New Coalition To Push For Purple Line Funds
'Get Maryland Moving' is calling on the Maryland General Assembly to fund state transportation projects.
A new coalition is advocating for dollars for state transportation projects, including the planned 16-mile Purple Line light rail that would connect Bethesda with New Carrollton, The Washington Post reports.
Get Maryland Moving, a coalition of groups, including the Montgomery County and Bethesda-Chevy Chase chambers of commerce, Purple Line Now, Action Committee for Transit, and the League of Women Voters of Maryland, is pushing for state legislators to make new revenue for transportation projects a top priority this legislative session, according to the group’s website.
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach has proposed a 3-cent gas tax that would raise about $300 million for transportation projects, Patch reported.
But without a tax increase to fund the Purple Line, the project—along with Baltimore’s Red Line and the Corridor Cities Transitway through the Interstate 270 corridor—could be put on hold, Maryland transportation officials have said. Montgomery County officials and transportation advocates have argued that deferring the funds in the state's transportation funding plan could stall the projects and make them less competitive for federal dollars.
Get Maryland Moving is encouraging Maryland residents to contact their legislators and sign a petition supporting transportation funding. The petition reads:
“No funding solution this year means that critical capital projects such as the Purple Line, Red Line, and MARC upgrades may be delayed for years or decades. We call on our leaders to take a different path: to invest in our future by securing funding for critical transit projects, road maintenance, and other investments to support smart, sustainable growth for Maryland.”
Jenni Pompi
8:34 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Do you support the Purple Line? Would you support an increase in the gas tax to prevent the project from being put on hold?
Neighbor
1:03 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I support it and I'm selling my car, so that tax would have little effect unless it raised the prices of other goods....
Scot Brown
1:59 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I support the Purple Line and I support the gas tax. It needs to happen!!
Nick
9:14 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Gas prices are already near historic highs, adding to the cost will disproportionately hurt the poor and middle class. A light rail between New Carrollton and Bethesda, which wouldn't be any faster than a bus, is a boondoggle we can't afford. Once Metro shows that it can live within its means using well-traveled rail, then we can return to expansion.
Edna Parker
10:41 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I support the gas tax and the new purple line. VA did it with the silver line, so why can't MD? Given the number of people who continue to drive despite the changes in gas prices, a 3 cent tax increase should be manageable for most car owners. Those who can't cope, are welcome to car pool, bike, or take public transportation. The population in the DMV is rapidly growing and it makes perfect sense to expand metro rail to accomodate the growth.
Scot Brown
9:57 am on Thursday, February 21, 2013
NIce I think you are wrong. Re: below the gas tax rates. MD is very low.
State by State Combined State and Local Gas Tax Rate Comparison July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012
Illinois 1
52.50¢ New York 2
47.46¢ Connecticut 3
46.31¢ California 4
45.26¢ Hawaii 5
40.38¢ Michigan 6
37.75¢ North Carolina 7
37.60¢ Washington 8
36.20¢ Indiana 9
34.26¢ Wisconsin 10
33.74¢ Florida 11
33.63¢ Nevada 12
33.40¢ West Virginia 13
33.00¢ Oregon 14T
33.00¢ Rhode Island 14T
32.13¢ Maine 16
31.70¢ Pennsylvania 17
31.47¢ Georgia 18
29.90¢ Kentucky 19
28.60¢ Minnesota 20
28.00¢ Ohio 21
27.75¢ Montana 22
27.10¢ Nebraska 23
26.50¢ Vermont 24
26.00¢ Idaho 25
25.35¢ Virginia 26
25.03¢ Kansas 27
24.51¢ Utah 28
24.00¢ South Dakota 29
23.50¢ Dist. of Columbia 30T
23.50¢ Maryland 30T
23.50¢ Massachusetts 30T
23.03¢ North Dakota 33
23.00¢ Delaware 34
22.01¢ Colorado 35
22.00¢ Iowa 36
21.80¢ Arkansas 37
21.40¢ Mississippi 38T
21.40¢ Tennessee 38T
20.46¢ Alabama 40
20.13¢ Louisiana 41
20.03¢ Texas 42
19.63¢ New Hampshire 43
19.00¢ Arizona 44
18.88¢ New Mexico 45
17.30¢ Missouri 46
17.00¢ Oklahoma 47
16.75¢ South Carolina 48
14.50¢ New Jersey 49
14.00¢ Wyoming 50
8.00¢ Alaska 51
Scot Brown
9:57 am on Thursday, February 21, 2013
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/B49E8558-B0EA-46CE-B182-353F445462CB/0/FuelTaxComparisonDecember2012.pdf
B Diggs
4:12 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
more tax for a useless trolley line! Please do something useful to solve the regional traffic problem.
Neighbor
12:20 am on Sunday, February 24, 2013
Like what, the ICC? That really did a whole lot of good. East-west highway is complete joke. The inner Beltway region has extremely poor transportation infrastructure and poorly timed lights. My qualm is that until our state, county and local governments (especially in PG) stop fighting growth, there is no reason to visit any of the destinations on the purple line except for maybe Bethesda. All of my friends live in DC or Silver Spring and I can already get there on the metro. However, because traffic is so heavy commuting to Bethesda in the AM, I would never want to work there, so, if they do ever create the purple line I hope they start between Bethesda and Silver Spring.