Unsuck DC Metro: Fecal Matters

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fecal Matters

From Joseph:

I ride the Yellow Line every day from Huntington in Alexandria to work. When I park and enter the station I use stairwell no. 3.

In all of the years that I've used this stairwell--the closest to the station--it has always been filled with garbage and urine. It's disgusting.

Months ago, the stairwell was renovated. They parge coated the steps and sealed everything.

I noticed that it was open the other day, so I decided to take a look.

I was pleasantly surprised until I noticed the nasty pile of stinking crap that was sitting right next to the door. I almost stepped in it. That was the final straw.

What's the point of spending the time, money and effort to fix the stairwell if it's just going to be filled with urine and feces again?

I park and ride everyday and use Metro throughout the day for work. It costs me $12 a day. With Metro's earnings, can't they send one employee to check on these things?

I'm disappointed to say the least.

The more I look around at the declining state of Metro's facilities, the lack of visible WMATA staff, and the fact that the escalators I have to use everyday are habitually down at Huntington, I start wondering what kind of an operation is this?

I work in the management services division for an agency locally. From an administrative standpoint, if I ran my facilities the way they do, I'd be sent packing.

Other items:
Arrests in Metrobus slaying (WTTG)
$4.5 million wasted on MetroAccess mismanagement (report) (WMATA/PDF)
Meeting held to discuss Bethesda escalator woes (WTTG)
Station name changes proposed (WMATA/PDF)

Comments (25)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

+10 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 700 weeks ago

It always seemed like Metro was shitting on people.

-21 Vote up Vote down

Alger · 700 weeks ago

Joseph, to be clear; are you suggesting that it is Metro employees leaving the urine and feces? Or are do you think the doodie was left by someone who was protesting a broken escalator?
Because otherwise it sounds like you are ranting at Metro when tried to improve the stairwell space but failed to deter the people causing the problem. Yeah it's nasty, but really what do you expect Metro to do?

1 reply · active 700 weeks ago

+28 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 700 weeks ago

Ummm....how about properly maintain the facilities they are responsible for that people in the are pay an arm and a leg for maybe???

+22 Vote up Vote down

@chrisatyoursix · 700 weeks ago

The bigger problem, in regards to the poo, is that there are no public restrooms - free or pay-per-use - available. I've asked on 3 separate occasions at 3 different stations to use the restroom and was denied 2 of the 3 times.

If others are having the same experience as me there's good reason you're finding waste in more public places.

This falls squarely on Metro for not providing facilities so people can take care of the most basic of bodily functions in the appropriate location.

5 replies · active 700 weeks ago

+12 Vote up Vote down

Jamie · 700 weeks ago

Agreed -- no bathrooms is a big problem, especially at the stops out near the end of the lines where by the time you get there, you've been sitting on the train for a good 20-30 minutes at least. I shamefully confess that one night, upon being reunited with my car at Huntington at around midnight, I was having myself an eeee-mer-gen-cy and made a #1 on the wall by my car. It was either that or IN my car.
Still, peeing on a wall where the air will carry the smell away and the rain will wash it off (I was parked at the top of the garage) is a far cry from taking a dump in a stairwell. That's got "homeless person" written all over it. Or disgruntled metro rider?? Now I'm picturing some dude in a suit and tie dropping trou in the stairs yelling "metro, this is what I think of YOU!"
Ha. That's funny.

+5 Vote up Vote down

AlexandriaGirl · 700 weeks ago

It would be nice...I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck on a platform with a long delay and no where to...um, go.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Orange line rider · 700 weeks ago

Bathrooms would be nice whether port a pottys or pay per use. It would likely require hiring maintenance workers to be hired to properly clean the facilities. Personally while I would love to have the convenience of clean facilities, I'd prefer consistent service on the lines, escalators and elevators. Any additonal resources available after line improvements are made can be directed to restrooms.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Rich · 700 weeks ago

Actually, they do have one of those automated bathrooms at Huntington North. It was broke for while but is back up and running.

I've experienced the same thing as the OP at Huntington. The trash and other 'stuff' isn't being caused by Metro but it seems to take days/weeks to clean it up.

+6 Vote up Vote down

DC Denizen · 700 weeks ago

My experience at Huntington is that the pay toilet on the Huntington side is pretty much always broken or so filthy I'd be afraid of pestilence if I set foot in it. Once, I got caught by surprise by rain, and needed to change in to my rain gear to bike home. I asked the station manager, and she unlocked the public bathroom in the back for me. You walk back under the stairs, and go through a locked door. There, next to the employee bathroom, is the public bathroom, behind a second locked door. There are 5-6 stalls. The station manager warned me to bolt myself inside, because it wasn't safe back there. The sign on the inside of the door says the same. It wasn't the cleanest, but it wasn't the worst I've ever seen either. Britney would probably be ok walking into it barefoot.

+19 Vote up Vote down

insider · 700 weeks ago

The explanation is simple. No one thinks it's their job. The union has so narrowly defined each position. There's no sense of let's make this a better place. It's all "that's not my job."

2 replies · active 699 weeks ago

+15 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 700 weeks ago

And even if it was, the person whose job it was could get away with not doing it, and then get two weeks paid administrative leave if they were actually reported for not doing it.

0 Vote up Vote down

respect · 699 weeks ago

If a supervisor ask you to clean up someone shit , would you??? No I bet you would tell supervisor hell no. Call janitor to do it. Well, the contract is, if you are a helper and are asked to do AA assignment, you get paid. If a supervisor ask you to clean shit, you are required to it. Janitors do not get higher pay for cleaning shit. So define job duties. You are capable of cleaning shit. And the next time you use employee bathrooms remember sit your ass on the toilet and aim your wee wee in the bowl. Janitors are humans and deserve respect. Next time you go in bathroom and see shit there, clean it up. It is not a job title,, it is respect for the low pay and disrepected janitors. Metro employees are disgusting in thier own work place.

+6 Vote up Vote down

inDCent · 700 weeks ago

It's likely a homeless person sleeping in the garage over night. I've noticed the same issue at the Shady Grove garage. I don't know if it's possible to have the county, or some other homeless assistance, respond to this. It's certainly better than sweeping the problem under the rug. The homeless problem isn't unique to WMATA, it's just glaring at your face when the problem affects some facility you use daily. Staff can't just scare homeless people away, they need to call for help for them.

-3 Vote up Vote down

Red Line Rider · 700 weeks ago

I have a legitimate question for people on this forum and in general about Metro. I am an avid reader of this blog and try my best to contribute on twitter when I find problems. What I'd like to know is what is it accomplishing? We are all in agreement that we want change and that change is happening... for the worse. So is there really an answer or are we all doomed to just complain on a blog about all of metro's worsening problems with absolutely no recourse whatsoever?

2 replies · active 687 weeks ago

+22 Vote up Vote down

Ed W · 700 weeks ago

I can tell you 3 things I think the blog has done.

1.)It entertains me and lets me realize I'm not alone out there. I also appreciate the chance to vent

2.) This blog is an opinion driver. The mainstream media would not be "monitoring Metro" like it does (poorly) if this blog didn't exist.

3.) This blogs breaks hella news.

I think Metro feels under the gun to some extent because of this deserved pressure. Has it helped the system run better? Debatable, but I'm glad this blog exists.

+10 Vote up Vote down

Radner · 700 weeks ago

While complaining and commiserating in a public forum can be very therapeutic, I choose to believe that Metro is monitoring it as well. This is supported by UnSuck's updates when Metro requests contact information for some guest bloggers, or when they comment on here themselves to clarify (or lie, or make excuses, or whatever; and this has not happened for quite some time).

If they are reading this, as a rider and a taxpayer, I would really like to know if they have a budget for the upkeep of these hidden "Public" restrooms; and if so, why designate money for them when they don't let the public use them?

+3 Vote up Vote down

beema · 700 weeks ago

I'd be interested in seeing a scientific survey to find out how much feces is on seats in metro cars. I'm betting a lot.

2 replies · active 700 weeks ago

+7 Vote up Vote down

asdf · 700 weeks ago

1,000,000 ppm

0 Vote up Vote down

Kipp · 700 weeks ago

A million parts per million; oh, why, that's 100% feces! Hmm, wouldn't ya know it, metro is made of poo!

+5 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 700 weeks ago

ATU poo for you.

+1 Vote up Vote down

RI Rider · 700 weeks ago

The pedestrian bridge at RI Ave-- while thankfully free of poop-- is perpetually full of garbage and reeks of urine. Given the ongoing construction there, it's also the best route from the Metro to the street at present. They make sporadic attempts to clear out the garbage but they have never, to my knowledge, made any effort to remove the urine stench.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Ted · 700 weeks ago

Restrooms at the stations would be an added help and conveniece, but unfortunately, it will require additional resources and personnel.

+9 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 700 weeks ago

And it probably won't stop homeless people or disgruntled riders from trashing the public restrooms either.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Kipp · 700 weeks ago

Why don't we have public beatings and humiliation for people that do this anti-social behavior? That's what we did in the past; seemed like people were better behaved. I don't care if you're homeless, don't poop in a stairwell used by hundreds of people. Even animals find better places to go... Watch a kitty cat and learn to bury it.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Another Anon · 699 weeks ago

Does Metro policy no longer allow customer use of restrooms at rail stations? This document: http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/AUDT5.pdf seems to indicate that, as of 2006 they were, but perhaps this has been superseded?

Or maybe we just need to be more insistent and report the station managers that refuse?