MCDOT Response to the Pandemic
By Adrienne Ameel, WTS-DC
On September 10, WTS-DC hosted a coffee chat with Chris Conklin and Hannah Henn to discuss how Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is responding to the pandemic. Chris Conklin is the Director of MCDOT, and Hannah Henn serves in two roles as Acting Strategic Communication Manager and Senior Engineer for Strategic Innovation in the MCDOT Office of the Director. WTS-DC and MCDOT were joined by 27 members and friends, making the conversation very lively.
Conklin and Henn started the conversation with an interesting presentation discussing an overview of the many innovative initiatives the county is taking to respond to the pandemic. The presentation covered how the county was able to navigate funding through the Cares Act, its Shared Streets initiative, parking enforcement, the COVID Corps Youth Program, Safe Routes to Schools, and changes in transit services in the county.
MCDOT discussed how they approached the challenging task of reducing and modifying transit routes in the county. The county ensured that all of the bus routes still connected communities to essential services such as grocery stores, hospitals, and banks. MCDOT focused their attention on making sure that transit dependent communities were still being served. They also included a map to show residents how they could access essential services and other routes that may be available to them. The county was one of the first to enforce a rear-door bus boarding policy, to require masks to be worn, and to provide masks to customers. The county worked hard on sanitizing all of the buses every day to make citizens feel comfortable with riding the bus.
MCDOT discussed the innovative COVID Corps Youth Program deployed during the pandemic. The summer employment program provided young residents an opportunity to support the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the services the program offered specific to MCDOT included providing information to the community about changes in transit service and educating the public on scooter and bike safety and etiquette.
WTS-DC extends its appreciation to MCDOT as well as Chris Conklin and Hannah Henn for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak at this event and respond to some tough questions from the audience.