided to viewers directly from the County's state-
of-the-art Transportation Management Center. County Cable 55 is found on
channel 5 for viewers who use their cable-ready television sets without a
converter box.