Category Archives: Talkin’ Transit

Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: SmarTrip Getting Smarter!

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro SmarTrip Card’ courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for the day when I’d be able to reload my SmarTrip card somewhere other than a Metro station.  For those of us who ride buses regularly, it’s really frustrating to have to go to a Metro station to add value to a card when you’re just trying to take the bus somewhere.  But there’s great news coming from Metro: later this year, we’ll be able to add value to SmarTrip cards online!

In an effort to improve customer service, Metro will create a self-service SmarTrip website, which will allow us to load value onto our SmarTrip cards electronically.  There will also be a fantastic ‘autoload’ feature that will automatically reload the card when the balance drops below a designated amount. The new website will include a way to see recent transaction data for your SmarTrip card (currently only available through a formal Public Access to Record Policy request, or by stealing a glance at the screen when the station manager scans your card in the kiosk).

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Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: Tags and Traffic

Photo courtesy of
‘W.H. Taft (LOC)’ courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

Did you know that vehicle registration in the District has dropped?

According to a new report being presented today, registrations dropped almost six percent between 2005 and 2008, from 258,100 to 243,200. The drop is significant in that when compared to U.S. Census data, the population in DC increased 1.7 percent.

As a comparison, Maryland and Virginia communities around the DC metro area increased between 3 and 6 percent.

What’s not known is why the drop has occurred, though there are theories.

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Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: Metro Says “You Drive It”

Photo courtesy of
‘Concourse Teddy’, courtesy of ‘philliefan99’ Teddy driving your train? Maybe!

Word out of the WMATA office? Put your skills where you mouth is.

Starting April 31, regular commuters can become a Metro operator for a day. Selected daily from unregistered SmarTrip card users, a random rider will be selected and invited to drive their Metrobus or conduct their Metro train! After a quick training course, the winners will be ushered into the driver’s seat for a commuting experience they won’t forget!

Ever dreamed of piloting the Yellow Line train across the Potomac, pulling into L’Enfant with a full load of sleepy, cranky morning passengers? Or helming a prestigious Red Line train during rush hour, making sure commuters board the train respectfully and without pushing and shoving? What about steering a big Metrobus down Pennsylvania Avenue, stopping at every red light and heading up a five-bus convoy as you pack in the riders?

Now’s your chance. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Stop-Gaps and Cuts

Photo courtesy of
‘CSC_1718’, courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

By now, everyone has heard (or is aware) that WMATA has a $29M gap in their budget to fill. And soon. Early suggestions by some parties (coughGrahamcough) was to use part of the $200M bailout money to fill the gap. Which is a stupid idea. And most board members agreed; that idea got tossed last week. (I’m glad there’s some actual common sense being demonstrated now over in Metro’s HQ; use the stimulus money for the listed projects originally put forth. It’s not a magic piggy-bank to use for stop-gaps.)

So what does WMATA do? Michael Perkins over at GGW gave a great rundown of the four options that Metro really has at this point. Probably one of the most controversial to many is the option of cutting services. Yet Metro seems to be holding this one option at arm’s length. It’s very much a hot-button topic for commuters, because no matter what Metro decides to cut (if at all this year), some people will be unhappy.

So let’s pretend you’re Catoe & Co: What services, routes or other Metro minutia would you cut in order to help bridge that gap? We’ll assume that the most obvious and best option – jurisdictional subsidy increases – isn’t viable and that Metro’s only option now is to cut down services and / or increase fares. What do you do? What’s most fair to you? Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: Funding Galore!

Photo courtesy of
‘comfy’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Stimulus and the Silver Line

The passage of the Stimulus Package has been a source of significant criticism from the Right, and some unnatural crowing from the Left, but it represents $90 Billion dollars of federal investment in transit systems all over the United States. The DC Metro area stands to pick up a bunch of those dollars to help out with various transit projects. Currently slated are $29 million to help with the Dulles Rail corridor project, which would be welcome assistance to get the project underway.

Supervisors in Fairfax approved the design of two of the new Silver line stations: Route 123 in Tysons, and Route 7 in Tysons. While there are four stations in the confines that need approval, the vote on the other two will take place on March 9th.

Nextbus

Greater Greater Washington and DCist picked up on the fact that there was some preliminary access to NextBus information for the District bus routes, but, no good deed going unpunished, the site was pulled under orders from Metro.

Metro suggests that the site will be back this summer, and available for public use at that time. It’s sad that Metro felt the need to clamp down, despite the fact that according to all reports, the system was working “like a charm,” and providing full functionality. Of course, David Alpert nails it: “At Metro, it’s better not to provide any information than to risk giving any wrong information.”

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Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed
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Google Maps Traffic Now Covers City Streets!

gtraffic.png

I went to go look at Google Maps to plot a route this afternoon, when I saw something that I’d not noticed before: Google Maps’ Traffic data now covers more than just the usual interstate and highway routes, it also covers some of the center-of-town major thoroughfares that you might be traveling on as you head through town. Dupont Circle, 16th St, Connecticut Ave, Independence and Constitution Ave are among those covered, but it also looks like Suitland Parkway, Route 1, Pennsylvania Ave, Route 7, and others are included in the makeover. How sweet is that?!

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: O Bus, Where Art Thou?

Photo courtesy of
‘waiting’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Chock full of WMATA today.

First up, it looks like the Circulator will be taking over one or two Metrobus routes this spring. This would increase the local service to five looping routes from the current three. Which routes aren’t yet determined, but Circulator officials have stated they can offer the same service as Metro for less money. Whether Metro agrees or not remains to be seen.

Additionally, the Fairfax Connector is proposing to operate three Metro lines beginning this summer.

Metro’s desperate to plug a $154M hole in their budget, so it would be in their best interest to look at letting local services handle it. But Metro would lose the line’s fare revenue and subsidies from the jurisdiction that is paying Metro for the service. While the operating costs would go away, they may be reluctant – or stubborn – to let that money go.

The Examiner‘s Kytja Weir does a great job looking deeper into the issue. Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Bits and Nits

Photo courtesy of
‘e-z pass my ass.’ courtesy of ‘the idealist’

A myriad of transit news items, so pay attention.

E-Z Pass: If you’re a Maryland driver who has an E-Z Pass, get ready because the state is tacking on a monthly maintenance fee. Starting July 1, a $1.50 charge per account will be added; there will also be a new charge of $3 accompanying a Notice of Toll Due. Toll violation charges will increase from $15 to $25 and the duration of E-ZPass commuter plans will change from 60 days to 45.

Metro Track Work: After some time off, the work crews are back and we’ll be seeing weekend line delays as Metro restarts its maintenance cycles. This weekend is the Red Line’s turn, so add 20 minutes to your travels between Silver Spring and Forest Glen from 8 p.m. Friday to close of service on Sunday.

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Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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McPherson Square Metro Closed Temporarily

Photo courtesy of
‘Camera moves more than train’
courtesy of ‘Mllerustad’

The McPherson Square Metro station is currently closed due to a burned out cable that caused significant smoke in the station. The Blue and Orange line are currently severed between McPherson Square and Metro Center, so be aware that this will definitely impact getting around the core of the city on the Metro today. Metro’s operating a shuttle between the two stations, but there’s a 40 minute delay expected on the system right now. Ouch!

Update: Metro has reopened McPherson Square, but trains are single-tracking through the station at this time. Expect delays.

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Talkin’ Transit: Rules of the Road

Photo courtesy of
‘follow your path’ courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

There’s lots of news everywhere regarding Metro and Inaugupocalypse, so I don’t see a need to rehash all that here. Instead, I’ve been intrigued with a lot of referencing lately to cycling in the District, especially as an alternate form of travel. I was thinking it might be a good idea to run down some of the rules and guidelines for biking in the District, for both cyclists and drivers to remember.

The “golden rule” to keep in mind? Cyclists traveling on roadways have all the general rights and duties of drivers of vehicles. This is true for the entire region, not just the District. Continue reading →

News, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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The Record That Won’t Fall: 1,120,000 Metrorail Trips


Metro Platform
Originally uploaded by tbridge

Before last week, the best day on Metro came this past Summer, with 854,000 riders. Yesterday smashed that record. Metro has now released the numbers for yesterday’s totals and they’re astronomical. 1.12M riders on the Metro. Another 423,000 rode Metrobus yesterday, leading to a total public transit ridership of 1.54M people.

While it’s safe to say that most of them were headed to the Mall for the Inauguration, not all of them were, which means the crowd estimates around 1.4 million are sounding more and more credible for me.

I’m going to come right out and say it: I don’t think this record will fall in the next 5-10 years. While growth has been strong for metro with gas prices on the rise, I can’t see 1.12M riders in a day being topped without some sort of massive event in DC that will bring people from all around. The broad appeal of the Obama Inauguration is going to be hard to beat.

Maybe another Tibetan-Freedom-style concert down on the Mall with some monster names would do it, but even then, I can’t fathom them breaking the record.

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Interview: Mariana Gerzanych, EnviroRide.net

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We Love DC did a Twitter Interview with Mariana Gerzanych of EnviroRide.net on Tuesday and Wednesday, talking about the EnviroRide and the rise of the hybrid cab in DC. We figured in homage to her new effort to dispatch cabs via Twitter, instead of just via phone or web, we’d do the whole interview in 140 character bytes.

wldc.png welovedc: Where did the idea for @taxinow come from?

marina.jpg taxinow: It came from a need to simplify things. I’m in transportation & i think about it all the time. To be different i need to provide value.

wldc.pngwelovedc: Have you had any takers on a taxi arranged via Twitter?

marina.jpg taxinow: Corbett3000 just tried it.

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Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin Transit: Parking Power

Photo courtesy of Cowtools
DC Transit System Map, courtesy of Cowtools

So another Inauguration Day hype has been deflated. Metro announced that they’ll be opening up thousands of parking spaces for cars at all Metrorail stations (save one) for Inauguration Day festivities. The prophesied “parkapocalypse” has been debunked.

So what happened?

When setting up initial plans for January 20th, WMATA set aside roughly sixty thousand parking spaces for charter buses. Estimates had over 1,100 of the big behemoths coming into the area, so naturally, where does one park so many buses? Metrorail stations, that’s where.

However, WMATA has only received THIRTY FIVE requests – that’s less than half of one percent of the inflated estimate – and is no longer taking requests. As a result, Metro opened the parking floodgates.

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Talkin' Transit, WMATA, WTF?!
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Talkin’ Transit: Metro Memories

Photo courtesy of OberonInDC
PC290059.JPG, courtesy of OberonInDC

Ahhh, memories. Metro has given us some great ones over the last year; in the spirit of the holidays I thought I’d share the twelve most memorable, in no great particular semblance of order. It’s been a year of ups and downs for WMATA, so why don’t we look back and smirk, scowl, smile and shrug at some of Metro’s best – and worst – escapades of 2008, to the (heavily butchered) tune of that great holiday carol, the Twelve Days of Christmas.

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Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, The District
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WMATA’s balancing act

Photo courtesy of nantekoto
Crowded Subway
courtesy of nantekoto

Tom seems to think it’s a new announcement; I’m not sure. However WMATA’s inauguration website does indicate that in addition to running rush hour schedules all day they’ll be charging peak rates all day.  Parking will be $4 at all locations.

It’s tough to know what the right thing is for WMATA to do. If they’re running the rush hour schedules does that immediately mean they should charge rush rates? Are they charging those rates to reflect their costs or in an effort to encourage people who can to walk? If the latter, is it right for public transport to try – even in a limited way – to discourage the public from using it?

As someone who has in the past wondered if public transport should all be completely free I’m not sure how I feel about WMATA basing price on scarcity and demand. On the other hand it’s clear there’s a limit to how many people they can accommodate, so perhaps this is the most effective – if not the most fair – way to try to limit demand.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Downtown, Talkin' Transit, The District, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Woolen Wonderland

Photo courtesy of Saff anna
How much does a segway?, courtesy of Saff anna

Metro musings, charter bus parking, meter rates rising…five goooooold rings!

*ahem* ‘Scuse me.

So Jim Graham’s pushing to pop downtown meter rates to $2 an hour. Additionally, the DC Council is considering ditching the District’s long-standing practice of free meter parking on the weekends in the downtown core.

The rate increase isn’t for additional revenue, however. Graham noted that it’s “about finding more money for a specific compelling need in the city,” specifically a funding resource for the affordable housing projects in the District. Such projects include programs for first-time home buyers and permanent supportive housing for the homeless.

Other thinking is that the higher rates would discourage commuters from the ‘cheaper’ parking alternative to the expensive garages and open up more spaces for shoppers. Current meter rates in the District are a lot cheaper than other downtown cores, such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Hey, if the revenue is used as suggested, I’m all for it.

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Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, Travel, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Turkey Time!

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Coming and Going, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

So for the first time since moving down here, my wife and I aren’t driving anywhere for the holiday; since we bought our house this summer, we’re the hosts for this year’s holiday season.

However, I feel your pain, people. If you’re reading this now, you’re either like me and not going anywhere this holiday weekend, or you’re just procrastinating from packing and will most likely get caught in area traffic.

For you lazy bones, I’ve got some tips on alternate road routes, but we’ll knock out a few regional transit items first.

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All Politics is Local, Talkin' Transit, The District, WMATA
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WMATA Talks Inauguration

Photo courtesy of afagen
Working better to serve YOU, courtesy of afagen

Metro dropped a press release today outlining tentative plans for Inauguration Day.

That’s right, “tentative plans.” Since we still don’t have any official word on expectations (ranging from the FBI’s 800,000 to Mayor Fenty’s 4 million), it’s kinda useless to plan anything at this point. But I’ll give Catoe and Co. credit – at least they’re trying to do something about it.

I mean, it’s more important than escalator repair, right?

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Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit – Metro vs the London Tube

Mind the Gap, courtesy of Jonathtan

If you want perspective on the DC Metro system, sometimes it’s valuable to look at another light rail system somewhere else.   And nothing signifies subways more than the London Tube.  (All New York City fans can feel free to argue this in the comments section.)

The first thing to realize is that DC and the Tube are, in many ways, very much alike.  If you have ever used the Metro, you will be right at home with the Tube ticket vending machines and the entry gates.  And there are just as many escalators in a Tube station as there are in most Metro stations.  Even the platforms look a lot alike, with the textured area right next to the trains to warn the blind of the dangerous area ahead.

There are some great comparisons, and lessons that I think both sides could learn…

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Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, WMATA, WTF?!
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Talkin’ Transit: Gas Bags

DSC_1713

Cabs and Metro, two of our favorite subjects in the DC blogosphere and other conversational mediums, have surfaced again in the last couple of days. How could we not discuss it here?

First, cabbies. Did you know the taxicab commission extended the $1 gas surcharge through January 31, 2009? The last extension ended on Sept. 29 and the sneaky commission just slipped it right under all our noses.

Now, when it was instigated back in January 2007, the average gas price around the area was hovering around $3.13. And of course, during the summer they were flirting with the $4 mark. But now? If you’re a driver you know that gas has dropped to an average of $2.68 in the region, with continued expectation it will fall through the next month or two.

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