Unsuck DC Metro: The Clocks are Back

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Clocks are Back

VIA@NOTrynaBRude:@unsuckdcmetro So I finally get to see @wmata do something useful with my money. pic.twitter.com/A10OVRNH

Last summer, Metro started installing flat screen monitors throughout the system. For months, they remained off, serving only to to block the kiosk clocks.

Yesterday, some of them appeared to come to life--as clocks.

Hopefully, Metro has more ambitious plans for them, but they've been tight lipped about what these displays will eventually show.

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Dull rail board member defends nepotism (Examiner)
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+13 Vote up Vote down

BrianKal · 643 weeks ago

Over/under on these all breaking?
I give it one week.

4 replies · active 643 weeks ago

+12 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 643 weeks ago

Now, now, the clocks have been more reliable than the escalators. Of course, Lindsay Lohan is more reliable than the Metro escalators.

+17 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 643 weeks ago

Lindsay Lohan and the Metro have roughly equal track records when it comes to being complete train wrecks, though.

+5 Vote up Vote down

eed017 · 643 weeks ago

One major distinction -- LiLo hasn't killed anyone (yet).

+1 Vote up Vote down

TDW · 643 weeks ago

I'd go under...give it 5 days

+9 Vote up Vote down

guest · 643 weeks ago

What a waste of money. Even if they showed useful information, they're too small to read up so high. No one is going to walk over there to get a closer look....what a waste.

three words: dry erase boards.

Every time I see something like this, I'm convinced those running Metro never ride Metro.

3 replies · active 643 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 643 weeks ago

"three words: dry erase boards."

Sounds like slavery to me.

+9 Vote up Vote down

BrianKal · 643 weeks ago

Dry erase boards -- just like the entire London tube system with very importrant info that is super easy to read.
A boy can dream.

+12 Vote up Vote down

wesindc · 643 weeks ago

Yes but this requires that the staff at the stations remove themselves from the octagons of safety and write a legible and coherent statement on a board. Something tells me that if this were in place now the one in Dupont would probably be dated 3am Nov 4th EDST.

+4 Vote up Vote down

@davinpet · 643 weeks ago

In today's Post, Dr. Gridlock reports they are supposed to be message boards. But WMATA, has not given a reason why it took so long to turn them on. Metro says we'll have the time as part of the message boards. Hopefully, they will eventually add information about the train status

1 reply · active 643 weeks ago

+7 Vote up Vote down

eed017 · 643 weeks ago

My understanding was that they were to provide information about the trains, both on the line you're on as well as the other lines. This was the purpose of the PIDS (Passenger Information Display System) but now that system seems to be 90% devoted to the broken elevator/immobile escalator updates. My guess is that they will use the new system to play ads for Metro Forward and Rush+ featuring Baghdad Bob Stessel..

+13 Vote up Vote down

james · 643 weeks ago

Are they set to daylight savings time or standard time?

Oppppps

1 reply · active 643 weeks ago

+8 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 643 weeks ago

By the time they get it set to standard time, we'll be setting the clocks forward again.

+5 Vote up Vote down

anon · 643 weeks ago

Also note the surveillance camera above the screen. These are popping up everywhere.

FU Metro. Seriously.

1 reply · active 643 weeks ago

+15 Vote up Vote down

@ChrisHowdy · 643 weeks ago

Don't worry, they don't work, either.

+5 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 643 weeks ago

It will probably display rants about how racist we all are for wanting to get to work on time.

+30 Vote up Vote down

Kevin · 643 weeks ago

These new clocks are such major improvements over the old clocks -- the major enhancements like 'AM' and 'PM' display capability practically pay for themselves.

Totally worth the $46.5 million.

+7 Vote up Vote down

HireMeIDesign · 643 weeks ago

If metro's going to the trouble of displaying AM and PM, maybe they'd do us the honor of displaying EDT and EST so we're able to schedule appropriately.

On a more serious note, what's the chance that these TVs will display their information as a slide show, one bit at a time, so you have to wait to see all the delays out wait through all the delay announcements to see the time. Something able to be accomplished with a much cheaper LED sign.
Chance of metro implementing a sensible layout for the displays: very slim.

-8 Vote up Vote down

anon · 643 weeks ago

I don't quite understand why people are against this. As someone who has seen the new screens, these tvs will show the status of the rail system before entering the faregates. The system has capability to show messages like shuttle information, elevator outages, emergencies as well as video. Its a lot more flexible than the pids that currently scroll through 8-9 screens of useless info to find out when the next train is coming. The dmv here in maryland is using lcd tvs, the post office has practically the same system that metro is deploying. Why the hate? If its done right by the glorious media dept, it will be beneficial for everyone. I mean u guys complained that you couldn't tell the status of the rail system before u paid a fare. People listened and came up with this solution. Then you complained how the old time signs were being blocked by the tvs. Come on now really? Now your complaining about what exactly?

4 replies · active 643 weeks ago

+16 Vote up Vote down

sbc · 643 weeks ago

I don't think most folks are complaining about the screens. They're complaining that it's taken six months to go from clocks to....clocks. If that's all the screens are going to do, then why make the change? And if they are going to do more, what's taking so long? Why install the screens so long before they are ready to operate?

Also, given that the smarttrip machines were not ADA-compliant (they didn't have Braille and couldn't talk), what are odds that these displays will also be kept off since they are not usable by blind Metro riders?

-9 Vote up Vote down

anon · 643 weeks ago

If you read into my response, specifically the glorious media dept, I think you can answer those questions.

+9 Vote up Vote down

JWC · 643 weeks ago

The complaint is why hasnt Metro said from the beginning what the screens were to be used for. Just respond to the questions that have been asked for months.

+5 Vote up Vote down

VeteranRider · 643 weeks ago

To me it isn't so much what info the screens will show, it's how they will show it. As someone menioned earlier, if there will be a mulit-slides of info, who has time to wait for that outside the gates? Sure, that makes sense at the DMV or USPS, where there is a captive audience in a defined location, but when people are entering the Metro the news better be concise and quick. Even as it is the PIDS spend more time on elevator & escalator news when I want to know about trains at my station. There were (are?) earlier versions of this type of TV screen at the entrance to Gallery Place which were pretty much useless since they tried to cram too much onto the screen at one time. I am not hating on the new ones, but I am not optimistic they will be all that useful located at the kiosk; if there will be similar screens on the platforms, that would be a different matter.

+16 Vote up Vote down

rider · 643 weeks ago

Only Metro would come up with a super expensive system to communicate delays instead of using that money and all other frivolous spending to PREVENT delays.