Yes, it has been a long time since I wrote something. For those who wrote to me directly asking about my health and the future of this column I thank you and I also apologize for what may have been a brief and/or incomplete response. I have been in the hospital for the past month having, and then recovering from, rather major surgery and the rehab that followed because of the toll that the inactivity caused. It has not been a very good time and I hope none of you ever have to endure it. At the same time it has been a real eye-opener to me when it comes to basic things like walking around and fending for one's self. I have had to rely on a number of good people to help me during this time and I can't possibly thank them enough for their efforts, paid or otherwise. I must also thank the good people at CommuterPage.com for holding this space until I got back. I hope to not let them or you down by keeping this column informative and even entertaining.
The thing that I find interesting is that some of the things I have railed about in the past, such as handicapped parking and the rights and responsibilities of pedestrians will have new meaning and new importance as my recovery continues. Not being able to walk without the use of a walker, a wheelchair or crutches for the next several months means that I will become a user of a temporary handicapped parking permit. I'm sure that I will have more to say as a user as time goes by and I hope that the reports about the way others use or abuse these spaces turn out to be exaggerated if nothing else. I'm sure that I will also have my eyes opened to issues like handicapped accessibility in the form of ramps or lifts. This is not something that I ever imagined having to go through but I also hope to learn a new respect for those who have been dealing with it for years and for whom there is no end in sight.
During the time I was in the hospital the economy took a nosedive. It has been almost surreal to watch all of this happening. One of the first things I noticed was that Metro managed to get a report published that it was short some $11 Billion in needed capital repairs and expansions. At first I thought "good luck and good timing" but then I realized that it was probably not a bad thing for the agency to get its needs front and center at a time when a good number of people would be forced to find ways to get around other than by car because of the need to cut household expenses.
Of course, the price of a barrel of oil has dropped by almost half during the past five or six weeks and that has meant lower prices at the pumps even though it looks to me like the consumer price has only dropped by about 25%. It is amazing how the oil companies and the station owners who do their bidding can get the prices up almost immediately in reaction to any disturbance in the supply either here or overseas and yet it takes them forever to reduce those same prices. I'm sure it will be tough for the Exxon/Mobils of the world to get by without making a $33 billion quarterly profit.
Yes, dear readers, I am back and I am still bothered by many of the same things. Thanks to each of you who wrote me while I was away; I hope I don't let any of you down.
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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