Some time ago the companies that own charter bus services realized that they were missing an opportunity to make a lot more money. They watched as public agencies like Metro, or the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) if you want to be technical, got contracts for things like taking people from Metro parking lots to Fed Ex Field for Redskins games at twenty bucks a head The private bus operators figured that they should be doing this and so they lobbied Congress and the Federal Transit Administration. It took a little while but the government gave them what they wanted: a regulation prohibiting public transit agencies like Metro/WMATA from doing this work. It was a bit of a loss leader according to Metro. The agency says it actually broke even or lost money on these deals.
That of course begs the question: why would Metro want to get into a business where it would barely break even and would likely lose money? Does that make sense in a fiscal sense or like Lucy and Ethel bottling baked beans at a loss per jar they would make it up in volume. Even still, it seems like Metro officials are a bit miffed by the whole thing. To compensate the agency for extra costs associated with things like extra paperwork in the FTA mandate, Metro is raising the fees it charges when it does do charter work by almost double.
The big extended middle finger from Metro comes in an agency statement where the assistant general manager of Metrobus operations says: "There will be additional costs associated with the influx of hundreds of private bus carriers on Metro property. We want to ensure Metro is not bearing those additional costs." Milo Victoria goes on to say, "We have to provide more personnel to manage the flow of traffic and people and watch for safety hazards. There also are liability concerns."
If that weren't enough the agency also says in the statement that, "Metro officials say only 17 of Metro's 86 stations can handle private charter buses because the areas already are constrained by safety, congestion and size."
Take that, charter bus companies. Be wary of a transit agency scorned by lobbyists and the federal government.
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One of the more popular traffic calming (slowing) devices being used in neighborhoods around the country is the speed bump or speed hump. These are little more than mounds as asphalt that have been built up across the lanes in an effort to make traffic slow down. One of the downsides is that they can hinder the response of rescue equipment that also has to slow down. There are also some that say that speed humps/bumps have to be repaired or even replaced after snowplows go through. The good thing is that these devices are not super expensive although if you multiply the $1,000 to $1,500 price tag by an entire city then the zeroes add up. So what if you could make drivers THINK that there were speed bump/humps ahead of them and cause them to slow down? What if you could do this at a fraction of the cost? That was the idea of traffic planners in Phoenix, Arizona.
The city has installed a series of fake speed bumps. These are made of orange, blue and white plastic that looks like a three-dimensional pyramid rising out of the road from a distance. Earlier tests, according to the Associated Press via azcentral.com, have found that the faux bumps do work to slow traffic but only for a little while. After a few trips across the optical illusion most drivers tend to ignore them and maintain their speed. Even still planners believe that the brightly colored markers will serve as a reminder to drivers that they are in an area where speed is a problem. The fake speed bumps cost about $70 a piece and are being considered by transportation officials in Philadelphia.
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.
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