Unsuck DC Metro: Faregate Fail

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Faregate Fail

From Nick:

Last Friday, I was headed home on the Orange Line to West Falls Church. I arrived at 4:30 p.m., headed up the escalator, which was working (!!!) and turned around to go out the faregates.

Much to my consternation, ALL of the faregates were operating on inbound mode, with the exception of the handicapped, two-way gate.

Hundreds of people who just got off the train were filling the upper portion of the station, waiting to go through the one gate which, as you know, takes forever per person.

I said to myself "uh" and quickly hopped over one of the inbound gates and continued on my way.

No one bothered me, as the station manager on duty was yelling into his radio and running all around the manager kiosk and around the faregates.

On my way out to my bike, I saw a Metro employee sitting on a bench, having a smoke and texting. OK, it was probably his break, but still, LOL.

Meanwhile, everyone who really wanted to swipe their way out and not hop the gates like me was still waiting inside.

By the time I unlocked my bike--a few minutes after I hopped the gate--I finally saw large streams of people exciting the station.

That is an epic Metro fail - trapping your customers inside the station!

I rode home, wondering how this could ever possibly happen. After all, the gates weren't malfunctioning - they were all working, just in the wrong direction.

Other items:
Shaw, U Street and Columbia Heights to be closed this weekend (WMATA)
Silver Line: Delayed (WaPo)
Circulator extends east of river (Examiner)

Comments (63)

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+17 Vote up Vote down

xxx · 703 weeks ago

This happens all the time all over the system. It's more proof that no one in Metro thinks. They just show up and get their checks. That goes from the top to the bottom.

1 reply · active 703 weeks ago

+7 Vote up Vote down

Anon5 · 703 weeks ago

Seems to me that most Metro employees think. They think they can do a crap job and no one will notice (or care).

+23 Vote up Vote down

· 703 weeks ago

I would have been frustrated, too, but before jumping the gate, I would have thought to myself that in the morning, I'd have to deal with a surly station manager to sort out my Smartrip card because I hadn't swiped out.

1 reply · active 703 weeks ago

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Nick · 703 weeks ago

OP here - I did think of this - but I actually got lucky monday morning and the station manager at WFC fixed it for me in less than 30 seconds, kudos to her. I was charged for my non-exit, like I was supposed to be.

+1 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 703 weeks ago

Hi. I just admitted I'm an impatient fare jumping criminal. And I blame Metro for my criminality, not my own impatience.

Yes Metro fail, but rider fail as well.

13 replies · active 703 weeks ago

+13 Vote up Vote down

BradK · 703 weeks ago

JD, I'm not disagreeing with you that this rider was impatient; but this isn't some scenario where the customer was looking at the McDonald's drive through line deciding if he feels like waiting for a cheeseburger or not... the rider was forced to wait among hundreds of others for an employee (incompetent or otherwise) to allow them to leave the property... On a Friday after work, many of us would have either done the same thing, or whined about how terrible it was to wait the 10-15 minutes.

There are different expectations for different types of service, and in my opinion a service that operates in the manner in which the OP was exposed to is naive to expect that a few riders wouldn't jump the gate. It's quite simple: poor service = less revenue. Many people (especially those in WFC) are basically confined to one of these two options; drive to work, or metro to work...

+20 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 703 weeks ago

I'm OP - I'm not a criminal, I went back monday morning and had my smartrip re-swiped - the system showed that I never exited from McPherson on Friday, so I was charged. This is how smartrips work. All I did was delay paying metro $3.80 until monday morning.

-24 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

So, when you go to the grocery store before a storm, and they don't have nearly enough cashiers working to handle the crowd, do you walk out with your bottled water, milk, and bread, then come back to pay a few days later? If you did, in your opinion, would that make you a criminal?

+17 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 703 weeks ago

Who are you trying to be, my guilty conscience?

The grocery store doesn't trap me underground for 45 minutes in the dark when I'm trying to get to work.

-17 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

Neither did Metro in this case. It trapped you underground for "a few minutes" while you were waiting to get home at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. There are many situations where I'd be ok with your behavior. Based on what you stated, however, this wasn't one of them.

+19 Vote up Vote down

BradK · 703 weeks ago

See my above post, guest, you can't compare metro to a retail outlet, because you can't just opt out of the service if you 'dont have time' You can chose to put your items down and walk out of a grocery store due to the line, but you cannot do the same with any transportation service.

-14 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

True, this is an imperfect metaphor in that you pay for your service up front. However, he wasn't "trapped". There was a gate working, just going painfully slow.
How about this situation:
You go to a diner, eat your omelette, then go to pay your tab only to find a line that's too long for your liking at the cashier. Is it ok to simply walk out, then come back to pay up several days later?

+3 Vote up Vote down

Anon5 · 703 weeks ago

Real diners don't have cashiers. You pay your waiter/server directly.

-1 Vote up Vote down

ILoveDiners · 703 weeks ago

You've got it backwards.

+14 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 703 weeks ago

You're comparing apples and oranges. Anyone who jumps the gate is going to have to pay for that ride eventually unless they're somehow able to jump it every time. Saying that this is anything like robbing a grocery store is ridiculous.

The issue here is Metro's reliably crappy service.

-4 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

So should everyone hop the gates every time they think the wait to get out is too long?
I hate Metro's crappy service as much as anyone else on here. However, the thing that more reliably irritates me on my commute is self-important, above-the-rules passengers like this guy, people who eat or play loud music or sit in the handicapped seats or stand on the left or any of the other things people come to this board to vent about. I don't think this guy was justified in breaking the rules the rest of us have to live with, I don't think the ordeal of waiting "a few minutes" to get through the gate on a Friday afternoon commute home counts as an "epic Metro fail", and I definitely don't find it surprising that the OP refers to people as "bro" (I guarantee he pops his collar). That said, I realize I'm being viewed as somehow defending Metro, so am gonna call it a day. However, I'll enjoy it greatly when anyone who defended this guy's actions gets on here and complains about people breaking the rules, I'll enjoy it even more when OP gets busted trying this in the future and the cops don't buy his line of thinking, and I'll most enjoy when he sees one of them whip out a stun gun and yells "Don't tase me, bro!".

+3 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 703 weeks ago

No, you knucklehead, you put the groceries back and go to another grocery store that's has enough cashiers on hand. In this case, the only option for the OP was wait for the ridiculously slow two-way gate, along with hundreds of other people, or jump the gate.

-4 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 703 weeks ago

+4 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 703 weeks ago

I am guessing that station manager was asking for permission from someone to change the gate direction. After all, they say they are not responsible for anything in their stations, ask them about something in one sometime.

+1 Vote up Vote down

drbubbles · 703 weeks ago

Super-annoying, yes (especially if one has to catch a bus that only runs every half hour and, thanks to inexplicably slower-than-usual trains, one would be lucky to catch the next bus even without the faregate thing, *plus* one knows from experience that the bus after that is always 15 minutes late).

But "epic"? "trapped"?

Hyperbole?

-9 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

Well, Nick.... Impatient you may be......but if you were caught by police, and cited, for not paying your fare, it's YOU that risks the criminal arrest record that you will now have if convicted---not Metro.

I wonder how many folks realize those "Metro rules" are are actually criminal offenses and come with court dates, most of a morning wasted in a busy courtroom, and an arrest record/criminal conviction?

I wonder if "Nick" drives up onto the sidewalks to get around traffic jams on the highway?

15 replies · active 703 weeks ago

+11 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 703 weeks ago

As I noted in an above reply, I did this fully knowing that monday, when my smartrip wasn't working, I would be charged for my non-exit friday afternoon.

And yes, I do drive my Ford F-650 super-hemi over sidewalks on highways (you know those popular sidewalks on the beltway and 66).

Wait, just kidding, I don't own a car - I ride my bike to the metro, like I said in my post.

I pay metro enough money to wait for delays - when its Friday, and I'm going home, I'm going to hop a gate when metro is failing and pay the fare 48 hours later monday morning.

-4 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

Perhaps the most frequent complaints Metro riders have about their fellow commuters is the sense of entitlement, that they don't have to obey the same rules as everyone else. Do you feel every commuter should be allowed to hop the faregates any time there is a delay? If so, interesting. If not, a few follow-up questions:
- Should passengers who are really hungry and are extra-careful not to spill be allowed to eat on the trains? Or really tired ones allowed to drink coffee?
- Should passengers who believe their dogs are much better-behaved than others be allowed to bring them onto the trains?
- A young, able-bodied person on a crowded train is seated in the seats reserved for "seniors and the disabled", and an old man walking with a cane boards. If this young person is really tired, is it ok for him to hide behind a newspaper and wait for someone else to offer their seat?

I'm glad you were able to avoid waiting in line for "a few minutes", and look forward to seeing on CNN interviews with the survivors of the hell on earth you describe.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 703 weeks ago

Chill bro

-11 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

So, dude, you got any thoughts on the above, or just trying to avoid the subject with super-cool frat-guy lingo?

+1 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 703 weeks ago

i think the plus signs and minus signs speak for themselves on this one. i'm just enjoying some natty ice with my bros over here at Phi Delta and we say "take your holier than thou I need to be better than someone on an internet comment thread" attitude and stick somewhere where only the Tau Kappa Epsilon bros like to go (if you know what I mean.

-12 Vote up Vote down

Caityismetrofree · 703 weeks ago

Lol I thought so . You are the same asshole who was calling people who drink bottled freakin water in metro a criminal. By the way, so are you. You think stepping out of the gate makes it "legal" . If you've ever listened to their stupid announcements, you would know that the escalators and outside of the fare gates are included in the 'entire metrorail system' . So yeah, keep up your holier-than-thou attitude, but you are just as much a 'criminal' as you call the rest of us. You and that blogpost are the sole reason I started biking to my destination. I'm saving money and getting a freakin good workout, and my commute time is cut in half. I also get to keep my sanity as well. So , yeah , while you may piss me and most of the readers off. I wanted to thank you. I hope you get a freaking ticket or get arrested for drinking water outside of the fare gates.

+15 Vote up Vote down

Anonerly Everly · 703 weeks ago

Wow. What a burning post there. Curiosity compells me to ask: If you are now metro free, why are you still posting on this blog in such an offended manner?

+12 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

Obviously.......Trolling!

-2 Vote up Vote down

Caity · 703 weeks ago

RGG, Because I'm still all for changing the way the system is run. It is dishonest and not fair to the people who still have to use it. I take an interest in the public transportation of the cities and places where I have to use it. I've observed other systems, and DC's is still, by far, the most disappointing. It's a disgrace and embarrassment for this country and the nation's capitol when foreign visitors have to use DC Metro. I'm sorry you consider this trolling. Seriously, but your attitude is so frustrating and you use the word 'criminal' too liberally, considering, you yourself are one for drinking water just outside the fare gates (still within the metrorail system). I'm not saying I agree with the OP of this particular thread either. And also don't assume I am one of these so-called criminals. Just because I don't believe in the ridiculous 'laws' Metro has in place, doesn't mean I don't obey them when I do have to ride metro.

Let me know when you've ridden any other public transportation besides DC's. Then you will realize how eating and drinking does not cause major problems.

-2 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

Caity.....I don't believe eating /drinking causes major problems, either (though the litter left behind is annoying--but so are the umpteen editions of The Examiner and The Express), but it IS the law. If the people don't like it, then the people should petition for changes in those laws. I HATE the 55 MPH speed limit on I-495, but if I choose to disobey it, I know I may have a price to pay.
I'm not sure what you mean by "drinking water just outside the fare gates." Did I actually advocate doing that in another thread? As far as I remember, I've only tried to distinguish the "enforcement' rational" between eating/drinking within the faregates and outside of them (judges rulings). And I've also tried to make it a point for people to understand that these aren't merely Metro's "rules" but are actually local "laws" and there are consequences for violating them that many folks may not realize.
If the OP was caught by police hopping the gates, and received a criminal summons, he'd be awaiting a court date before a judge and receive an "arrest record"--because that's what a summons is--an arrest w/o being taken into physical custody--and a criminal conviction if found guilty. I'd hate to explain my "arrest" to a prospective employer somewhere down the road? Sorry, but I don't think it's worth the risk to save a "few minutes." And for that I'm am "asshole?"

-8 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

Wow....someone pissed in your Cheerios this morning, didn't they?

Ummmmm, Caity. If you "drink bottled freakin water" in metro you are, indeed, committing a criminal act. That's a FACT whether you choose to accept it or not. I'm simply trying to advise "Nick" and everyone else of the consequences that they may not understand. Be it "Fare Evasion" or Eating/Drinking/Littering/Loud music playing, etc. Understand that they ARE criminal offenses passed by the local governing bodies when Metro was created. If you get cited, you may very well end up with a "Record." That's a FACT, and that includes if you "drink bottled freakin water." Don't believe me? Try it. And when the cops "warn" you for your actions, make sure you get real pissy with them and call them assholes!!

<<You think stepping out of the gate makes it "legal">>

You know something? Technically it isn't "legal" outside the gates, either, if it's a "roofed area" but the courts have ruled in the past that the "free" side shouldn't be considered as a violation of the law as the passenger hasn't actually paid for his/her ride yet and shouldn't be subjected to enforcement until they have done so.

Free Side= Before you enter, Paid Side=After you enter

Geeze! If you're this stressed out now, you must have been a real hoot when you were riding the trains!!

-6 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

Umm, Caity.....if you "drink bottled freakin water in metro" you are, indeed, committing a criminal act. Thus, by definition, you are a _criminal_. Like it or not!!

You are "technically" correct about something, though. The _law_ would have you being guilty of drinking/eating, etc., merely by being in the "roofed area" of a station and committing the act. However, judges in the past have ruled that passengers shouldn't be held to obey those laws unless they have actually paid for their trip. That's why the rules aren't enforced on the "free" side (unpaid area) but are on the "paid" side (after you insert your farecard).

"I also get to keep my sanity as well." After that polite post, that remains open to interpretation.

+15 Vote up Vote down

Arl Anon · 703 weeks ago

I wonder if "Nick" drives up onto the sidewalks to get around traffic jams on the highway?

This is more like when you pull up to a red light and it's broken and stuck on red. You watch as the light cycles for cross-traffic from green to yellow to red, and then stays red for all directions for a minute, then cycles through again for the cross-traffic. This happens sometimes. So you call "311" and tell them that the traffic signal is broken. Then what do you do? Do you wait for them to send someone to fix it? Or do you just treat the red light as if it were a flashing red light / stop sign the next time that cross-traffic has a red?

-1 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

I thought you were supposed to turn around and head back from whence you came....to seek an alternative route. J/K!!

I don't believe "Nick" waited very long, as stated in his post that the crowd soon emerged from the station. Impatience......

+8 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 703 weeks ago

EXACTLY.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Go Nick · 703 weeks ago

I can't believe people are complaining about to OP. Metro's the villain here.

4 replies · active 702 weeks ago

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Guest · 703 weeks ago

Disagree. He broke the law so he could get out of the station "a few minutes" earlier. He stated "a few minutes after I hopped the gate--I finally saw large streams of people exciting the station." "Hundreds" of people waited patiently for the gates to switch, and were able to exit shortly after he did. Sounds to me like a minor inconvenience, not "an epic Metro fail", and his actions were far from justified.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 703 weeks ago

So if everyone here saw a group of "urban" teenage males hop the gates to avoid waiting "a few minutes" with everyone else, they'd still be saying Metro's the villain?

+6 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 703 weeks ago

Put it back in the deck....

0 Vote up Vote down

anon · 702 weeks ago

Lol, its true though.

+16 Vote up Vote down

John · 703 weeks ago

Yeah, on top of seeing the faregates going the wrong way, I've noticed that a lot of faregates are BREAKING DOWN and out of order. Metro never ceases to amaze me. They always outdo themselves. I thought constantly malfunctioning train doors were ridiculous. Then I started to notice how many escalators were malfunctioning, out of service, and injuring people. Also perplexed at how long it takes to renovate them. (It took 2 years to build the empire state building, its taking metro 1 year to repair 3 escalators in Dupont) Now, you have faregates breaking down and out of service. I wonder how long it takes to fix those. Who is the David Lacosse of the faregates department?

1 reply · active 703 weeks ago

+14 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

The people that built the Empire State building a.) Knew what they were doing and b.) didnt work for Metro.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Caity · 703 weeks ago

would be so nice to have an honor system in DC metro to avoid all of these headaches, but it would never work.

2 replies · active 703 weeks ago

+13 Vote up Vote down

MadAsHeck · 703 weeks ago

If they went to a flat fee, like NYC, this wouldn't happen. There would still be turnstiles to get out, but they would just rotate, not malfunction.

+3 Vote up Vote down

jakeod · 703 weeks ago

But then we wouldn't be encouraging smart growth!

+12 Vote up Vote down

Jamie · 703 weeks ago

A similar thing happened to me at Van Dorn one time and the metro employees, in a fit of panic and chaos, just opened the swing-gates and told everyone to leave without swiping. At first I thought "cool, awesome, free ride!" til I remembered that the next morning, my smartrip card would be FUBAR from only swiping one direction ... and I'd have to deal with the surly station manager to get it fixed. I would have preferred that the gates just be working in the first place!
I wonder if the same everyone-out-the-gates thing happened here, after the OP had exited, since that would explain how hundreds of people were able to stream out of the station at once. Hardly a perfect solution, but better than keeping a bunch of people penned in the station ...

1 reply · active 703 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

jkuchen · 703 weeks ago

This solution happened a couple of days in a row at Vienna once Metro instituted the "peak of the peak" surcharge. Everyone who entered the system before 4:30pm but tried to leave Vienna after 4:30 wouldn't be allowed through the exit faregates. Once the station manager saw the impending disaster, he opened the swing-gate. I forget what happened the next morning, but then again I take a Fairfax Connector bus to go between the Park & Ride and Vienna, so I don't know if those charges cleared up the situation on my SmarTrip card.

+9 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 703 weeks ago

So an actual Metro employee was present and trying to resolve a problem? And this employee managed to solve the problem at hand in only a few minutes? Considering Metro's stellar record of responded to failures, I'd say good for them! This really is a step in the right direction for Metro. Now, had they had Metro Police outside of those gates, and those officers proceeded to beat you down after attempting to steal $3.80 form them, then I'd say, yeah, epic fail.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

@grocery store before a storm commenter person:
You’re grocery store example is moot. 1. A grocery store isn’t a tax payer funded entity notorious for its massive amount of suck and waste 2. You have several options when visiting a grocery store prior to a storm; a. Get there early, beat the rush b. Different grocery store c. Who buys water, milk and bread for a storm anyway? I think it’s more along the lines of water, beer, ice, Doritos.
@metro riders frequent complains sense of entitlement person:
In the case described by Nick, yes. If every person there that day had just hopped the fair gates, I am sure Metro would send out a memo telling station managers to do their job.
Yes, as long as they are careful and as long as they aren’t eating some nasty smelling shit. And ix-nay on the coffee-eh. That one has to do with hot scolding liquid, bumpy train, and spillage. Safety first, or second.
Dog? Sure. But if it bites me and I respond by giving it a slight electric shock of 50,000 volts, I don’t expect to have to pay to ride metro that day.

And no, don’t be a dick, respect your elders.

2 replies · active 703 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

EtroMay IderRay · 703 weeks ago

it's
ix-nay on the offee-cay
Where'd you learn Pig Latin?

+5 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

Canada.

+1 Vote up Vote down

BradK · 703 weeks ago

So after reading all the rant posts for/against what the OP said, I will make one additional statement...

I have already acknowledged that the OP was impatient, but who the hell cares... his point wasn't that he jumped the gate, the point was that there was clearly something wrong with the system in this case...

I for one chose to look at this as an example of a scenario that might demonstrate more benefit from a flat rate system...

If you chose to get stuck on weather or not the OP is a criminal, REPORT IT TO THE AUTHORITIES!!!! if they feel it is a just cause, they will track down the necessary subpoenas and prosecute the OP... If you feel the OP is in criminal violation of the law, you have a duty to report it to the police, otherwise you are an accessory to the crime...

I do not feel the OP was criminally negligent in any capacity... such an offense, if you would call it that, is more like a misdemeanor, and should be treated as such.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

@metro free freakin good workout freakin girl:
A couple things:
Who is that directed to?
You started biking to work because of one blogpost?
You seem feisty, yet tense, you should look into other well know stress relievers. Some freakin maybe? I'm available after 6.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

@i really like using quotation marks over and over and over guest poster person:
A minor inconvenience on top of the 37 other that Metro most graciously provides us on a daily basis.

@”urban” teenage male poster who I “suspect” is the quotation mark guy I mentioned above:
It depends on which “urban” teenage males you are referring to. If it is the nice looking fellows with the pleaded slacks and their hansom looking polo shirts, then sure, yea why not. If youre referring to the ghetto rats running around with $170 Air Jordans and their pants hanging off their ass all the while hootin & hollerin to their boyz and simultaneously trying to jack my iPad, then no.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

Look, it’s really as simple as this: Metro sucks. We, the riders, pay good money for a service that they provide. I would cautiously estimate that 90.3124% of the time, the service is suspect, often piss poor. Not only do we pay good money to ride Metro, we also, as taxpayers, subsidize Metro so that they can continue to operate and provide such piss poor service.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

It is no surprise that Metro is broken. We know it and each and every single person who is employed by Metro knows it. Some choose to try and better Metro. They do their job, and often go above and beyond of what their official job description implies. However, they are the minority. The majority of people who work for Metro know that they can sit on their ass and get a paycheck. It starts at the top, and using a favorite analogy of many Repubs, trickles down. They know that they can get away with nearly everything from unacceptable professional behavior and bad attitudes to piss poor service and a middle finger to spin on, often at the expense of the people they get paid to provide a service to.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

If you work for Metro and don’t like your job my suggestion is this: Quit. No one will miss you. You get paid to provide a service. Part of that service is providing answers to questions from the people who pay your salary. Part of that service is putting up with tourist who when it comes to Metro, wouldn’t know their ass from their elbow. Part of that service is dealing with asshole Capital Hill interns who managed to deactivate their smart trip card by touching it to daddy’s AX. Part of that service is knowing that at 4:30PM on a Friday, you’re about to have a mad rush of people attempting to exit your station and proactively switching the fair gates to exit mode. Part of that service is to provide that service with the sense of dignity that every person should have when performing a job.

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Happy Tuesday · 703 weeks ago

I don’t need you to piss on my leg and tell me its raining. I don’t need you to smile and ask me if I need help carrying my bags. I don’t need you to attempt to cheer me up if my dog gets ran over by Nick because he got impatient and drove up on the curb in his Ford F-650 super-hemi diesel monster truck. What I do need you to do is just honestly attempt to provide me with a solid and reliable mode of transportation on a daily basis while ensuring that the things within your control, such as; broken escalators; broken/wrong way fairgates; bums in the stations, the signs indicating when the next train is coming; rowdy hoodlums picking fights with strangers; and a few other simple things don’t negatively affect my commute on a day in and day out basis. That is your job. That is what you get paid to do. That is what I pay Metro to do. Put on a smile, pull up your big girl pants, stop complaining because your job sucks and do something to fix it! That’s easy isn’t it?

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Anon5 · 703 weeks ago

This is a huge safety hazard. In the event of a fire or panic, gate inoperability could lead to people being crushed or trampled.

2 replies · active 703 weeks ago

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drbubbles · 703 weeks ago

Things wouldn't be that much better if the gates were working, though. Working gates still require that a farecard be swiped, and still close (if the next person's timing is off or they have a paper card), which still takes time, which the back of a panicky crowd isn't likely to be thinking about.

-1 Vote up Vote down

RGG · 703 weeks ago

FYI.....If there's a fire alarm, the gates open automatically. If they don't, and there's an actual FIRE, are you just going to stand around and burn to death?

0 Vote up Vote down

J83 · 701 weeks ago

I notice this all the time. At the airport, Reagan National, the operators (no matter how many times I've heard him or her when I ride the train before) rush right through and open/close the doors for like 30 seconds. As if they've already know no one's waiting on the tracks. Well, I'd think at the AIRPORT the door should be open longer. People are carrying luggage and it might impair the ability to walk in and out of the car.