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JAMES E. EVANS
PRESIDENT

January 18, 2001
Mr. Rick Finn
City Administrator
7500 Maple Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Dear Mr. Finn:

SUBJECT: Metropolitan Branch Trail

We understand that The City of Takoma Park is applying for a grant to fund construction of the City’s segment of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT). Our North Takoma Citizens Association strongly supports the development of this Trail. The Takoma Park segment will extend from Montgomery College to the District line north of Piney Branch Road. It will traverse our neighborhood along Fenton Street and Takoma Avenue, providing safe, convenient, and aesthetically pleasant pedestrian, cycling and skating right-of-way. The Takoma Park segment of the Trail will connect us with the District’s section to the Takoma Metro Station and further on to Union Station to the south and, via the Montgomery College and Silver Spring sections, to the Silver Spring Metro to the north. This will provide residents with easy, safe, non-polluting access to these two important public transportation destinations.

As currently envisioned, the Takoma Park section of the Trail will be located between the aforementioned streets and the CSX/Metro tracks. Because of the narrowness of Takoma Avenue from Buffalo Avenue to the District line, parking will be eliminated on the west (track) side of the street. Residents along this stretch of Takoma Avenue accept, and some even welcome, this outcome.

Even with parking moved to the east side of the street, the width of the Trail will be constrained in some places to protect the existing trees between the road and the railroad right-of-way. These mature evergreens provide the residents along the street with at least some shielding from the noise and visual impact of the trains and Metro and need to be maintained. They will also buffer the Trail from the rail line and provide users with a more aesthetic, residential experience. Major

consideration should be afforded the current and future health of these trees, both during detailed design as well as construction of this Trail segment. In addition, design of the trail in this area should be compatible with and even enhance the historic residential character of the neighborhood it traverses.

Speed along Takoma Avenue is a major concern of residents and narrowing the traffic lanes would produce a desirable traffic-calming effect . Therefore widening the Trail at the expense of the vehicular traffic lanes should not be considered a negative trade-off.

The District’s segment is currently funded and partially completed, and the College and County are completing their plans and will be asking for funding imminently. To provide the benefits of a continuous trail to all, it is important that the various segments be co-ordinated and completed in a timely manner. Therefore our Association urges the City to secure funding for its segment as soon as possible to enable timely completion. This important section will allow our residents easy access to the entire MBT, a major transportation and recreation link to downtown Washington and Silver Spring, as well as a direct connection to the Capital Crescent and Anacostia Tributary Trail systems.

Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or I may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

James E. Evans

© 2003 Mark Freedman