Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Advisory Committees

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

As Montgomery County and the State of Maryland initiated studies of several corridors for a future bus rapid transit system (BRT), the County decided to form a series of advisory committees made up of local residents and business representatives. The community was involved in the idea from its inception and numerous discussions over the committees’ structure and member selection process resulted in significant changes from the original concept proposed by the County’s Department of Transportation. Once agreement was reached on the process, the County, with support from the State, began a comprehensive public outreach program to solicit broad and diverse interest in participating on five committees corresponding to three corridors under study. Several unique aspects of the selection process further involved elements of the community. Solid response to the outreach provided a large pool of nominations, resulting in the formation of five committees, ranging in size from 16 to 47 members. The committees have now met six times and continue to provide meaningful comment that has resulted in numerous project refinements.