Transportation Committee

The greatest cause of habitat destruction is sprawling development that is fueled by roads.  In Montgomery County there is a major push by road proponents such as the Board of Trade to build roads that will slice through our agriculture reserve and some of our most beautiful forests.  Forest cover in Montgomery County stands at 27%.  Of that, more than 65% is privately owned and may be developed in the future.  The Sierra Club’s position is that it is not acceptable to take away any part of our publicly owned forest cover or open lands for roads or other development given that these areas comprise our last great places in the county.  The ICC right of way is a prime example.  It cuts through some of the most pristine and environmentally sensitive stream valleys in our area. To put a road through these areas would:

1)      Create edge effects that would allow the introduction of invasive species and compromise the habitat of interior nesting birds;

2)      Create increased impervious surface runoff that would cause major damage to the streambeds and carry toxic road runoff into the Chesapeake Bay

3)      Seriously degrade the beauty of the forests and open spaces in its path.

4)      Divide neighborhoods and detract from their quality of life.

Our position is that transportation alternatives must be built and land use planning must be employed to encourage people to walk, bike and take transit to their destinations.   We have to stop doing what has been unsuccessful to this point and go back to planning that makes sense. 

The transportation committee works to further the concepts of smart growth and development of transit alternatives to combat our congestion woes.  We are ably represented on the County’s Transportation Policy Board Task Force and other regional boards by our transportation chair, Steve Caflisch. For further information on transportation issues contact Steve at 301-654-3288.