In Maryland, the No. 37 Bus Uprising

Something wonderful is happening in the usually "above-it-all" suburb of Potomac, something so utterly democratic and local it would make the late House Speaker Tip O'Neill blush. It's the No. 37 Bus Uprising.

Several weeks ago, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) proposed budget cuts to deal with a deficit, including slashing bus service throughout the county. Bus routes slated for elimination included the No. 7 in Silver Spring, the No. 127 Montgomery College "Campus Connector" and our beloved No. 37, which traverses Tuckerman Lane to and from the Grosvenor Metro station. We riders of the No. 37 bus could not believe that seemingly intelligent people could propose anything so inane. So we organized.

No, we didn't have meetings and elect officers. When I say we organized, I mean we coordinated efforts and then multiplied each other's work spontaneously. Several of us mobilized our neighborhood homeowner and civic associations to lobby against the proposal. Others networked to spread awareness. Some alerted the merchants at Cabin John Shopping Center along the No. 37 route to the danger to their business. One determined rider, rightly convinced that Ride On managers' measurement of ridership on the No. 37 was too low, not only created a blog to centralize information on our efforts but also devised a reporting system to prove that Ride On's numbers were inaccurate.

On Feb. 11, Ride On held a forum on the proposed cuts. Nearly 100 people showed up, and 32 people spoke against the proposal, which would force hundreds of additional cars onto our already-congested roads at rush hour; pour tons of additional pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air; leave scores of disabled, elderly and poor commuters without essential transportation; and -- here's the kicker -- in the end cost the county more in added roadway maintenance and reduced receipts from lowered property values than could ever be gained from short-term savings in service cuts. Among the speakers, 14 spoke specifically on behalf of saving the No. 37 bus. We handed in our petitions and our data proving that Ride On's estimates were wrong.

One advocate for the No. 37 bus was a 16-year-old sophomore from Winston Churchill High School; she was brave and brilliant. "How are we supposed to 'go green' and become responsible citizens," she asked, "when our local government wants to eliminate efficient forms of transportation and force people to use inefficient ones?"

Of course, the Ride On officials who heard us out are not responsible for these hidebound and embarrassing proposals, which, according to the county's statistics, would address less than one-half of 1 percent of the anticipated deficit. But, unfortunately, neither Leggett nor any County Council members attended the Feb. 11 forum.

Meanwhile, Potomac's representative on the County Council, Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), has responded to the hundreds of messages he received stemming from the No. 37 Uprising. In a Feb. 4 letter to Leggett, Berliner suggested a compromise. Leggett, however, has seen fit to respond to many dozens of messages with an automated e-mail reply, which seems to indicate that he has not bothered to read a single one of them.

The No. 37 Bus Uprising will not cease until the county executive reconsiders these ill-considered, irresponsible proposals. If the proposals stand despite our best efforts, we may be forced to get political for the long haul. No, we're not so full of ourselves as to compare our revolt with the activities of those who once dressed up as Indians and heaved tea into Boston Harbor. But we're Americans all the same, to wit: "Don't tread on me."

-- Adam Garfinkle

Potomac