Howard County looking to expand transit services, add hybrid buses to meet demand

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Howard County (Map, News) - Howard County plans to expand its transit services and add more hybrid buses in response to increasing Howard Transit ridership, a trend being experienced throughout the metropolitan region.

“The increased ridership is bringing productivity up, since we’re filling [buses on] emptier routes,” Ray Ambrose, administrator of Corridor Transportation Corp. said at Tuesday’s Public Transportation Board meeting.

To prepare for the demand, Howard drafted its preliminary five-phase transportation development plan.

The first phase includes adding a hybrid bus and more frequent stops on the green route, which includes Wilde Lake Village, Howard County General Hospital and Howard Community College, said Fred Fravel, a county consultant with KFH Group Inc. in Bethesda.

A taxi program for senior citizens and people with disabilities also is planned.

Other phases of the plan include adding:

» A transit connector linking parts of the Route 1 corridor to the high-need areas of Ellicott City and Elkridge.

» A new route from the Gateway area on Route 175 to Fort Meade and the National Security Agency via the Jessup and Dorsey MARC station

» A Town Center shuttle in Columbia.

Throughout the phases, officials plan to perform bus stop assessments and improvements and add hybrid vehicles.

Barbara Schnackenberg, co-president of The League of Women Voters of Howard County, praised the transit improvements.

“Due to gas prices, economic uncertainty and the county administration’s green focus, now is the time for quantum leaps in providing public transportation that works for people in Howard County,” she said.

“The county should be doing anything and everything to encourage people to use transportation [by] expanding service, because we can show people that public transportation is a viable choice for many trips,” said Sharonlee Vogel, vice chairwoman of the Public Transportation Board.

The public has 60 days to comment on the recommendations before officials prepare their final report.

jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com

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