photo: Adam Tuss/WTOP Photo
As shorter people across the metro area (myself included) know, the bars that run along the top of the middle of Metro cars can be quite high, leaving some to crowd around the vertical poles for security. On a full train, this was always challenging, but the problem was exacerbated when WMATA redesigned cars to have even fewer of these poles.
WTOP now reports that WMATA is looking into the issue and will begin adding nylon loops to the ceiling bars in the style seen on many other urban transit systems.
The $15 – $30 loops may not be an ideal solution. They will only be reachable by people on the slightly-short side (they do not extend very far down from the rods), and may take up horizontal grabbing room which is at a premium on very crowded trains. Nonetheless, addressing the issue is an improvement.
It is unclear from the story if these will also be rolled-out on buses, but I really hope they will be. I could use one for the three stumble-induing U-turns on my route.
* Technical transportation science term.
