How do you think our Metro system smells? If you use several stations are there some that smell better than others for whatever reason? I've always thought that our Metro stations have been rather benign when it comes to the odor factor and I don't think I'm alone. However, there are those who are very sensitive and there are other subway systems around the country and around the world where odors are a big problem. No, I'm not just talking about the guy who's obviously been running to catch the train and then spends the whole trip standing right next to you with his arm elevated in order to hold on to a ceiling rail.
The problem of order is of such concern on the Berlin, German system that officials are experimenting with a number of scents to mask what some have described as being an odiferous combination of wet clothes, pizza and stale air. They will begin testing rider's reactions to various combinations of eucalyptus, citrus and jasmine next month In Paris they have been using scents to mask offensive odors since 1999 and, according to Deutsche Welle, are mixing one and a half tons of a fragrance they call Madeline (after the station there as well as the pastry, but not the little schoolgirl) into cleaning fluids every month. To them, and hopefully those in Berlin, it has improved the quality of life. I must admit that I was shocked that such an effort had not been applied to the buses. Call me finicky but I find the smells that exist on some buses to range from odd to off-putting to the point where one might start to look under the seats or in corners to see if someone had left a lunch bag or a fraternity prank. Our subway might not be offensive but some of those buses could use a bit of citrus or Madeline.
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I was very unhappy to read a few weeks ago that Metro was losing money and that customers were losing some potential benefits because of the failure of a contractor to live up to its contractual obligation and of Metro to hold the appropriate feet to fire to get the work done. I assume that this means that Cubic Transportation Systems won't be able to implement an idea like the virtual tunnel either until 2010. In most high-tech companies the lack of ability to get things done right and to get them done correctly means that they don't stay in business long. In the case of Metro and Cubic it just means about $15 Million of tax- and fare-payer's money that is being flushed into the Anacostia River or some other repository. It probably doesn't help to have the board chairman of WMATA admit to The Washington Post that Cubic dominates the industry, is difficult to deal with, and that there isn't a whole lot that can be done. This is about a lot more than just the virtual tunnel but that is exactly the kind of no or low-cost that Metro should be pursuing with the help of its contracted SmarTrip Card partner to make happen sooner than later.
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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