Bus Rapid Transit is slowly making it's way to Silver Spring

I hear a lot of back and forth talk today about the future of Bus Rapid Transit lines in Montgomery county. Planning for these lines along major commuter arteries in the county have been in the works for a few years now and I really am a big proponent of the idea. However, there is a lot of resistance to the BRT and many residents are concerned about it's impact on their communities.

For me this is a "no brainer." Traffic congestion is getting worse in the region and the one thing that everybody can agree on is that the traffic issue is not going to get better. The county will continue to grow and that means more commutes to work every day by it's residents. I think there is a lot of uncertainty about what a BRT system is and how it works. Well, I found this really nice video that shows  BRT systems all over the world. It is very well done and can give you an idea of  how they work and how they look. Check it out. BRT systems are very nice, cost efficient and are sure to enhance the communities that they pass through-especially those communities that are not already on a metro line. 

There are two givens with this region that cannot be ignored. One, is that the density of the population is going to increase and there is no close-in neighborhood that will be immune from the pressures that this brings on. Your community can't close the door on higher density development and we homeowners must brace for the changes. The second given, and I think this is good news, is that there is a direct correlation between excellent transportation facilities and home values. For the average homeowner in the Silver Spring area, the BRT system is going to be a good thing.