Testimony to the Montgomery County State Legislative Delegation in support of WMATA funding

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

Thank you Senators and Delegates for this opportunity to testify. 

My name is Stewart Schwartz. I am Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. Our 28-year-old organization is a leading voice for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the DC region and State of Maryland to grow.

Our staff includes Carrie Kisicki in Montgomery, Cheryl Cort in Prince George’s, and Bill Pugh working on state transportation. We served on DMV Moves and the Bus Transformation Project. We have supported millions of square feet of development and 10s of thousands of housing units at Metro stations including Bethesda, Silver Spring, Wheaton, Grosvenor, Twinbrook and White Flint.

Transit and transit-oriented development are critical to the economic competitiveness of Montgomery and the state.

  • Every week, the Business Journal notes yet another large company relocating within the region or across the country to offices at our Metro stations.
  • Our essential workers depend on Metrobus, local bus, and Metrorail to get to work and support our communities.
  • Next generation professionals strongly prefer living near frequent transit where they can live car-free or car light.
  • Combined housing and transportation costs are much lower near transit.
  • Transit with TOD increases transit ridership, walking and biking trips, and reduces driving demand, helping our roadways.

Under the leadership of Randy Clark and the Board, Metro has increased frequency and reliability, while cutting costs, winning overwhelming customer satisfaction and growing ridership faster than any other American transit system – to the envy of every other region. 

The continued success of WMATA and its continued modernization depends on sustained funding from Maryland, Virginia, DC and the Federal government.

We strongly support the additional funding for WMATA endorsed by the COG and WMATA Boards today, and urge you to prioritize sustained and secure funding for WMATA and transit.

We also ask you to support state legislation to accelerate transit-oriented development on public and private land at Metro, Purple Line, and MARC stations. And to support the Transportation & Climate Alignment Act.

Thank you for your public service and hard work.

Stewart Schwartz, CSG