Super Bowl, Super Problems

This Sunday is the annual if unofficial American holiday known as the Super Bowl. It is simply a ground acquisition game much like the ancient Romans practiced although on a much smaller scale and without, hopefully, as much loss of life during the battle. It is also a rather deadly time for those out on the roads.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nearly half of all U.S. traffic deaths on Super Bowl Sunday are caused by drunk drivers.

Because of that sobering information, the good people at the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) are providing some common-sense tips that I hope you will consider. They include:  

• Plan ahead and designate a driver if you're celebrating with alcohol.
•  Use public transportation or taxi cabs.
•  If you're hosting a party be a responsible host by:
  • Not serving anyone who appears to be impaired.
  • Serving food with alcohol (high protein foods like meats and cheeses stay in the stomach longer thereby slowing the body's alcohol absorption rate).
  • Using a non-carbonated base in alcoholic punches (the body absorbs alcohol faster when mixed with carbonization).
  • Serving non-alcoholic beverages as an option.
  • Never serving minors.
  • Closing the bar at least an hour before the event's end.
  • Designate a bartender / don't let guests mix their own drinks.
  • And never allowing impaired guest to get behind the wheel.

These simple, common-sense ideas can save lives this Sunday.  By the way, I have no idea who I'm rooting for so I hope the commercials are really good.

++++++++++

You would think that New York's subway system was totally buttoned-down and had it all together. But you'd be wrong. According to the New York Daily News, the MTA in the city was getting ready to open its first new subway station in 20 years. The South Ferry Station cost $530-million and was a long time being built. But it won't be able to open for another three or four weeks. Why? Engineers didn't make the platforms wide enough so there is a gap of about one inch more than federal rules allow. You'd think with more than one hundred years of experience and all those subway lines that someone might have figured this one out earlier. The gap(s) will cost about $200,000 to fix and, as noted, delay the station's opening.  I guess it could have been worse... it could have happened here.

+++++++

As many of you experienced, the restrooms at all of the Metro stations were closed during the inauguration for security precautions although I'm not sure why that was the case at stations outside the beltway where the risk to the inauguration was limited at best. But Metro might discover that it could save a lot of money by closing them all together. Down in Atlanta there is a proposal before the directors of MARTA to close all of the system's restrooms. This comes after it had just spent more than half a million dollars to renovate and improve the facilities at the Five Points station. OK, you're thinking how much could a system that's smaller than Metro's save by shutting down its restrooms? Couldn't be much, could it? After all, it's just a matter of cleaning crews going in once or twice a day, stocking the toilet paper and, if they use them, the paper towels. Can't be much, or can it? The estimate to MARTA of the cost savings for shuttering its restrooms is $945,000 annually. That's right; almost a million bucks a year. No mention from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of the kind of protests that we had here in order to force Metro to make some of its facilities available to the public.

---

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.

Comments

[Steve]

As someone who has personally benefited from a kind station manager pointing out and allowing me to use the station restroom, I would prefer they be kept open. Some Metro rides can be quite long, and if they are preceded and/or followed by a bus transfer, it's good to know that one can access a restroom in an "emergency."

[Daniel B]

"Never serving minors."
My kids, when I have them, will be allowed a glass of wine or beer (singular) when I they are in their teens... this teetotaler stuff needs to end, its plain not good for the children... I will consider myself a good parent when I do so..

[Allen Muchnick]

If they close MARTA's restrooms, how would MARTA employees be accommodated? Wouldn't the lack of employee restrooms violate workplace laws? It's also outrageous to operate a rail system without toilet facilities for transit patrons.