Be good for goodness sake?

Being good for goodness sake is apparently no longer a Christmas carol lyric! Because when I heard on WTOP last night that Metro is going to post a paid advertisement from an atheist association on the side of their Metrobuses, I about stopped in my tracks!

Never in a million years did I think Metro would have the balls to make such a daring move, especially in an era when they desperately need good PR. But I, for one, commend Metro for allowing this—not necessarily for religious reasons, but because this will encourage debate and promote independent thinking, which I think our society needs very badly.

I don't doubt for a minute that religious organizations will push back with everything they have, but as a co-worker pointed out, this too falls under the protections of free speech.

Igor, would you help me with the bags?

It was on the Post's Dr. Gridlock chat yesterday that I first learned of Metro's newest security measure: random bag inspections.

I have to say, for all of Metro's PR and policy snafus of late, this one I have to agree with. That's because I can think of at least one time I rode the rails where a random bag inspection would have been quite helpful beforehand! It was after a Nats game on July 4, 2006 (a game made famous by Ryan Zimmerman's fabulous game-ending/game-winning walk-off home run over the Marlins), and as soon as the Metro train left Stadium-Armory, someone sitting near one of the doors got out some Roman Candles . . . and then proceeded to get out a lighter and start adjusting/playing with the size of the flame. (Luckily there was a Metro security officer in the next car who took an interest in said passenger.)

A Potomac Yards Metro stop?

It would appear that Metro is considering adding a stop on the Yellow Line, one for Potomac Yards in Alexandria.

I think this would definitely be a great idea, for drivers and shoppers alike! For starters, it would cut down traffic on Route 1. Because as anyone who's driven to Potomac Yards can tell you, traffic in and out of the complex can be rather irksome—let alone trying to make your way around the parking lot!!! Metro would provide an alternative method, particularly for DC and Alexandria residents, to come shop at Potomac Yards and not have to drive.

On the flip side, however, I can see people doing like they would at the Pentagon City Mall—parking in the mall parking garage, and then hopping on the Metro into DC. Hopefully that won't prove to be a problem at Potomac Yards, as it hasn't yet proven to be one at Pentagon City.

The only stipulations I would put on Metro coming to Potomac Yards is that the shopping center would need to build a rear entrance to the complex, as Metro riders getting off here would otherwise be greeted by the beautiful sight of . . . the service entrances to Barnes & Noble. The other stipulation is that Metrobus service not be provided here, as it would conflict too greatly with evening shopping traffic. Beyond that, I say bring Metro to Potomac Yards!

Not yet a hypocrite

Well, I've managed to stave off my hypocrisy for at least one more week. Why do I say that? Because for the longest time, I've been loudly proclaiming that I wouldn't pay $4 a gallon for a tank of gas . . . but with gas prices skyrocketing and price records broken every single day, I'm nearing the point where I either have to stick to my guns and switch to Metro for my daily commute (not exactly an option I relish), or I embrace my hypocrisy head-on and gas up at $4 or more a gallon.

And like I said, tonight I managed to stave off that hypocrisy for at least one more week, because I gassed up for $3.97 a gallon on the corner of Glebe Road and Columbia Pike in Arlington. It's one of only two stations I know of in Arlington County that's selling at less than $4 a gallon (the other being further up Columbia Pike, right next to the Bob & Edith's), and in the interests of conserving money, I've already reduced my vehicular travel as much as possible. I almost never travel up to PA anymore, and whenever I have to drive anywhere, I combine trips (e.g., shopping trips). And if something is within 2 miles of my apartment (like Giant), I'll walk there and back—and get great exercise in the process.

It's the commute into work that gets me, though, because taking the Metro from Pentagon City up to Bethesda is a real bear.

I don't think I need to explain to anyone who lives in the DC region how insane the Red Line is during rush hour, and how crammed those rail cars can get with harried, impatient commuters. Door to door, it takes me an hour if I ride Metro, maybe a little more. If I drive, it's actually a much smoother ride, because all I need to do is ride up GW Parkway to the Beltway, and catch a few back roads into Bethesda, with little to no traffic holdups at all (except for around the Pentagon and Key Bridge). Door to door, 35-40 minutes of smooth sailing on a clear day. Really, it's probably the easiest driving commute I'll ever have living in this region—short of ever getting a job that's within walking distance of my home.

So there are my options: take the nerve-wracking Metro commute and save greatly on gas money (as I'll have essentially eliminated all driving from my routine, thus giving a proud "fuck you" to the oil companies), or continue to drive the easygoing commute and use up overpriced gas.

All things considered, this is not an easy choice to make.

Metro approves the rate hikes

Oooh, this is bad news for Metro riders, because the breaking news out of the District is that the Metro board has approved the hike in fares across the boards.

Under the plan adopted by the finance committee the largest increases would affect rush-hour suburban riders who make up the biggest group of daily users. The rush-hour boarding charge would 30 cents to $1.65 per trip, a 22 percent hike. The plan would raise the maximum fare per trip by 60 cents to $4.50. There would be no increases for off-peak riders or for MetroAccess.

At parking lots where the daily fee is as high as $4, the plan calls for a 75-cent hike for six months with an option to increase parking fees by 25 cents after that. Reserve parking would also increase by $10 to $55. That fee is in addition to the daily parking charge. Reflecting sentiment from passengers who park and ride, there would be no increase in the number of reserved parking spaces.

I drive to work these days, mostly because I've had some frustrating experiences with Metro over the summer, and I'm very eager to see what kind of backlash this rate hike will engender—i.e., will it cause many Metro riders to abandon the system? It's really a lose-lose situation for someone who rides the rails, because so many people in the DC area rely on the local subway system to get to work (I sure wouldn't want to drive into the District each morning). But will that reliance finally buckle under the weight of so many riders' compounded frustrations? We'll just have to see.

Fare hike or fair hike?

I got wind of this the other day on the morning news: Metro is now considering a fare hike . . . to the tune of 45 cents. (For my non-DC readers, think of this like you would the price for gas, where the lowest you're paying is $1.35, and are now being told that prices are going to increase by 45 cents a gallon.) Somehow I don't see a lot of Metro customers taking too kindly to this idea, because as I've said a few times already, with so many breakdowns, security scares, service disruptions, un-air conditioned stations, and uncomfortably overcrowded trains, this has been Metro's summer of discontent. It's enough to make even me renounce Metro commuting in favor of driving.

And given how disenchanted many other Metro customers have become, I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of people follow suit if this fare hike goes through. Metro should really think long and hard about this before instituting any kind of fare increase, because after all the disasters visited upon Metro this summer, they run the very real risk of losing many of their regular customers. And on a more common-sense note, how can anyone justify paying more money for shoddy service?

I'm sure Metro will argue that they need the funds to improve service yadda yadda yadda, but that responsibility should fall to the local governments—who themselves should remove their collective heads from their asses and stop passing the buck from one state (district?) to the next about who should provide dedicated funding. Because seriously, Metro badly needs a source of dedicated funding.

This is officially the last straw

An e-mail circulated our office around 4:20 this afternoon, saying that the Bethesda and Medical Center Metro stations were closed due to a "police incident." Being that I had to be home by 6:00 tonight for an alumni function that was going to take place at Riverhouse, I frantically searched for an alternative transport home—which I found, in the passenger seat of a co-worker who lives in Alexandria (to whom I am now indebted a tall, frosty beer).

Given the chaotic summer that Metro has enjoyed, this is officially the last straw for me: I'm going back to driving to and from work each day.

Metro: the summer of their discontent

I almost didn't notice the Post article yesterday about various Metro fires that took place in the District on Sunday night, but last night when I turned on the 10:00 news and saw them talking about smoke at the Pentagon City station, I thought to myself, "Yeah . . . I think I'm driving to work tomorrow." Supposedly, several of these fires were caused by overheated rails, but so many at once? Just bizarre.

I tell ya, this has not been a good summer for Metro: a security scare that shuts down three Red Line stations during rush hour, a domino-esque series of breakdowns on the Orange Line a few weeks ago (again during rush hour), at least one train derailment, and several deaths from people being hit by trains. And from being a daily commuter on Metro, I can honestly say that some days it just pays to drive, because trying to take Metro can be more nerve-wracking than trying to navigate through stop-and-go traffic. People shove their way onto trains, crowd around you uncomfortably, converse at inconsiderate volumes, run you over mercilessly when trying to make the faregate or catch a train, stand on the wrong side of the escalator, sit in the aisle seat and refuse to move so someone can sit in the empty window seat (or only do so grudgingly, as if you're grossly out of line for asking to sit there), yell at you for not moving fast enough . . .

And if that's not enough, you have to deal with poorly air-conditioned stations, trains that run on illogical schedules, or trains that don't arrive at all! And when incidents hit, however big or small, they shouldn't have to be felt system-wide.

Like I said, some days it just pays to drive.

FINALLY!!! Progress on the escalator etiquette movement

I almost couldn't believe it when I saw it, but according to the Post, Metro is finally putting the word out that on DC-area escalators, you walk to the left and stand to the right!

I'm so very pleased that Metro is finally heeding the calls of local riders—and tourists—about escalator etiquette. Though not to be a wet blanket and rain on my own parade, but I have to wonder how much their efforts will work—because Metro is choosing to put the word out not through signs or leaflets at various stations, but through station announcements. Now you might say, "What's so bad about that?" And as a frequent Metro rider, I can tell you that it's often rather difficult to distinguish what's being said over a station's intercom. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. (The Post article even points this out!) And if you're anything like me, you often ignore them if you can't make out what's being said.

Don't get me wrong—I'm very happy that Metro is taking a big step in the right direction with getting the word out on walk-left/stand-right, but I still think they would benefit more from signs rather than station announcements.

Metro ride update

I received an e-mail not too long ago from Metro's customer service division, asking me to call them and supply more information on the 40-minute wait I endured for a Yellow Line train after a Nats game earlier this summer.

The operator I spoke to was very cordial and friendly, naturally asking for as much information as I could provide her, and while I doubt there's much for Metro to investigate in the matter (especially close to two months after the fact), they're nevertheless sending me a free trip ticket as compensation—which I actually didn't expect, though I'm very gratified by the gesture, because it shows me that Metro is taking their customer service more seriously than it recently has been. For my non-DC readers, Metro's gotten one hell of a bad reputation in the last several years for their customer service, not to mention various high-profile, embarrassing incidents (e.g., handcuffing a girl for eating a french fry).

While speaking with the customer service operator, it occurred to me to ask about the general service on the Yellow Line—specifically, the frequency of the train times. She assured me that the schedules haven't changed, and that they've in fact increased due to the line extension up to Fort Totten, even during off-peak and weekend hours. I haven't noticed this increase myself (hence why I was asking in the first place), but going forward, I'll try to make note of the time between trains and compare notes.

That being said, I think I can comfortably lay this matter to rest—even without $54 million!

Musings from a DC walkabout

I took a walk through DC this afternoon—a wholly unexpected walk, I might add. After running several errands this morning and enjoying this beautiful day in the process, I was overcome by a powerful urge to stay outside in this beautiful weather rather than seclude myself inside my air-conditioned apartment. Yes, it was 90 degrees out, but there was more than enough breeze to keep the heat at a comfortable level, and I ended up walking the entire length of the National Mall. I actually didn't set out to walk that distance; I just kept walking and walking and walking until I couldn't walk anymore. But that long walk gave me a lot of time to think, and two major points kept running through my head (three, if you count me constantly berating myself for forgetting my camera).

Eastern Market

I originally set out to just visit Eastern Market this afternoon, since it's been close to three months since my last visit. I was actually a bit nervous on approaching Eastern Market, since I haven't seen the building since the fire back in April. I had seen several pictures of the south building charred and windows boarded up, but today, the brick front was still red, and the boarded windows were splashed with decorative paintings—as if to say, "That fire hasn't taken the life out of this building or this flea market!"

And for a Sunday afternoon, the flea market was just bustling! Seriously, it did my heart such good to see all the stands up in tents along 7th Street (obviously displaced from their previous indoor stands) and the patrons out and about, bringing continued life to this local landmark as it rebuilds into the pillar of this community that it once was.

I was tempted by all the print and painting tents (I particularly love photos of the DC landscape), but the only purchase I made was at my now-customary stop: Murky Coffee. Yes, I am that crazy that I'll drink a cup of hot coffee on a 90-degree day. Trust me on this—Murky Coffee is the coffee you don't say no to!

DC Escalator Etiquette

This is a constant issue locally, because the unspoken, unwritten, but commonly-understood prerogative of escalator conduct in the Washington area is "walk to the left, stand to the right." I say this is a constant issue because nobody anywhere, particularly Metro, posts signs that actually state this rule. Thus, we have people on escalators, mostly in malls and on Metro, who stand to the left when they don't even know they should move to the right—thus creating conflict between those who obey the rule and those who don't know it.

As a general rule, I stay on the left and walk up the escalator steps, but when I arrived at the Eastern Market Metro stop this afternoon, I saw a few people standing to the left, and decided to just stay on the right. A few people did walk up on the left, and one older couple in front of me (the man and woman were standing abreast) politely moved out of the way to let those walking up the left side pass. The old man then turned to me and said, in a you-learn-something-new-every-day voice, "I didn't realize the rules of the road applied to the escalators."

I smiled at him, and explained the unspoken rule of DC escalator etiquette—walk to the left, stand to the right. It made perfect sense to him, and knowing that it's an unspoken rule I think put him a little at ease (i.e., he probably felt a little less apprehensive about moving over to the right), but he did make one point that so many of us have been harping on for years: they should make the unwritten rule written, so that way locals and tourists alike will know how to conduct themselves properly on the escalators!

Talking with that old man today made me feel a little better about the tourists who come here, because it showed how non-locals are willing to adhere to local customs . . . as long as they're made aware of them!!! I think I'll make note of this in the Dr. Gridlock and Marc Fisher chats next week.

A very discouraging Metro ride (revisited)

Following up my previous post on recent Metro service, I e-mailed Metro outlining my grievance, and so far I have only received the standard reply, as below.

Thank you for taking the time to complete Metro's online Customer Comment Form. Metro appreciates hearing from customers, because it helps us continue to improve our services. We will review the information you provided and route it for appropriate action.

Today I posted the same story on the Post's Dr. Gridlock chat.

Arlington, Va.: In 7 years of riding Metro, I had my first really unpleasant Metro experience last week (yes, I know it's hard to believe I went this long with a good Metro experience, but I did!).

The bad experience I point to was TWICE having to wait up to 40 minutes for a Yellow Line train, neither time with any communication from Metro officials about why everyone on the platform was being made to wait.

The first 40-minute wait was after a Nationals game last Wednesday--40 minutes wherein two Green Line trains serviced L'Enfant Plaza, as well as one out-of-service train, but a Yellow train conspicuously absent. And I have never EVER had to wait more than 15-20 minutes for a train, even during off-peak hours.

The second wait was this past Saturday (though in all fairness, it was a half hour before ANY train went through Pentagon City, be it Yellow or Blue).

What bothers me is the COMBINATION of long train delays with the lack of communication from Metro officials. If there is going to be a delay on the Metro, for any reason, it would be greatly helpful to the customers on the platform to know why they're being made to wait. For me, at least, knowing why makes it a little more bearable.

Dr. Gridlock: That shouldn't have happened to you. I can't imagine any excuse for it. I'm wondering what the station's electronic message boards said during those times.

The electronic message board, after the Nats game, didn't display any Yellow Line information whatsoever. On Saturday, it just displayed the upcoming Yellow and Blue trains, but didn't post any wait time at all (which I usually interpret as Metro not knowing how long it'll be before the next train).

At this point, I'm not really anticipating any further responses from Metro, but I'm just crossing my fingers that service will improve again in the future.

A very discouraging Metro ride

Last night I had a rather frustrating Metro ride home from the Nats game. I left RFK in the 8th inning after Pittsburgh tied the game at 5, and boarded an Orange Line train at Stadium-Armory. At L'Enfant Plaza, I normally switch over to the Yellow Line to Pentagon City, usually waiting no more than 10 or 12 minutes for a train at that hour.

Last night, I waited for close to 40 minutes for a Yellow train. And that is just unacceptable, plain and simple. I've been riding the Metro subway system for 7 years now, and have rarely encountered a delay as long as this—especially after a sporting event downtown. And during that 40-minute wait, two Green Line trains serviced L'Enfant, as did one train that was out of service.

I wrote an e-mail to Metro outlining this issue, but I'm not really crossing my fingers for a response. Hopefully, though, this kind of long delay will be avoided in the future—or if one is to occur, hopefully Metro will employ better communication between the station managers and the passengers on the platform. Because the last thing Metro needs is a platform full of pissed-off customers.