Rushing to the Bus
Just the other day it was revealed that Metro was having problems with its hybrid buses, buses that run on a combination of an internal combustion engine powered by diesel fuel and an electric-powered motor that powers the vehicle from time to time and saves on fuel costs. These hybrids that Metro bought are breaking down about twice as often as its compressed natural gas buses and that's a bad thing. Even still, Metro officials tell WTOP, the hybrids they bought are still outperforming the national average.
The thing that's interesting is that the historic perspective has been lost. When it was first proposed to buy hybrids they were something very new to the market and didn't have a real track record. The board members at the time were very hesitant to replace the compressed natural gas buses they were scheduled to buy with these new hybrids without knowing how long they would run before repair. It was only after they learned that New York City's transit agency had bought a significant number of the hybrids that they changed their collective minds.
It would be interesting to know just what the repair records are for the New York fleet. If Metro is saying that the time between repairs for its hybrids is half what it is for clean diesel and compressed natural gas buses is that something that was anticipated? When Metro officials say that the hybrids do better than the national average what does that mean?
As someone who got burned as an early adopter of Blu Ray technology I can relate to what Metro is going through. Hybrid cars have proven wildly successful. Using that technology for heavier, working vehicles may be proving a little more difficult.
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Transportation Secretary Mary Peters was the person who ultimately signed off on the change of federal policy when it came to the Dulles Rail Project. That means that for many in the Washington region she is the biggest transportation hero we've got. For those who are into hero worship you can now read Secretary Peter's words on her own blog. It's kind of interesting to read her take on Dulles Rail and on things like the proposed gas tax holiday and high occupancy toll or HOT lanes.
The blog is called Welcome to the Fast Lane, but it doesn't focus just on roads and it isn't Washington-centric. In fact, in the early going this region shares space with Chicago. Virginia Governor Kaine blogs about Metro while Chicago mayor Daley blogs about his city. It's an interesting insight into the way some of these politicians think and I hope it last beyond this administration.
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National Bike to Work Day is a very special event and one in which I have participated on several occasions. It is empowering to get together with dozens of other bicyclists and essentially take over the streets. It happens next Friday, the 16th. The best way to find out where all 26 check points are around the city is to contact the Washington Area Bicyclists Association.
Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.
