The Council last year adopted a program called Legacy Open Space, which needs continued support. Its purpose is to preserve open space upcounty, downcounty and in watersheds, especially the Patuxent watershed. It also has an element involving purchase of historic sites so that they will not be lost. A related need is to ensure that the agricultural preserve is protected now and forever. Finally, I will ask the Council to initiate an effort to create a comprehensive policy on the environment that would bring together all aspects of environmental policy in a single document, harmonizing its elements, filling gaps and eliminating contradictions.
Traffic congestion is the visible, tangible, painful manifestation of that problem.
We cannot make it go away altogether. We can hope to manage it. The Council has asked the Planning Board to take on a project called the Transportation Policy Report and that is now under way. The effort is aimed at finding workable solutions which improve mobility, enhance neighborhood livability and promote business center vitality. Despite its name, it is not solely about transportation.