(3/2022) Because of Frederick County’s growing population and our proximity to the Washington metropolitan area, drivers continue to face transportation challenges every day. We’re all trying to get to work, school, and everywhere else we want to go as efficiently as possible. The rate of population growth that we have seen in Frederick County in the last 40 years has resulted in many more vehicles on county roads every day. As we begin to move past the pandemic, we see that traffic congestion is returning. Current and future housing developments will add even more cars to the strained system.

Alleviating traffic congestion should not be a partisan issue. As your County Council representative, I will consider all sensible solutions for making it easier to move people into, out of, and around the county.

My family moved to Middletown, Maryland in the early 1970s. Like many others, my father had a new job and my parents decided to move to Frederick County instead of Montgomery County, which would have been closer. They had grown up in a gray Northeastern city and they fell in love with the beauty of the Middletown Valley. My husband has also commuted for almost 30 years outside the county to work so that we could raise our family here. Today, 40% of employed county residents commute outside of the county to work. County government has a responsibility to all taxpayers who contribute to the local tax base and spend money to drive the local economy to provide a functional system of roads.

A robust and reliable countywide public transit system is an important component of reducing the number of cars on the road. With reliable public transportation, more senior citizens and county residents with disabilities can lead independent lives and have a better quality of life. Frederick County is the largest county in Maryland by area. This makes a countywide rural public transportation system more challenging, but certainly not impossible.

Other regions in the country are also looking for ways to expand rural public transportation. The Austin, Texas metropolitan area is another rapidly growing region. The Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority (CapMetro) of Austin moved from underutilized fixed-route bus routes to on-demand ride requests within smaller zones. The zones are tailored for the needs of the area and have shorter wait times. For example, a smaller bus could serve a zone specifically in the Woodsboro-Walkersville area. That could make it possible for someone living in that zone who is unable to drive to go shopping independently, go to church, or to have a job.

This model is scaled up by responding to ride request demand. Additional zones can be added, rather than additional stops along a longer, predetermined, and fixed bus route. The city of Austin has moved from a smaller paratransit program, like what we have in Frederick County, to a zone based and flexible public transportation system that is responsive to riders’ needs in each area. This model is scalable and could work for the distinct regions and municipalities in the county.

When elected officials put solutions first and work together, even the most complex challenges become more manageable. That is the approach I will bring to the County Council. Feel free to contact me with your thoughts about what you see as priorities for Frederick County. You can find out more about my campaign at www.knapp4countycouncil.com.