Wednesday, February 18, 2009

"Shovel Ready"


According to this report on NBC4, Metro is going to present a $325 million list of projects it wants to undertake with the stimulus money it expects to receive.
We don't know if these are Metro's words or just the way the article was written, but the piece says the projects will focus on "safety, security and infrastructure."
In that order? While we certainly agree that safety and security are concerns, we wonder if Metro is too obsessed with safety. Many of their self promotional YouTube videos, audiocasts and press releases tout the safety of the system. We don't doubt it as last year, there wasn't a single fatality among Metro workers.
We hope to see this list focused overwhelmingly on infrastructure. The decrepit system needs so many fixes, it's hard to list off here, but we think remedying the decaying infrastructure will take care of many safety and security concerns.
Here's one idea that couldn't cost that much. On the stairway leading up from the south parking lot at the East Falls Church station, there are eight lights embedded in the walls. Two of them work. The rest appear to have been smashed out LONG ago since many contain garbage. First, it has to be a safety concern, and second, it's embarrassing for the capitol's subway system to look so shabby.
By the way, the article says the money will not be used toward new stations.

What are some projects you'd like to see on the list?

GGW with a good piece on why Metro needs to cultivate a better image, especially in Va.

 
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