Unsuck DC Metro: Driven to Drive

Monday, April 23, 2012

Driven to Drive

From J.T.:

Last season, I went to a lot of Nats games. I took Metro every time.

By the end, the whole experience was getting so unpleasant, but it wasn't until one evening being offloaded, getting sardined with a bunch of strangers on a hot August evening and then yelled at by Metro police that it finally dawned on me: "Why am I doing this?"

Like so many others, I'd just blindly thought that just because Metro went to the stadium, it was the best way to go. Go Metro! Go Nats! right?

Not by a long shot.

Via @unncola #wmata post nationals game no trains /cc @unsuckdcmetro http://pic.twitter.com/6rzi6DcR

This year, I've been driving. I go with the same group of friends nearly every time, and it has never been a hassle.

None of us are big drinkers, so there's no worry about drinking and driving. (And if you're getting drunk paying ballpark beer prices, you can probably afford a cab.)

The parking is cheap and plentiful, and the congestion to get in, from Arlington, and out clears up quickly.

I never timed my Metro trips, but I'm pretty sure I get home faster driving. I know it's a hell of a lot more comfortable with a lot less stress.

I'd like to be green and all that, but Metro needs to come a long way for this decision to even be close.

Go Nats, but don't go Metro is what I now say.

Oh, and if you were thinking about seeing the Nats play the world champion St. Louis Cardinals (Yes!) over Labor Day weekend, L'Enfant will be closed for track work. (h/t Janet).

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Comments (28)

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+11 Vote up Vote down

anon · 674 weeks ago

I felt the same about my daily commute. Loving my Metro-free life. Gonna take a complete transformation to lure me back.

-8 Vote up Vote down

GUest · 674 weeks ago

Cards fan, eh? This is going to make me reconsider my love for this blog!;)

+8 Vote up Vote down

jkuchen · 674 weeks ago

The key to the argument is "I go with the same group of friends." If there was a party of four going to a Nats game, it's a no-brainer to drive there, even with the most expensive parking spaces. That and you don't have to worry about games going into extra innings (which they've had a nasty habit of doing lately). Any cost-benefit analysis would come up with the same conclusion, especially if you put a benefit on convenience and a cost on feeling like a sardine.

And closing L'Enfant on Labor Day weekend is an utter fail. Virginia has the Kings Dominion Law to encourage travel on Labor Day weekend, and WMATA responds with this move. Brilliant.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Mr. Nats · 674 weeks ago

Never again.

+2 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 674 weeks ago

Isn't there a Circulator bus that goes near the ballpark? That might be a bit less painful than trying to get on the train. I would probably try the Green Line if I went to a ball game but that's only because I can walk to Columbia Heights from my home.

And how idiotic is Metro to close a major station over a super busy holiday weekend?!

1 reply · active 674 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Red Line · 674 weeks ago

Yes, I've taken the Circulator bus. It was less crowded than the metro but probably took just as long to get to where I was going (the Mall).

+5 Vote up Vote down

John · 674 weeks ago

I've gone to some games where the Nats didnt bribe Metro and the trains end up being 10+ mins apart. With all the people exiting the ball park, it becomes chaotic.

If the Nats fans ever end up showing up to their ballpark in big numbers, Metro is gonna be in deep trouble..

+1 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 674 weeks ago

Just walk to Capitol South. While Metro should do a better job after Nats games, riders know that it's going to be crazy. There's 15-20K people streaming out after a game. I think the OP has unrealistic expectations.

1 reply · active 674 weeks ago

+4 Vote up Vote down

dddddda · 674 weeks ago

Aw...no hate. If you're in relatively good health, walking to Cap South or E Market will take less time than getting on a train at Navy Yard. LEnfant isn't a bad walk either, and is useful for Green/Yellow riders because a lot of people transfer to the Blue/Orange there, and most of the rest vacate at Gallery Place 2 stops later. I only use Navy Yard when my mom goes to the games with me, since she can't make the walk to an alternate station, and we leave early to get ahead of the crowd.

+11 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 674 weeks ago

I sold my car a few months ago and really wanted to save money and also feel good about going green, but metro is making it so incredibly difficult. I rely on it nights and weekends and it's just awful. Closing L'Enfant over Labor Day? Seriously?! Not to mention that I'm not saving too much money with the ridiculous fares. At this rate I'm almost to the point that I think it's worth spending the money to buy another car and pay to park and insure it in this city.

4 replies · active 674 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 674 weeks ago

I hear ya buddy. But Metro isn't all that "green" anyway. The electricity powering those stalled trains usually comes from blowing up the top off mountains for coal.

0 Vote up Vote down

jkuchen · 674 weeks ago

Just to be clear--it's Green/Yellow service that won't be at L'Enfant. The station will still be open to Blue/Orange traffic, so we still have to watch out for projectiles from those above.

+6 Vote up Vote down

DCRider · 674 weeks ago

Not to mention the four escalators at the south end of Dupont that have been running non-stop from the track level up the the station manager level even though the south exit is closed to the public. Can someone please tell me why on earth that's the case?

+3 Vote up Vote down

Observer · 674 weeks ago

For the employees to use?

+17 Vote up Vote down

jim · 674 weeks ago

I know alot of people who now avoid metro at all possible costs. Metro keeps telling us that ridership has gone down the last few years because of the recession despite the fact that traffic on the roads has gone up, traffic on VRE has gone up, traffic on the buses has gone up. The reason traffic has gone down on the metro trains is because the quality of service has gone down and people like myself, my friends, and the person who wrote this post avoid the metro trains as much as possible.

1 reply · active 674 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Will · 674 weeks ago

I have to second the bus ridership numbers. On weekends I find myself taking the bus more often because of horrible headways on rail.

Also costs have gotten out of control if you're just traveling in the core.

+21 Vote up Vote down

Kevin · 674 weeks ago

If the Teddy Roosevelt mascot were to race Metro from the Stadium to the Vienna metro stop, it would be President Roosevelt's first win.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 674 weeks ago

I went to a lot of games last year and used the Metro to get there. I was frustrated by a lot of issues that OP pointed out. In addition to those things, most of the people are drunk and loud. You also end up with drunk people partying in DC on your ride home. The worst though was one time when some drunk, older lady (probably in her 40's, but look like she had lived a rough life) got on the train. Her dress was like a long tshirt that barely covered her bottom. She decided to sit in my lap. I had to slide her over. She started touching me and made me very uncomfortable. I got off at the next stop and she refused to get up so I could get by her. I had to crawl over her to make it off the train in time. Obviously, none of that was Metro's fault, but I would just rather drive my car than ride the train with the weirdos and drunks at night.

1 reply · active 674 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Steve · 674 weeks ago

Aw yeah that's so hot

+4 Vote up Vote down

shipsa01 · 674 weeks ago

Taking the Metro to Nats park is completely for amateurs, tourists and fans from other cities. Take the 74, V8 or P2 - all leave from somewhere downtown (Convention Center, Archives and Archives, respectively) and get you to the stadium (literally, right next to the damn ballpark) in a comfortable, cheap and less-stressed manner. I take the 74 to every game - the bus (which took over the N-S Circulator line) runs every 15 minutes from the Convention Center down 7th Street and ends at Half and O Street, SW: ONE block from the stadium. By the time the bus gets past Arena Stage there are maybe 2 or 3 other people on there with me. Not sure why anyone would deal with the crowds and hoards of the Metro, but whatever - it's their prerogative, I guess.

1 reply · active 674 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

little chee · 674 weeks ago

Biking is pretty easy too. At least from where I live- 3 miles away in NE, takes me about 20 mins door to door.

I've noticed a lot more bikes at the stadium this year.

+1 Vote up Vote down

guest · 674 weeks ago

Metro-ing to Arlington after the game generally takes 45 mins to an hour, whereas if I am in the car it takes 15-20 minutes. I've gotton used to it but it definitely pays to carpool as much as possible.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 674 weeks ago

I always end up walking from Eastern Market to the stadium. Yeah it's totally out of the way, but it's nothing like the clusterfark at Navy Yard.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Grace Manning · 674 weeks ago

My solution has always been to leave the game no later than the 7th inning to avoid the crush. I'm not a Nationals fan, so I could care less who wins the game.

But it would be nice to see Brad Lidge blow another save. Next time I might drive and park somewhere off M St.

1 reply · active 674 weeks ago

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Chris · 674 weeks ago

Whereas I find if I wait until the game is over, everyone else thought like you and left in the 7th....

-2 Vote up Vote down

Ever and Anon · 674 weeks ago

I said goodbye to DC weekends long ago. Used to go to the museums and festivals all the time. But now I do not bother as driving into DC and parking are almost as unpleasant as trying to use Metro itself. When family comes to town we go anywhere but into DC when at all possible. (And DC wonders where the money went.)

-1 Vote up Vote down

guest · 674 weeks ago

damn---careful taking the buses, too:
http://wtop.com/109/2838255/Metro-pulls-bus-after...

i feel for the guy; but i feel for the passengers too. :(

-1 Vote up Vote down

Rebecca · 674 weeks ago

Go Cardinals!!! :)

I work near the Navy Yard station, and made the mistake of leaving work around the same time as the season opener ended a couple of weeks ago...never again. Three trains showed up before I was even able to get on. You'd think Metro would have more Green Line trains running on game days. But I guess that would require actual planning and coordination.

I'll be taking the Circulator from Union Station when I go cheer on the Cardinals on Sept. 1 :)