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Version: March 2025
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) convenes Corridor Advisory Committees (CACs) for its bus rapid transit (BRT) program, branded Flash BRT, to provide opportunities for community members to learn about and provide input on Flash BRT projects. CACs serve the following purposes:
The CAC process follows Master Plan guidance as approved by the Montgomery County Council: “A vital facet of facility planning is to receive input and feedback from affected property owners, civic and business groups, and transit riders and road users, including public forums and workshops, electronic newsletters, and other forms of outreach… Accordingly, a [corridor] advisory group comprised of residents, business owners and other relevant stakeholders must be created for each corridor that enters into facility planning to make recommendations to the County on the design, construction and proposed station locations for the transit corridor. ” (Source: Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan, County Council Resolution transmitting approval, November 26, 2013, p. 8.)
CACs are formed when there is an active and funded Flash BRT corridor project in planning, design, or construction. Multiple CACs may be formed along a corridor if the corridor is relatively long, if the land use varies greatly across the corridor, or at the County’s discretion.
CAC members serve as unpaid volunteers with no stipends or travel reimbursement from the County. If traveling to meetings is a hindrance (cost-based or otherwise) to a member, they should let the program manager know and the County will make reasonable accommodations.
CACs will meet periodically, approximately two to four times per year. However, the frequency will vary over time depending on the specific BRT project needs, progress, and schedule.
Each CAC will remain active for as long as the corridor project is funded and active. Once a Flash BRT route is implemented and active, the CAC will typically be disbanded at the County’s discretion. The County may re-form or re-activate a CAC if a BRT corridor re-enters the process of improving or upgrading the facility.
CAC meetings are designed to engage members by providing project updates and opportunities for members to share their input and feedback. CAC meetings are intended to be collaborative and may consist of presentations, hands-on activities, large-group discussions, breakout group discussions, Q&A, and other methods of active engagement. The MCDOT project team determines what types of methods are best for the meeting based on the meeting objectives and materials to be shared. Previous CAC member feedback will also be considered.
The setup of the meeting room for CAC meetings is designed to maximize CAC member participation and collaboration. To the extent feasible, seating will be arranged in a “U” shape, where CAC members sit around the three sides of the “U, ” and the fourth side is where the screen and presenters would be. If the “U” configuration is not possible, the next-best option is a series of small tables for CAC members to sit around. CAC members will have table tent name cards that will identify them as members. Members of the public who attend the meeting and are not CAC members will be able to sit around the edge of the room or in another configuration away from the CAC member table (s) based on what the space can accommodate. Non-CAC members will be asked to hold their questions and comments until the end of the meeting in order to prioritize the participation of CAC members.
CAC meetings can be held online or in-person, but not hybrid due to logistical complexity. If a CAC meeting is held online, CAC members will be enabled to mute and unmute themselves and members of the public will be required to “raise their hand” to be unmuted by the moderator.
CAC meetings will be recorded, and the recordings will be shared online to the extent it is feasible to do so. Online meetings will be recorded through the online meeting platform and the recordings will be posted to the project website. In-person meetings may be able to be recorded depending upon the audio/video setup capabilities of the meeting room.
MCDOT's goal is to have approximately 20 members on each committee to ensure a manageable group size and to maximize opportunities for members to participate in discussions.
MCDOT will select members to ensure that the CAC is inclusive of:
All CACs will follow Maryland’s Open Meeting Act.
CACs should include representation from within the community. This should typically include residents, business owners , and other property owners. In addition, this should include transportation system users, including current transit riders. CACs may also include representation from community or advocacy organizations active in the study area or in greater Montgomery County. Priority will be given to organizations with a local presence.
When starting a new CAC or seeking applications for new members, MCDOT staff will announce the process through a combination of the following channels:
Anyone interested in joining a CAC may apply and will be required to fill out an application. The CAC application process will be open for at least four weeks. Applicants will be asked to indicate if they are applying as a representative of an organization or group, such as a civic association, HOA, community organization, business, etc.
MCDOT will select members who represent the corridor's diverse interests. Priority for CAC membership will be given to applicants representing organizations or groups with a local presence on the corridor that reflect interests in the corridor and have open membership. In an effort to diversify membership and maintain a relatively modest number of members, a single group or organization will be allowed a single-member slot on the CAC.
At least once every two years, CAC members will be asked to indicate their willingness to continue serving on the CAC. MCDOT will reach out to CAC members to ask whether they would like to remain active members. This outreach can occur during a CAC meeting, via email, or a combination of the two. Existing members who indicate continued willingness to serve, actively attend CAC meetings, and abide by the CAC Code of Conduct will remain part of the committee. CAC members who do not respond or miss an excessive number of meetings may be removed at MCDOT’s discretion to make space for members who will actively participate.
CACs may be active for many years due to the length of time often required to plan, design, and implement BRT projects. Over time, CAC members may leave the committee for various reasons. When there are openings o n the CAC, MCDOT may choose to immediately seek replacements or wait until a regular membership continuation check (as described in the previous paragraph). MCDOT may seek replacement members based on the organization or group former members represented (if applicable) or MCDOT may open a new public application process. All potential members must fill out an application, even if they are representing an organization that previously held a spot on the CAC.
CAC members will commit to a productive and collaborative process by:
CAC members who repeatedly violate the code of conduct may have their membership revoked.