UMD Purple Line Controversy Hits the Washington Post
In an April 25 letter, eight students urged university President C.D. Mote Jr. to “become an outright champion” of the proposed Purple Line, saying the school’s “relative silence on the project is casting an unneeded shadow of uncertainty on the planning process.” Tunneling a train beneath the College Park campus, as administration officials have urged, could make it prohibitively expensive, the students said.
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May 14th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I know the ideal scenario has the line running through the new east campus development and up the hill past the Union but it is easy to see why folks would be afraid of this….to many visitors/students/faculty/staff/alums, the view of entering campus and driving up to the circle with the M in the middle - which is flanked by nice georgian, columned, buildings with green trees - is something very special and one of our few proud assets (ask anyone to name the 5 prettiest things about our campus and I bet you consistently get: McKeldin Mall, The Willow Walk, The Chapel Lawns, and The M Circle).
So naturally many would be concerned with the visual impact this would have on that sector of campus -
So - in the spirit of generating multiple concepts:
what if it ran along Calvert Road, - picture it passing under the metro station, then moving westward from the station along calvert road, then it crosses over Rte 1 at Calvert - yes - that means right through the lobby of the Quality Inn -
The Quality Inn would have to be demo-ed as a part of the “Guilford District” (aka “Knox Boxes”) redevelopment zone - the purple line would provide a point of focus for this redevelopment - and make the project EVEN MORE attractive to developers
then it continues westward passing between the Catholic student center and the (Mowatt?) parking garage - has a stop at the Smith School - then Univ College - then out along Univ Blvd
just a thought. it would not be the ideal - which has it up in the heart of campus - instead it would be a “southern re-alignment” but it beats having the thing get killed all together because of the tunnel issue
I know im probably going to get balsted for this - but great strategic planning involves pre-thinking how to overcome your opponents’ objections
May 14th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
The MTA folks spends days upon days thinking about various alignments and they eliminated that one (probably because the neighborhood would be up in arms over it and there are several historic properties in that area). I firmly believe that the aesthetic issues will be properly mitigated and that the millions that will go into pedestrian improvements and roadway resurfacing along campus drive will be well worth whatever is lost. At the very minimum we’re asking the University to hold their horses and wait for the studies. A detailed visual concept study of the train going through campus will come out this summer. We’ll be sure to post it.
Frank Brewers assertion that he would prefer an alignment off-campus (presumably 193) is entirely ridiculous and shows how little attention UMD has given to this transitway.
May 14th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
One of the proposed alignments still keeps the main entrance and ‘M’ roundabout intact for motorists, the purple line would come out of east campus and pass near the Armory/Mitchell building before heading up the hill in front of Stamp Student Union.
May 14th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
The Armory/Mitchell alignment would kill a significant number of parking spaces, right? I would expect a heavy, powerful, stink to raised about that - especially with the Mitchel Bldg. (most staff are MoCo/Howard commuters, IMHO) and Visitor’s Center (potential students & wealthy alumni) nearby.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Yes, but we are talking about a $1.3 billion federally funded project. Not everyone can win everything (including the university). I’m not a traffic engineer but I imagine the Purple Line will free up far more parking spaces than it takes.
May 14th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
David, I agree w/ you 100%, but I sometimes wonder how much sway some of these campus VIPs have when it comes to transpo-related issues.
May 14th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
What about a tram? They are aesthetically pleasing. Quiet. Environmentally safe. Though I’m not sure where they could build the elevated track. It sure beats a bunch of wires hanging over University Blvd.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Its funny…..The line could never run down Calvert Road because “the residents would be up in arms over it” and there are historic properties. what about the campus constituencies - wouldnt they be up in arms? couldnt some of the campus bldgs be considered historic? bummer that something so good could become a classic “NIMBY” (or would it be “NIMFY”?!) debate
May 14th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
It’s not going to be that ugly wherever it is. Since people’s homes generally represent a huge proportion of their life savings, they are usually given a little more credence. Campus buildings are considered historic, but the route MTA has chosen is much easier than the one you have proposed. The overhead wires really aren’t that bad looking and if you plant trees you can hardly notice them. Aesthetically, Campus drive will be much better once it is closed to cars and money from this project will vastly improve the streetscape. Also keep in mind that UMD is a living, breathing academic institution, not a country club.
The first thing people did at the public meeting for the Purple Line was say “why didn’t you put it here” and “why didn’t you put it there.” MTA has considered everything and if this thing is ever going to be built it will be down campus drive they’ve already determined that that is the most feasible and prudent route. period.
May 14th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I agree completely with David. The university’s mission is to be a dynamic intellectual and cultural hub for the region and state. What better way to promote this than to be easily accessible via modern, attractive, and environmentally friendly public transit? With an at grade route along Campus Drive, thousands of people each day would get to ride through the heart of campus and see what the university has to offer. In lieu of tunneling, the university could expect more stops along an at grade route (”Next stops: Terrapin Place, Campus Center, Stadium/Arts Center, University College”). Done properly, light rail through campus could make the university more attractive, more dynamic, more distinctive. Street-level light rail in places like Boston, San Francisco, and many European cities typically makes the cities more rather than less attractive, and I assume that UM students are as capable as the residents of these cities of avoiding getting hurt by the trains. A light rail alignment along Campus Drive might require more serious attention to traffic management along that road, but that is consistent with the university’s stated goals, and would itself contribute to safety. A few parking spaces here and there, a few overhead cables on a picture postcard view: these all seem like minor distractions compared to the benefits of having the Purple Line run right through our midst.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:31 am
What’s more, trains are just not that ugly. Does the rush hour snarlup on Campus Drive look any more attractive?
May 15th, 2007 at 7:03 am
i talk to a lot of people about this at alumni events and i definitely see a distinct difference in thinking emerging: “old school” thinking and “new school” thinking. old school is very opposed and I hope the opposition is not underestimated. new school / progressive thinking (like this site) understands the value and can articulate the numerous benefits. as i have said before in another thread - the more we show that one photo where the lines are masked by uniform street trees, the better. (perhaps the first thing they see when the click the Purple Line link on this site?)
what happens to it after it comes up the hill past the Union and Cole Fieldhouse? Does it go straight and through the parking lots and then what? Through University College? (there is that archway connecting the older and newer bldgs) then down Univ Blvd?
It would be great on game day in the fall - thats for sure. when i pick up my ousins at the airport we could take the train from BWI Rail station to NC then hop on the PL over to CP to catch a Terps W
May 15th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Yes, down University Blvd with a probable stop at UMUC. The project will probably require a reworking of that miserable 193/ Adelphi Rd intersection. MTA runs a site on the proposed alignments. It’s linked from our PL page.
May 15th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
cant seem to find it - the only alignment map i could find shows it passing in front of cole, out into the parking lot but the map ends and does not show how it progresses west of the tennis courts next to cole, does it bend southward to go around UMUC to the south ? - cant imagine it bending and going around UMUC to the north as that would have it slicing across the President’s front lawn (!!)
im serious - you should recommend that it pass under the arch connecting the old and new UMUC bldgs - that would make the UMUC stop right in the heart of the facility - great for the Marriott Hotel guests and UMUC students - it might be a tight squeeze though - we need two sets of tracks in paralell, right?
May 15th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Just how much more would it cost to tunnel it? Regarding the part about it affecting vehicle traffic, I thought the plan was to eventually not have any cars driving through campus and have parking garages on the perimeter of campus.
May 16th, 2007 at 7:16 am
I think I read somewhere that it would be in the 200-300 million range but David would know.
May 16th, 2007 at 7:17 am
I just found the quote:
“Henry Kay, the MTA’s deputy administrator for planning and engineering, said state officials agree that an aboveground line would be more viable. A one-mile tunnel beneath the campus would cost roughly $200 million to $300 million, about 10 times the cost of a one-mile aboveground line, he said.”
May 16th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
I am definitely old school and support the Purple Line going right through campus as it does at Portland State. Right down a totally revitalized and reconstructed Campus Drive, like the route of the T-3 Transitway which recently opened in Paris. Grass tracks, quality sidewalks and crosswalks, new lighting, new landscaping. A makeover for the 21st century. Campus Drive is the heart of campus and the continuous queue of cars going through it all day long is ugly and bad planning.
The urban sprawl university that grew up in the 50s is unsustainable and Dr. Mote, touting the University’s leadership on sustainability should acknowledge that. You cannot cover 39 acres with a new town center and not have a major transit upgrade supporting it, much less add 20,000 seats to Byrd stadium. Are 20,000 new fans going to come on Shuttle UM buses stuck in traffic?
It is ironic that this dialogue revolves around such things as the aesthetics of catenary wires, which, if well integrated with new lighting are hardly visible. What about the aesthetics of parking lots practically spilling into College Creek and the Paint Branch. How many more parking lots will be carved out of the woods to sustain the suburban aesthetic? What about the pathetically low current transit ridership to campus?
As for the concern about history - the core of many European cities - replete with historic buildings, retains their beauty in large part because rights of way have been turned over to transit and pedestrians. It is unregulated auto traffic through the middle of campus that is detracting from the pedestrian experience in the campus core. The M is now a lonely traffic island, hazardous to walk to although still pretty to look at. Reconfiguration of the roads as part of the purple line project could make it more accessible for pedestrians and as beautiful to people coming on campus by car, bus, or RAIL as is currently the case.
Finally a comment on the cost differential. the $200 million would go a long way to restoring some of the buildings on campus which are falling apart. Money is tight in the State of Maryland, and the wish list for campus projects is long.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:18 am
$200-300 Million is also the rough price tag I have heard tossed around for undergrounding of all of the utility wires along US 1. And we all know how much we all want that. Think about what that would do for the corridor. Talk about a sweet trade-off.
It would be nice for the University to come up with a clear statement of what exactly its stance is in terms of it reluctance. Is it in fact the aesthetics/the wires? Is it in fact the pedestrian safety? Is it concern that it will provide easier access to our students for the criminal element from tough areas down the line to the west? Is it all of these? Is it something else? Conversations are hardly scientific and only provide anecdotal tid bits.
David / Rob: Has it been spelled out exactly why? Did the University issue a crisp succinct statement that says: “We are not in favor of an at grade purple line through the campus core because of 1.)…..2.)
When I was a student, the “rumor” (or was it “urbn legend”) was that we had the chance to have a green line station in the basement of the Union and/or UMUC but it was rejected for fear that crime would increase. Fast forward to a year or two ago when I told every Univ. official I could come in contact with that I was worried about by alma mater’s reputation because of the increase in violent crime (and The Diamondback’s coverage of it and the FBI Most Violent ranking). I heard things like “the poor urban youth are using the metro to come to campus to prey on students because it provides a high concentration of easy, unsuspecting targets”
May 17th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Joe: were you on city council in the late 80’s / early 90’s (The Anna Owens years)?
May 17th, 2007 at 9:34 am
There is no correlation between transit and crime. The last place I would want to go as a criminal is onto the purple line where there will be cameras on every car. It’s a totally unfounded concern and I do believe it contributed to the current miserable location of the green line.
We haven’t got an official response, but we are expecting one from Mote imminently (after literally weeks).
They seemed to be concerned about the at-grade line’s aesthetic impacts, traffic impacts on Campus drive, and people getting hit by it. I basically only directly addressed the first two in the letter and implied that the third one was unfounded because the pedestrian environment will be so greatly enhanced by the new funding for crosswalks and a reduction in cars on Campus Drive. We expect to be invited to a meeting between administrators and MTA shortly and I’ll keep everyone updated.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:45 am
“There is no correlation between transit and crime”
Good luck (I mean it with true sincerity, Im not being sarcastic) selling that one. You and I may know that, but that is definitely not how people perceive it to be. My first 10 years out of college I really had a hard time coming to grips with my managers telling me “Perception is Reality” but now that Im old and beaten up and jaded I have to say, it is a powerful statement - especially in today’s media spin / sound bite driven instant gratification point and click society that we find ourselves living in
May 17th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Read: No Correlation Between Metro Stations and Crime
May 17th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
WOW. !!
Once again, you guys show just how high quality this site is and how much value it adds (this site along with your other work) - RTCP puts it out there and backs it up.
I hope a lot of people see this. It is times like these / issues like this one that show how difficult it must be to be in President Mote’s position - here is why:
As this link states: “However, the persistence of the legend suggests a latent belief in a possible connection between Metro stations and crime, particularly violent crime. Conventional wisdom says there is probably no connection ”
With so many of the University’s “stake holders” (collectively referring to students, alumni, faculty, staff, etc) coming from a suburban American upbringing (Rte 355 strip malls, McMansions and big SUV’s on crowded roads) as opposed to a more European mindset: there is plenty of work to be done de-bunking the myth.
the P-line through campus at grade will be a difficult process with so many strong feelings to balance. we need to spread the word about this site to get people in here so they can see.
I admit it - I used to struggle with this one(the line running up campus drive) - while I most definitely have always appreciated/been an advocate for the environmental and other quality of life benefits - I also understood why people would be against (mainly the aesethics of the poles and wires and the fear/perception of crime)
but RTCP has shown me the light. now we have to spread the word to get others on here learning this stuff.
Thanks for more work well done.