Buses, bikes and stormwater were some of the main topics of discussion at the May 18 worksession of the Greenbelt City Council with representatives from Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation.
TheBus
Efron Epanty, chief of Transit Planning and Innovations in the Office of Transportation, reported that the system is still working to resume full operations. Like many bus systems across the country, TheBus is experiencing a driver shortage, although not as severe as in the past. Ridership is also gradually increasing.
Route 11, which connects Greenbelt East, Greenbelt Center and the Greenbelt Metro station, is operating on a full schedule. Ridership has increased slightly, Epanty said. Unfortunately, Route 15X, which connects the Greenbelt and New Carrollton Metro stations with service to both Goddard Space Flight Center and Greenbelt Station, is still not operating although Epanty hopes it will be reactivated this fall. Councilmember Kristen Weaver, who lives in Greenbelt Station, pointed out that the developer’s shuttle to the Metro station will cease operations on June 30, leaving Greenbelt Station residents with no convenient access to Metro. In addition, she said that Goddard employees are no longer all working from home; they can return to the office “a few” days a week.
Electric Buses?
Epanty said that the department now has four electric buses, purchased using federal grants, and has hired a contractor to develop a plan for electrifying the fleet. He said they are currently testing the buses and putting in the charging infrastructure needed and training drivers and mechanics. He said he could not give any time schedule for a fully-electric fleet, noting that an electric bus costs nearly $1 million.
Bicycles
Irv Beckert, chief of the Highway and Bridge Design Division, provided an update on the planned Capital Bikeshare stations at the Metro station along with Greenbelt Station and Eleanor Roosevelt High School, saying that all necessary planning and legal agreements are in place. The issue now is procurement. The bikes and stations are funded using a State Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant. This program also involves federal funding and significant red tape. The county is currently waiting for a ruling from the Federal Highway Administration concerning a “buy American” provision.
Beckert expects that the three new locations will be in place by the end of the calendar year. The department is also planning to add electric bikes to all its bikeshare locations although those will be funded using county funds and will take longer to put in place.
Branchville Road
Mayor Emmett Jordan asked about improvements to Branchville Road to encourage pedestrian and bicycle access to Lake Artemesia. Beckert said the department will look at adding a dedicated bike lane but pointed out that this is very expensive and not just a matter of restriping the road. The department typically adds bike lanes as part of a pavement rehabilitation project. Jordan noted that it could also be a pleasant walk.
Stormwater
The final topic of discussion was stormwater management. Jordan noted that the original infrastructure in Greenbelt, built in the 1930s and 1940s, is challenged in handling the current levels of rainfall and the resulting runoff. There are several problem areas, most notably some apartments next to an underpass where some residents have been flooded out. Greenbelt’s Director of Planning and Community Development Terri Hruby said that there are also problems in Greenbelt East and Greenbelt Homes, Inc.
Associate Director of the Office of Storm Drain Maintenance Charles Griffith said that the county does 100 to 200 small drainage projects per year in which they upsize pipes, among other actions. He offered to meet with city staff on-site to discuss.
Hruby said homeowners associations and residents may also want to look at the Maryland Department of the Environment’s (DoE) “very robust” website at mde.maryland.gov that offers guidance on what to do and who to contact for assistance. She cautioned that some areas are intended to be wet, such as swales in peoples’ yards, as stormwater runoff mechanisms. She said that Code Enforcement staff can help homeowners identify ways to resolve their stormwater issues without impacting their neighbors.
Griffith cautioned that the design standard for stormwater plans is a 10-year storm (a storm likely to occur just once in 10 years), so in a heavier storm, some overland flow is expected, ideally in safe overland flow areas.
He said that the DoE’s Clean Water Partnership program, which the city has used for projects such as forebay restoration, is still available. In addition, DoE has the Rain Check Rebate program to help homeowners install practices that will improve stormwater runoff quality, reduce pollution and improve local stream and river health. He said that changes are in the works that will increase the amount of money applicants can receive and pay the money upfront rather than making the homeowner pay upfront then apply for a rebate.