2025 State of the Commute Survey results released
Category: Better Public Transit
Press Release: CSG Commends Council’s Approval of the University Boulevard Corridor Plan
The Coalition for Smarter Growth thanks the Montgomery County Council for voting today to pass the University Boulevard Corridor Plan.
WIN! Montgomery County Council approves the University Blvd Corridor Plan
On Tuesday, December 9, the Montgomery County Council voted to approve the University Boulevard Corridor Plan by a vote of 7-3. The plan creates a strong framework for safer streets, a wider variety of housing options, a connected bike network, and new homes and retail near transit.
Testimony to the Montgomery County State Legislative Delegation in support of WMATA funding
Transit and transit-oriented development are critical to the economic competitiveness of Montgomery and the state.
CSG in the News: Task force recommends increasing Metro funding, starting at $460M
Bill Pugh, speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, said the package represented “real progress.”
Support transit and inclusive housing options in the University Boulevard Corridor Plan
The University Boulevard Corridor Plan envisions a community with safer streets, thriving local businesses, better public transit, and more housing choices to meet people’s needs at all ages and stages of life.
Visit our landing page at smartergrowth.net/ubc to take action and learn more about the plan.
CSG in the News: Route 7 BRT planners welcome feedback at recent Culmore open house
October 20, 2025 | Scott McCaffrey | FFXNow
Among the open house attendees was Sonya Breehey, a Falls Church resident who was viewing proposals both as a prospective rider and as a staff member of the pro-transit group Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“This is really important — BRT is really an opportunity,” she said. “So many people ride the bus.”
Breehey also voiced hope that transit improvements would be complemented by pedestrian safety initiatives. A study conducted by the Coalition for Smarter Growth and the immigrant advocacy nonprofit CASA in 2022 found that much of the Route 7 corridor is decidedly unfriendly to those trying to walk or cross.
Help shape the future of Duke Street
There are two opportunities for you to speak up for a more vibrant, walkable, and inclusive Duke Street as the city updates its Duke Street Land Use Plan.
CSG primer: Visualize 2050, our region’s 25-year transportation plan
The draft Visualize 2050 plan, our region’s long-range transportation plan, has too many highway and arterial road expansions that will increase driving and climate emissions. We will miss our region’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 – even if there’s a rapid switch to electric vehicles.
Get informed so you can take action on key decisions this fall:
- Upcoming key vote on flawed 495 Southside Express Lanes project
- Comment period on failing status quo Visualize plan
Source: TPB, with annotations by the Coalition for Smarter Growth
Background on Visualize 2050
- Visualize 2050 is our region’s long-range transportation plan, prepared by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), a regional body overseen by our local and state officials and transportation agencies.
- CSG background article
- From March 2024, on draft project list that is now being presented for final approval this fall along with its performance results.
- 48 organizations criticized the previous plan, Visualize 2045 with very similar projects Letter by 48 regional organizations on Visualize 2045 (May 2022)
495 Southside Express Lanes Project
- The TPB board will vote in October on whether or not to include the Virginia Department of Transportation’s flawed highway expansion project in the final plan.
- Background on the project’s flaws, questions that VDOT has not answered, and better alternatives that need to be studied and advanced.
Stay tuned for actions you can take this fall!
- Be on the lookout for CSG action alerts in September and October ahead of the TPB vote on the 495 Southside Express Lanes project.
- Formal public comment on the entire draft Visualize 2050 plan will take place in late October through mid-November. CSG will provide a more in-depth overview of the draft plan – stay tuned.
CSG in the News: County Council votes to abandon M-83 highway plan
July 29, 2025 | Ginny Bixby | Bethesda Magazine
An advocacy group that lobbied against the highway plan praised the council’s decision Tuesday in a press release.
“Plans for M-83 were based on obsolete planning assumptions that are out of sync with what we know today about effectively meeting transportation demand and protecting community and environmental health,” said Carrie Kisicki, Montgomery advocacy manager for the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition for Smarter Growth. “With their vote to remove M-83, the County Council showed we are ready to offer upcounty residents transportation solutions that will offer real relief—not a costly and environmentally harmful false promise.”
Read the full story here.