CommuterPageBlog

The Aftermath of a Tragedy

Sometimes it isn't until lives have been lost and lives have been forever changed that officials really pay attention to problems. In the case of Metro and Congress the tragic crash of the Red Line trains seems to have turned a light on things like poor maintenance, aging infrastructure in the form of rail cars and tracks and electronics and the need for billions of dollars. It is amazing to read about all of the things that Metro has let slide in what appears to have been an effort to save money. It's surprising that something horrific hasn't happened sooner. I just hope that the money that Congress is now more likely to give to Metro doesn't get squandered paying off lawsuits like the one already filed for nearly a million dollars because somebody broke a leg in the crash.

Photo: Ben Schumin, Wikipedia

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Our friends over at the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) remind us that a couple of new drunk driving laws take effort on July 1st. Specifically, persons twice convicted of DUI in Virginia in a ten year period will be mandated to use ignition interlock devices for a minimum of six months. (Current Virginia law mandates the same for persons twice convicted of DUI within five years.) In addition, persons required to operate a vehicle in Virginia with an ignition interlock device but later convicted of driving without such will be both guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor as well as subject to having their driver's license revoked.

This coming Fourth of July WRAP will once again be offering its SoberRide program to keep drunk and impaired drivers off the roads. The group cites stats from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showing that nearly half (44%) of all traffic deaths on Independence Day are alcohol-related.

The SoberRide program will be in operation beginning at 4:00 pm on Saturday, July 4th and continue until 4:00 am the morning of the 5th.

WRAP says that during this 12-hour period, area residents over the age of 21 who have been celebrating with alcohol may call the toll-free SoberRide phone number 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded a no-cost (up to a $ 50 fare), safe way home. Please make sure to tip the cab driver (that's my and not WRAP's request.)

SoberRide is offered in the District of Columbia; throughout the Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince George's; and throughout the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, (eastern) Loudoun and Prince William.

Since 1993, the SoberRide program has provided 43,789 free cab rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.

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Texting while driving is just plain dumb and you would think that it wouldn't take the passage of a law to get people to stop doing it. Trying to stare into a tiny little screen while pushing buttons with your thumbs is not what we were taught in Driver's Ed. Nevertheless, laws are getting passed that make texting while driving an offense of some significance. 14 states and the District have texting or more general distracted driving laws on the books.

Last December only seven states and the District had passed such legislation. The Governors Highway Safety Association reports that the 2009 state legislative season has already seen more than 200 proposed distracted driving regulations. The group provides a breakdown of laws mostly affecting the use of cell phones but under the larger umbrella of distracted driving.

Photo: Alton, Wikipedia

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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.

Thoughts and Prayers

Both of the above are going out in large amounts to the families, friends, neighbors and co-workers of the nine (as of this writing) souls who lost their lives on Metro's Red Line. This is a true tragedy and one that some people saw coming because of some of the issues that are now coming to light and will continue to be revealed in the days and weeks ahead. Things like maintenance records, engineering reports on these old workhorses, data from track sensors and of course the testimony of those on or near the trains at the time of collision.

The one piece of real interesting information that has come out is that riders on the trailing train say that the operator told them that there was another train on the track ahead of them and that they would be moving shortly. That would seem to indicate that the cause was mechanical in that the trains were being controlled by a computer. That computer system was something that the Washington Post referred to without any sign of tongue being in cheek as "failsafe."

I was a traffic reporter back in 1982 when the last Metro fatality crash occurred. Unlike this crash which led the nightly news on CNN and MSNBC, the crash 27-years ago got hardly a mention. Why? Because the Metrorail crash occurred the same afternoon as the horrific Air Florida crash into the 14th Street Bridge. The hero that day was somebody name Lenny Skutnik who, time after time, jumped into the freezing waters of the Potomac river that January day to save as many lives as he could. It was an amazing and heartwarming thing to watch.

(Jumping onto my soapbox) I am really tired of the way we throw the word "hero" around. Too many people in the media have been referring to some of the survivors because they helped others off the train. I'm sorry, but a hero is someone who goes way out of their way to help someone; rushes through a burning building to save a person or dives into icy and potential hazardous waters to save total strangers.  What the vast of majority of these Metro crash "heros" have been is simply good citizens, helping out their fellow man. What they did was wonderful and helpful and occasionally courageous but let's hold off on the hero tag so that it really means something when we actually convey it to someone.

OK, Metro has not had a crash that resulted in fatalities in some time but they still have had more people die in train crashes in the past 30 years than has the massive New York City subway system. Check out the statistics. It's amazing that so much of what goes wrong is because of technical issues.

I am sure that the number of lawsuits coming out of this crash will be substantial, especially if it is discovered that the system itself had failed. I just hope that not everyone who got a small cut or scratch feels it necessary to grab their million dollars from the system. After all, Metro may just raise its fares to make up for their losses and everyone will suffer.

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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.

Planning Board or Speed Bump

I have never been a big fan of the way that the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's (COG) Transportation Planning Board (TPB) operates. Unlike most big cities' Metropolitan Planning Organizations our local group does not initiate anything. It sits and waits for the local jurisdictions to bring it ideas that it then debates and debates and debates. Occasionally the TPB will ask the presenting jurisdiction to make modifications to its proposal and, while it can't demand that those changes be made, it has the de facto power of the threat of veto.

The TPB is made up of a number of local jurisdictions from the miniscule like Fairfax City and Takoma Park, Maryland which represent a few thousand people to the large like Fairfax County and Montgomery County which each represent about a million people. That means that on a rotating basis the mayor of Takoma Park or Fairfax City assume the chairman seat and have control over the transportation agenda for the entire Washington region. It's far too easy for these leaders to let very parochial interests and their desire for re-election dictate what they do and what they allow on the monthly agenda.

What brought this up was the breathless media reports on Tuesday and Wednesday that literally shouted that the TPB had approved the Purple Line which is a transit connection between Bethesda and New Carrolton in Maryland. The thing is that it has yet to be determined whether the Purple Line will be a light rail or bus rapid transit route. It does not address the continued threats of lawsuits from the country club that is in the path of the route.

The Purple Line is a good thing in that it will provide a reliable east/west link that doesn't currently exist inside the beltway. The problem is that it is still a long way away from being built. All that happened the other day was that the regional Transportation Planning Board got itself out of the way so that the planning can move forward.

Map: Coalition for Smarter Growth

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While we are on the subject of WiFi (wireless internet) in moving vehicles (OK, we discussed it a couple days ago) there are some groups that are pushing Amtrak pretty hard to add the service.  According to a blog within reasononline that quotes a column from the Washington Post (the ever-shrinking, once-great newspaper of the nation's capitol) the rail system's spokesperson says, "Presently Amtrak is testing a system on the Acela express train, and we hope to have some results on that front soon.Our goal is to provide WiFi service." The Reason piece notes that Canada's Via Rail provides WiFi and so do most national rail services in Europe.

As I argued in favor of adding WiFi to local commuter trains, it seems to me that adding WiFi to Amtrak would be a wonderful sales tool. But notice that the Amtrak spokesman said that they are looking to add WiFi only to their very expensive Acela Express service. While I understand this from a marketing standpoint I think it's very shortsighted on the part of Amtrak not to make WiFi available in all of their trains. I can tell you that one of the reasons my daughter and I use a particular brand of bus from here to New York is because they offer WiFi. Somehow or another a $20 bus service has figured out how to provide WiFi but the local commuter trains and Amtrak can not. If the issue for Amtrak is security then it would be nice if they would just come out and say so. Otherwise, it's time to wake up and smell the next millennium and add WiFi for your paying customers.

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Many of you may have already seen this but for those that haven't I think this is one of the funniest videos dealing with local issues that I have seen in some time. It's called "Arlington: The Rap" and it's a very tongue in cheek look at our fair city. It would help if you didn't take it too seriously.

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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.

Walk This Way? or That Way if it Works Better For You

All the talk over the years about the evolution of GPS navigation systems for cars has been frustrating for those who walk or ride their bikes off the beaten path. Now, the people at NAVTEQ have come up with a navigation system called Discover Cities. It is described in an article (that looks more like a reprint of a company press release) as "routing options to pedestrians - whether entirely on foot or using public transport for all or a portion of their journeys.

"For instance, when a pedestrian wants the option to use public transport, NAVTEQ Discover Cities enables routes that take into consideration the location of bus stops and rail stations and their entrances/exits in relation to the pedestrian route, as well as the train/bus network information - including transfer locations."

Right now the data is being used in devices marketed and sold by Garmin, Networks In Motion and Nokia but I would imagine that more companies will add the information to their packages, even if it's just as an add-on option. This could be invaluable especially when traveling to another city and not wanting to take cabs or buses. At the same time I think I will wait a little while until the bugs are worked out before I venture off in the heart of Detroit at two in the morning looking for some gyro joint in a sketchy neighborhood. After all, I am still simultaneously impressed and disappointed after all these years with the information I get from services like MapQuest and my Magellan GPS system. The difference is that I can drive away from trouble if it occurs because of a wrong turn or a street that turns one-way out of the blue while in my car much better than I can walk or run.

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Put on your thinking caps all of you who think you have the perfect solution to traffic congestion. The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and IBM are partnering in a global challenge to come up with new ideas to fight congestion.

At stake is a $50,000 prize presented at the 16th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems in Stockholm, Sweden, this September. The winner will also receive the development support needed to put his or her idea to work.

Winning ideas are expected to focus on the following five areas:

• Speed and efficiency: Enhancing transportation systems, using technology to reduce delays and transport people and goods efficiently and reliably.
• Behavioral impact: Providing travel alternatives that convince users to choose options that reduce congestion.
• Safety: Preventing accidents, improving incident response and providing more timely, accurate transportation information.
• Sustainability: Lowering energy use and emissions while actively managing traffic and reducing congestion.
• Economic competitiveness: Gaining productivity through new technologies, including wireless applications and mobility tools.

If you need or want more information or just want to enter your submission, go to www.itsa.org/challenge.

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It seems to me that one of the things that might get more people to use commuter rail is the addition of wireless internet access. Many of those using MARC and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) are on the trains for long periods of time and for many having access to the internet might help them get some things done (like answering email) before they get into the office.

On VRE's website it is stated that "Wireless Internet (WIFI) is not currently available on our trains. We know that there is interest in having WIFI on our trains and it is an idea that we would like to put into effect. Through a number of different tests and studies, we have discovered several areas along the tracks we use where a signal cannot be received. Until a provider is able to offer continuous service, we will not offer WIFI on our trains."

At least VRE mentions WIFI. Over on Maryland's MARC website there is no mention of it whatsoever and a search for "wireless internet" comes up with zero responses.

This is not a local issue. Although many systems around the country offer wireless internet access the two big commuter rail services in New York, the Long Island Railroad and Metro North, don't... although each have been talking about it for some time. NY Senator Chuck Schumer is getting impatient and is almost demanding that those two commuter services get WIFI installed sooner than later.

Again, I think it would be a great addition to the commuting experience and yet another plus when it comes to "selling" commuter rail. After all, if you use wireless while driving your car you might get one of those $100 tickets from the police in D.C.

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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.

Not So EZ Pass

This past weekend I drove my son up to a football training camp in Philadelphia. In addition to having some quality one on one time with my boy I also had some experiences from the driving perspective. We headed over to I-95 and thought we had everything we needed. I had brought one of my E-ZPass transponders so that we could zip through the tolls. At the first toll coming out of the Fort McHenry Tunnel (yes, it is now two dollars each way) we used the lane on the far left side that  allowed us to maintain 30 miles per hour because the lane was wide and the transponder reader was overhead. So far, so good. At the next toll however, we ran into a little problem.

As we went through the second Maryland toll an alarm went off and the message board flashed "Invalid Tag." I thought perhaps it was because we were not using the vehicle to which the EZ-Pass tag is assigned but that it would be charged anyway and things would be just fine. Even still, and the more I thought about it, I figured I'd better see if I couldn't get things straightened out before we got to the Delaware welcoming station (also known as their toll plaza which is the first thing you get to experience in the state regardless of the direction you are traveling).

I called the phone number on the EZ-Pass transponder and fairly shortly was connected to a live person... not a helpful person, but live nevertheless. The problem, it was explained, was that the credit card they had on account for me had expired. I offered to give her my new credit card number but was told that in order to do so I would have to tell her my PIN number. "Oh, you mean the number I created ten years ago and have never used since?" I could feel the icy chill through the phone. "Do you know your PIN?" So I tried to guess at it and failed. Here I was offering to give my credit card that would be used to charge tolls against and I needed a PIN number to do so. Why would I add my credit card to the EZ-Pass account of a total stranger? The whole thing was very irritating. I should add that I never received a notice from the good people at Maryland EZ-Pass telling me that they needed a new credit card for my account because the date on my old card had expired.

Even still, the worst was yet to come.

Because we no longer had use of our EZ-Pass transponder we had to wait in line and pay by cash. And wait we did. We averaged a 12 minute wait at each of the toll plazas we went through where we had to pay cash. 12 minutes times three or four toll plazas adds a lot to the trip and was particularly maddening as I watched all those cars and trucks zip through the EZ-Pass lanes. I vowed that I would get my transponder situation in order before I set out again.

When I got home I realized that I still couldn't update my Maryland EZ-Pass account because I still didn't have my PIN number although one was being sent to me within 10-15 working days... literally as fast as mud. I should also note that I signed up for EZ-Pass with Maryland many years ago because there was no charge for the transponder and no monthly fee. Maryland is adding a monthly fee and I will be sending my two transponders back to them with a nice note of thanks for all the fine service they have given me.  Instead I have purchased a new EZ-Pass transponder from the good people in Delaware who, if nothing else, know something about tolling. They charged me an upfront fee but not a monthly fee.

EZ-Pass is a wonderful thing if you have to drive on the interstates. But your experience may vary depending on the state that supplies your transponder.

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Every once in a while somebody comes up with an idea to sort of boycott a company or companies as a way of protesting what they have done, what they sell, or what they stand for politically. Over the years people have tried to organize boycotts against Coke because of its policies in South Africa or they have tried to boycott Proctor and Gamble because it was believed that the seven stars in the company logo had some roots in Satanism. I admit that after the oil tanker the Exxon Valdez broke apart and fouled 1,200 miles of Alaskan coastline I cut my Exxon gas card into small pieces, mailed the bits back to the company with a note berating them for being such no-goodnics and asking that my account be closed.

The latest is the whole Dump the Pump effort; a good idea but one that needs the participation of a very large percentage of commuters to have an impact. I can't imagine that one day of selling 10% or even 30% less gasoline is going to hurt any of the big oil companies. Remember that when gas was near $4 a gallon and the amount of gas people were buying was down substantially, Exxon was setting records for the amount of profits it was making. The only way that efforts like Dump the Pump will have an impact is if large numbers of people make changes in their commute, meaning that they are leaving the car at home or in commuter lots and taking transit.

Dump the Pump Day is going to happen on Thursday, June 18. WMATA (DC Metro) is taking part as is PRTC. There may be more local involvement but that is the extent of the list sent out by the organizers at the American Public Transportation Association (nothing self-serving about this).

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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.

On Two Wheels or Two Feet

There is a website that bicycle riders might find useful or helpful or just plain interesting. It’s called bikewise and it’s run by the Cascade Bicycle Club out of Seattle, Washington. The basic premise, according to the "About Us" page on the site is the belief that "we can make biking safer and more fun by gathering good data on the things that sometimes go wrong." What could ever go wrong when riding a bike? Well, here, according to the site, are some of the categories they hope to track:

"Crashes: It's estimated that 75% or more of all crashes go unreported. We believe that by gathering detailed information on how and why crashes happen, we'll be able to ride smarter. Also, we hope that knowing where crash hotspots are will help us to identify issues with traffic behavior and road design.

"Hazards: How many times have you ridden past a dangerous sewer grate or overgrown vegetation and wished there were someplace to report it? Now there is. We aim to not only collect hazard reports, but to pass these on to the appropriate authorities. (Please note: we're still putting this part of the system in place.)

"Thefts: Tracking where and how bikes get stolen is a key part of making preventing thefts. We're currently working on other pieces of this system, so that if your bike does get stolen, you have a better chance of getting it back. More to come on that.”

As you can tell, the bikewise website is still very much a work in progress.  But they have lofty goals and some of their plans could encourage jurisdictions to change the way that they collect and manage data on bicycle-related incidents. And, yes, they do have sights outside of Seattle: "this site is meant to be useful anywhere in the world." Here is a listing of incidents reported to them across the United States.

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Now that the bridge trail is open is will be so easy to ride between Maryland and Virginia and to connect to so many really cool, scenic places along the Potomac. It will not however reduce commuter congestion across the Wilson Bridge as Channel 7 reported this past weekend... do those reporters think about what they are saying before they open their mouths? A five-foot high wall separates the trail from the cars and trucks on the beltway and there are several pull-off areas at which to take a break or just enjoy the view.

For those who want to give it a try there are some rules--actually several --that you need to be aware of:

• Hours of operation:  5:30 a.m. to midnight.
• Speed limit is 10 miles per hour.
• The trail is a multi-use facility for cyclists, runners and walkers.  Users must be considerate of others traveling at different speeds. Slower traffic should stay to the right. Cyclists must alert other trail users before passing.
• Trail users who stop must move to the side of the path to avoid impeding other trail traffic.
• A dashed yellow line separates directional traffic.
• The bridge drawspan may open periodically. Cyclists and pedestrians need to be pay attention to the lights, bells and signs near the bridge drawspan. The drawspan will not open until all traffic is a safe distance away.
• In an emergency, users should call 9-1-1. The closest and most appropriate responder from Maryland or Virginia will be dispatched. The Park Police Emergency Telephone Number is (301) 459-3232.
• The bridge trail and Maryland deckover are in close proximity to moving traffic.  It is illegal to throw debris or obstruct traffic in any way.
• Pets are allowed but must be on leashes and have proper licensing.
• Bicycle helmet laws will be enforced.
• Parking is available in designated areas only. No parking after dark.
  

Wilson Bridge photo: City of Alexandria's LocalMotion

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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.

Notes On a Bunch of Stuff

If you are a big fan of trains then you might already know about this website.  It contains all sorts of long and short-form videos and documentaries about all things trains; and we’re not just talking about transit trains.  They have steam and freight and trains of all types and configurations. Even if you don’t sit in front of your computer wearing a Casey Jones Fan Club t-shirt it’s worth a look. Thanks to our friends at the Transportation Communication newsletter for bringing it to our attention.

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This is interesting for those drivers who take issue with speed and red light cameras: NAVTEQ, one of the major digital mapping companies that supplies overlays for GPS navigation systems, will begin to include the location of the enforcement cameras in its maps. In its announcement the company says this will enable warning systems to assist users in complying with local traffic regulations. That seems like an interesting spin on providing a service that will allow drivers to avoid areas where the cameras are in place or to simply slow down knowing that there are cameras ahead. I am not a big fan of automated traffic enforcement cameras but it seems to me that this company might be taking things a little too far.

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This Saturday is National Trails Day and the folks who have been building the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge are using that day to open something new.  The pedestrian/bike trail as well as the Potomac River Waterfront Community Park will be dedicated. Officials from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will all be on hand to showcase these fine additions. Even Eric Gilliland, the Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association will be there.

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It’s not enough that the District’s Department of Transportation has its own website, or that it is hooked up with Twitter (the point of which continues to escape me) but now DDot has its own Facebook page. Officials there say its just another way for the agency to get information out to the public and to develop a rapport.

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Our good friends at WRAP, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, remind us that the summer months are the deadliest for teen drivers. They state that there are 50% more drunk driving deaths involving teens during the summer months than any other time of the year. These teens feel a great deal of freedom during the summer months because they don’t have all of the restrictions of school and studying and too many of them just let go. It’s up to all of us to talk to our kids about the dangers of drinking and driving and about the issues related to underage drinking by themselves. It’s a matter of life and death.

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This may be old news for many of you but I wanted to share it anyway in case someone missed it:  Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is now allowing full-sized bicycles on select trains (folding bikes are already allowed on all trains). VRE states that riders may bring bikes on the last three northbound morning trains, the mid-day train, and the last three southbound trains in the evening on both lines. There is storage space to keep bicycles safe during transport. There are some restrictions such as there being a limit of two bikes per car but all of that is detailed on VRE's website.

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Locomotive photo: FactualTV

Wilson Bridge photo: City of Alexandria's LocalMotion

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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.

Now is the Time

This is one of my favorite times of the year; the trees have all greened up, the lawns and grassy spaces have not yet turned brown under the heat of the summer sun and the annual lack of rainfall, the queues are shorter for the trains and there are fewer tie-ups on the roads and highways. It will be interesting how big an impact the economy will have on the summer vacation season this year. I wonder if more people will just stay here instead of leaving for a week or two.

In the meantime, most of the local schools are still in session. Buses continue through the neighborhoods during the morning and afternoon hours and there are still groups of children who are walking to and from school. Many of us may be getting into a summer vacation frame of mind but stay alert. Soon we can start worrying about those walking to and from swimming pools and shopping malls and other gathering places.

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Congratulations to Metro General Manager Metro General Manager John Catoe for being named the nation's 2009 top public transportation manager by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The annual Outstanding Public Transportation Manager Award goes to the top manager in North America who has made outstanding contributions to the public transportation industry.

In giving the award, APTA cited changes Catoe has made in Metro's internal culture and management including the consolidation of departments and his work on Capitol Hill to get funding potentially lost because of the collapse of AIG put back into transit agencies across the country.

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I saw a Next Bus sign posted at a Metro stop the other day. It's a reminder that the bus arrival time announcement system is supposed to be up and running on July 1. My only complaint is very nit picky but: couldn't the signs be made a little more modern? They look like something out of the 1970's and really don't give a clue as to how high-tech and how cool the Next Bus system is (when it's working).

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I'm really not sure what to think about the issue of food and drink in the Metro system. The overwhelming thought is that we have gone without for decades and have one of the nation's cleanest systems as a result. On the other hand, is this the revenue-generator that the system has been looking for to get it back on the right track (sorry)? In the case of the latter I'm certain an economic input case can be made but what about the costs related? What about the extra costs to clean the floors on the platforms and in the trains? What about the added cost of removing the extra paper and other packaging from trash receptacles? What about the risk of someone falling after somebody spills an ice cream on those tile floors? No, in the end I think that things are better just left the way that they are. So many of the stations have coffee shops once you get to street level and there are restaurants and cafes all over the place. We don't need to keep eating inside the system.

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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.

Biking, Busing and Taking the Train

Organizers and supporters of Bike to Work Day here in Washington could not have asked for a more ideal day; the roads were dry, it was a little cool and there was enough of an overcast to prevent the glare and blindspots that frequently lead to problems. I spent much of the early morning in the downtown area and really didn't see more than a couple groups of cyclists. I hope that the crowds were much larger in the suburbs. This is an event that I think everyone should give a try because I'm sure that once they realize how well it works they will want to make it an option for their commutes. No, it won't work for everybody but it will work for a good number of people.

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I took one of those buses up to New York the other day. I did it because it is so much cheaper than any other option. Once again however I was thwarted by the website for the Bolt Bus. After spending time filling out all of the blanks and going downstairs to get my wallet to enter my credit card number I pressed the button marked "Purchase." I was a little surprised and a lot irritated when I was returned to the home page and a blank screen. I checked my email to make sure that I had not been sent a confirmation notice; I checked my cell phone to see if they hadn't sent me some notice in that manner since I had filled out the information necessary to get all sorts of updates. Nope. Apparently none of my information had been saved and I apparently had not purchased a ticket on the Bolt Bus. I left that company's website and went over to the site for Megabus, one of Bolt's main competitors in the New York to Washington bus marketplace. I filled out the forms there, clicked to purchase and was given an immediate notice of my successful purchase. Oh yeah, I saved four bucks in the process; the Bolt Bus was going to cost $24.50 and the Megabus only set me back $20.50.

For anyone who has every driven from Washington to New York you know that twenty dollars barely pays for the tolls to say nothing of the gas and the wear and tear. It's an amazing deal and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to get out of the city and into another one for a day or two. I would caution though that these services are getting more and more popular, especially on Fridays and Sundays, so I would recommend booking earlier rather than at the last minute.

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Metro has done a very good job of upgrading the sound systems on its platforms and has added some very pleasant voices to tell riders not to leave bags and to report anything suspicious. However the old problems remain for the most part and that is that too many rail operators still do not know how to speak so that they can be understood. This is an issue of knowing how to use the microphone. The other day I was in one of the old Breda cars, I think it was a 4000 series that were notorious for lousy sound systems. The rail operator's voice was clear and totally understandable and it was apparent that he understood the proper distance from which to speak into the microphone in order to relay information to his passengers.  From that train I transferred to one of the newer Metro rail cars, the ones with the "high quality sound systems." Stop after stop went by without the rail operator being understood. I watched a family from out of town look at the ceiling every time one of these cryptic messages would emanate and it was clear that they didn't have a clue what the rail operator was saying. To my ears it seemed that she was too far away from the microphone and was not enunciating properly. This is important because, in the event of a crash or if an evacuation of the train is necessary the passengers need to be able to understand what the rail operator is telling them. After all, he or she is likely to be the only source of information that passengers will receive. It would behoove Metro to spend a little time training their operators how to speak to be understood using the systems that are in place.

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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.

Smart(er) Cards

It would certainly make a lot of sense if Metro would start allowing the use of debit or credit cards at the fare gates. This would eliminate so many of the problems that exist with those unfamiliar with the system and that slow things down or create long line at the fare machines. Other systems are testing the same thing so it seems like a no-brainer for Metro to give it a try. For years you have been able to tap your credit or debit card on readers at the gas station pump or at some grocery stores. It works and it's been proven.

Of course Metro's board will come up with seventeen reasons why it's not a good idea. Let's see if we can anticipate just a few of them: 1) credit and debit cards are somehow elitist (that will come from the District representatives); (2) the system will lose the two or three dollar profit it has been making on the five dollar sale of each SmarTrip card and will need more money from the local jurisdictions to make up for it and (3) the transaction fee on the use of the credit or debit cards is three percent so the system will actually lose money unless the local jurisdictions can come up with extra money to make up the difference.

All of these issues will lead to the board asking Metro staff for more information; the issue will be deferred for the next three months and will then be tabled because a deal couldn't be made with one of the many reputable companies out there that have been contacted to manage the project. Oh yeah, the lawsuit from the company that manufactures the SmarTrip® cards will also hold things up because it isn't getting a big enough piece of the action. All of this is pure speculation and fantasy although let's not be surprised if someone throws a monkey wrench into the works at some point.

The interesting thing is that Peter Benjamin, a former Metro staffer who now represents Maryland, made a presentation on SmarTrip cards to something called the Smart Card Program Managers Group back in July of 2000. Part of that presentation involved a test with First Union bank on a combination SmarTrip/debit card. Obviously these cards would have had both pieces of technology embedded in them. Although I believe that the idea was more to reduce the number of cards that passengers had to keep track of rather than being a fare payment method it does go to show that some ideas are formed long before they take hold. Remember that ATM machines were a miserable failure when they were first tested  because people didn't trust a machine to do things correctly.

Metro has long talked about embedding SmarTrip chips into all sorts of things in addition to bank cards but the idea has never really taken off. I did hear though that there is talk on the campus of the University of Maryland of releasing a joint student ID/SmarTrip card as early as next year. Perhaps by then the SmarTrip card will actually be able to do the rest of the things it was meant to do such as pay for parking in lots as far away as Baltimore and to serve as payment for ALL of the local transit facilities... maybe I'm just a dreamer but I swear somebody at Metro said many, many years ago that that was the plan.

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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.