So Metro’s gone and reddened up the blinking lights embedded in the granite edge of the Glenmont-side platform at Gallery Place/Chinatown Station. At first I thought they had just put a clear red plastic seal over the light domes, but according to this Lunchtalk chat with John Catoe, they actually switched out the old incandescent lights for LED bulbs, which last longer, use less power, and cast an ominous and unearthly red glow which will supposedly be better for warning Metro showoffs to please stand clear of the platform edge and not lean way out to prove how macho you are in the face of oncoming trains. They’ve also switched the lower level Yellow/Green platform edge lights to amber bulbs. Here’s hoping that, in the spirit of added usability, WMATA color-codes edge lights by line. Red lights for the Red Line, blue lights for the Blue, green for Green, and so on, with alternating colors at stations which share two or more Lines. (Then we can lobby for a Pink Line, and the lights on those will be fabulous.)
More from Free Ride, Bluey Blog, and Gallery Place Living.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
