Where in MD outside of Baltimore can you get by without a car? (bus, train)

[wells1999]

Originally Posted by dkf747

The buses have been very reliable over the past 5 years that I have lived in Gaithersburg. Do you actually ride on them, or depend on them like I have? In 2009 i went 4 months without a car in Gaithersburg. I need a bumper sticker that says, "My other car is a Ride-On Bus!" Sometimes you have to wait for one. I don't see a problem with that.

I have been riding ride-on-bus and metro train everyday to and from work for the past half year. I can't say for all buses, but my bus comes every half hour, and sometimes it would delay for 15 minutes or more or come 5 minutes earlier, and sometimes it would just cancel one shift.

I think you and I just have different expectations on bus system here. If driving is your main transportation method and bus is just a backup, then the system here is very good. But I grew up in a large international city where bus and walking is first option to get around. Bus comes every few minutes, tons of people walking on streets between shops. I am not critcizing the bus system here at all. I actually think the system here is much better than rest of the country, except for downtown DC and NYC. But responding to the first post, I feel it's just not good enough for me to go without car for everyday life.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by wells1999

I have been riding ride-on-bus and metro train everyday to and from work for the past half year. I can't say for all buses, but my bus comes every half hour, and sometimes it would delay for 15 minutes or more or come 5 minutes earlier, and sometimes it would just cancel one shift.

I think you and I just have different expectations on bus system here. If driving is your main transportation method and bus is just a backup, then the system here is very good. But I grew up in a large international city where bus and walking is first option to get around. Bus comes every few minutes, tons of people walking on streets between shops. I am not critcizing the bus system here at all. I actually think the system here is much better than rest of the country, except for downtown DC and NYC. But responding to the first post, I feel it's just not good enough for me to go without car for everyday life.

I see. I drive more now, but that was not the case previously. We both think it's a good bus system, just disagree on dependability. I think it would be nice to have more buses and for them to run until midnight though.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by pacman23

Is it possible to get by without a car in places like Bethesda, Rockville, Fort Washington, Frederick or Gaithersburg?

YES...

if you are willing to ALSO use cabs and occasionally rent a car...
you can go car less just about anywhere in any modern city.

[histmaj]

Originally Posted by qjbusmaster

all the places u mentioned except fedrick have good systems well connected ones. Federick is isolated!!!! click here http://wmata.com/pdfs/bus/MD.pdf and here http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/co.../SystemMap.pdf if u must know federick here http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/documents/Transit/08RideGuide.PDF (broken link) by the way to get out of federick u will need greyhound which goes to baltimore or DC with several departures also greyhound goes to haggerstown and pittsburg too.

Greyhound is not the only way out of Frederick, Marc trains run to DC multiple times daily.

Aside from that, Frederick may be a little tough to live without a car. The bus system is actually pretty efficient. Downtown Frederick is definitely walkable, with tons of shops and restaurants and a few other cultural venues. But, its a smaller city than Baltimore so its got its downsides. If I had to pick a community outside of B-more to live car-free I'd probably do Southern Mo-Co simply for the metro system, but those places near the metro can be very expensive with or without roommates.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by histmaj

Greyhound is not the only way out of Frederick, Marc trains run to DC multiple times daily.

Aside from that, Frederick may be a little tough to live without a car. The bus system is actually pretty efficient. Downtown Frederick is definitely walkable, with tons of shops and restaurants and a few other cultural venues. But, its a smaller city than Baltimore so its got its downsides. If I had to pick a community outside of B-more to live car-free I'd probably do Southern Mo-Co simply for the metro system, but those places near the metro can be very expensive with or without roommates.

Three trips, Monday-Friday mornings only. No weekend service. Latest departure is about 7:00 a.m. Other than that, it's Greyhound or the MTA commuter bus (which runs a similar Monday-Friday commuter-only schedule).

[Dotty19]

The Lower Eastern Shore. Especially Ocean City and Berlin.

[chaipork]

Takoma Park is very walkable and has a metro station- it's a slower paced kind of area. Rockville I don't think is very walkable. Bethesda is walkable and busy. Silver Spring seems so urban to me...but walkable. Gaithersburg seems walkable and is developing its downtown area in the coming yr.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by qjbusmaster

all the places u mentioned except fedrick have good systems well connected ones. Federick is isolated!!!! click here http://wmata.com/pdfs/bus/MD.pdf and here http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/co.../SystemMap.pdf if u must know federick here http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/documents/Transit/08RideGuide.PDF (broken link) by the way to get out of federick u will need greyhound which goes to baltimore or DC with several departures also greyhound goes to haggerstown and pittsburg too.

What they should have is something like this:

Imagine, DC: Imagine a Better Rail Link to Frederick

[HurricaneDC]

Takoma Park, Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda... those are probably the only ones. And since two of those are CDPs they cover a large area. Some parts of Bethesda (mainly near the downtown core) are very urbanized and have frequent bus service and are near the Metro. Other parts might as well be in the fringes of Prince William County.

[qjbusmaster]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

What they should have is something like this:

Imagine, DC: Imagine a Better Rail Link to Frederick

sadly that still isn't enough 991 does this but needs a bidirectional full time schedule similar th commuter 201. Also bus to hagerstown from federick would be nice.