Guest Blogger: FixWMATA, Tracker of Hot Cars

A couple more choice tweets from Metro: here and here

From FixWMATA (Twitter/website):

Here's the thing - I don't WANT to track WMATA "hot cars!" I'd rather these cars get fixed and WMATA have a plan in place to address them in a timely manner when reported.

I would LOVE for this problem to become history.

The problem is the hot cars are getting worse, and the communication from WMATA has mostly come to a full stop, despite an overly advertised "aggressive social media campaign" to keep riders informed.

When I started tracking hot cars this year, I sat down with Dan Stessel, Metro's chief spokesman, and had a very friendly chat about the problem and what he intended to do about it in his new role.

He said he would use my website to communicate the reported hot cars to maintenance each night so the problem would get addressed.

I loved this attitude and decided that, unlike last year, I would be on his side and try to have a spirit of cooperation this year.

Over the next few weeks, I would ask Dan for a list of cars that were "fixed" so I could note it in my database and give them proper credit for handling the situation.

I never once got that list!

Furthermore, I saw the problem with hot cars getting worse.

Did Dan give me lip-service?

I hope not.

But in any case, after I pursued the issue more aggressively with him, the communication stopped.

Other than the occasional message about using the intercom to report a hot car, the Metro Twitter account has stopped mentioning hot cars altogether, despite a torrent of reports from riders.

So what's happened?

Has Metro found they CAN'T fix the hot cars and decided that instead of admitting that, they will just go silent on the issue?

Did Dan get an unhealthy response from maintenance and can't report results to us, but doesn't want WMATA to look bad?

Does Dan have a personal beef with me and therefore is ignoring the issue I'm championing and thus putting his personal issues above "potential health issues" facing customers?

We may never know.

So, yes. I do have a salty, snarky, bitchy attitude right now.

This attitude comes out of frustration at the lack of a response from Metro after I put forth a good-faith effort to work with them to solve one of THEIR issues.

WE the riders continue to do the legwork in identifying hot cars, and I continue to provide the lists they need to fix the problem.

But it remains unfixed.

WE the riders continue to sweat every day on our commutes.

Where do we go from here?

Can WMATA do an about-face and address the issue?

Do I stop trying to champion the issue on behalf of frustrated commuters?

Do we continue to shout into the dark?

Will the media catch on to the frustration and get Dan's attention on the issue?

I will continue to hope for a day that we can all work together to make WMATA better, but right now these conditions don't exist.

I'm open to suggestions.

If you want to know the extent of the problem, here are hot cars by the numbers:

These are the HotCar record results for 2011 as of July 23, 2011. These records have been kept to the best of my ability since May 24, 2011.

• Number of days on record: 61
• Number of records: 673
• Average records per day: 11
• Number of records more than last year: 467
• Number of individual Twitter users reporting: 374
• Twitter user with the most reports: @seauxbrown with 10 records
• Number of unique WMATA rail car numbers reported: 338
• Total number of WMATA rail cars in fleet (per 2011 budget report): 1106
• Percent of all WMATA rail cars reported as hot car: 31% (that means almost 1 in 3 WMATA rail cars have been reported)
• Car reported most: car 5037, reported 11 times this year (on 6/21, 6/28, 7/8, 7/11, 7/18, 7/19, 7/21)
• WMATA rail line with the most records: Red Line - 232 reports
• WMATA car series with the most records: 5000-series (37% of all reports) - note: the 5000-series makes up only 17% of the total fleet)
• Percentage of total 5000-series reported: 61% (113 unique car numbers reported out of 184 total 5000-series cars)

Other items:
Interesting take on Metro's eating/drinking law (Overcriminalized)
MetroAccess growth slows (Examiner)
Metro to will abandon @metroopensdoors, use @wmata instead, finally
Meet the voice of Metro (TBD)

Should the Bottled Water Ban be Ditched for Good?

It's Monday and once again, drinking bottled water is illegal in the Metro system.

On Friday, at 5:17 p.m., Metro issued a press release (deleted by Metro. Who knows why. Screengrab) announcing that due to the extreme heat, it would relax the ban on drinking bottled water through Sunday. The email announcing the press release arrived at 6:20 p.m.

Reactions to Metro's move were varied.




There were many who seemed surprised Metro even had a policy banning the drinking bottled water and said they'd been drinking it all along.

It's not exactly cool today; nor will it be tomorrow--or for the rest of the week, for that matter.

According to Metro, Friday's move was not the first step in the relaxation of the policy, adding that Metro Police issued more than 6,600 citations for violating the no eating and drinking policy last year.

Metro's tweets did keep the door open for the possibility of allowing water again, but only under extreme conditions.

Don't Believe the Hype

Yesterday, Metro put out a de rigueur press release about GM Sarles' 6-month "state of Metro" presentation to the Metro board. It's exactly what you'd expect. Fine. Make of it what you will.

What's weird and disturbing is how many local, commercial media outlets basically regurgitated Metro's party line without much, if any, questioning or input from anyone else besides Metro principals.

Take a look:
Washington Post
TBD (ABC)
Fox 5
DCist

Yeah, it's good that there's going to be a virtual tunnel, and it's welcome that you will be able to add money to your SmarTrip card online, but those are basically fringe issues, and if Metro had ANY common sense, both would have been done years ago.

Better late than never? Yes.

But really, are we supposed to have a champagne toast because Metro is dragging its feet in gathering the low hanging fruit?

The whole system is a rickety, second-tier railway and an international embarrassment.

There's still no accountability or transparency. Who's been fired for 6/22? Who's been fired for the L'Enfant escalator incident?

Your money--fares and taxes--is wasted daily. Things go wrong with the cars and the tracks more than on any other transit system I've ever been on, delays are way too common, the escalators don't work, there are too many confrontational employees, too many bus drivers drive dangerously, the crumbling platforms are often dangerously overcrowded, people are passing out from the heat because the AC doesn't work even though Metro says they're "on it," and there's no indication whatsoever about when Metro will return to automatic train control.

One could go on and on.

But back to the topic at hand.

Even worse journalistic laziness and obsequiousness can be found in this piece from the Washington Post about an alleged "more than 30 percent" drop in crime on Metro. (This was also mentioned in the Fox piece.)

More than 30 percent!

Wow!

Two Metro cops we talked to called the drop in crime "BS" and "cooking the books," respectively.

One laughingly said, "Thirty percent? Is that what they're saying? You believe that sh*t?"

But let's assume, for the sake of argument, that those cops are just bad apples and just want to slam Metro no matter what.

A quick Googling of Compstat (Metro calls it Metrostat), a police department "organizational management tool" cited by Metro (and repeated by the Post and Fox) as the reason for the drop in crime, shows there's actually a rather vigorous debate about the effectiveness of Compstat in fighting crime. Even the Wikipedia page talks about the debate.

You'd think the "reporters" at the Post or Fox would have Googled or made a call or two, especially when Metro's reported drop in crime sounds miraculous.

It reminds me of a favorite Simpsons exchange:

Bart: Well Dad, here's my report card. I think you'll be pleasantly
surprised.
Homer: [incredulously] A-plus?!? You don't think much of me, do you boy?
Bart: [almost proudly] No sir!
Homer: You know a D turns into a B so easily. You just got greedy.

Metro is a regional leader in suck, but local "journalism" isn't far behind.

Other items:
Weekend delays (WMATA)
Metro Center fail (A Vulnerable Geometry)
Operator shows common sense (26minus5)

Minnesota Ave. Melee (NSFW)

The video was posted on July 17, but appears to have been made earlier due to the coats and lack of leaves on the trees. The OP says it was at Minnesota Ave.

Via T.

I go through this Minnesota Ave. every day. Every day it's something new. Every day there's a reason for normal people to avoid this station.

My friend showed me this on Youtube. This happens all the time.

Where are the police?

Maybe this is one of the stations transit police are hesitant to patrol because of their poor quality radios.

Other items:
Metro keeps information about sexual assault suspect secret (Examiner)
Dulles Metro station will be above ground (WaPo)
Metro from the perspective of someone in a wheelchair (A Vulnerable Geometry)

Reverse Planking Comes to Metro

We're used to our escalators and trains planking all the time, but here's a new twist.

Planking, aka the lying down game, explained.

The Great Escape

Yet another tale from our disintegrating Metro. This surely can't be the according-to-Hoyle way to handle this.

From Krack Barry:

It was like any other Monday. Get on train, ride, zone out.

I got on at Vienna with the remnants of people who'd just missed a train or opted to wait for an emptier one.

The train got more crowded as we went along, and people were, as always, crowding the doors instead of moving to the center of the car.

I was in train car #6139.

Things were going fine through Foggy Bottom, but then, as we were pulling out of the Farragut West stop, I overheard someone saying "the doors didn't open."

I wasn't sure what was going on at first and didn't pay too much attention until we pulled into McPherson Square and then heard someone saying "the doors aren't opening."

That's when it got interesting.

A young man in his 20s who I'll refer to as "The Passenger" begin to communicate with the operator over the emergency intercom.

I could only hear one side of the conversation, and all I heard was "none of the doors opened at Farragut West, and a lot of people missed their stops, and now the doors aren't opening again, and we need to get off."

A few moments went by and still nothing happened. Then I heard "The Passenger" say "can we use the emergency door release?"

Then silence for a few moments.

Then, we heard through the overhead speakers from who I assume was the driver of the train "please use the emergency door release."

Then "The Passenger" begin to read aloud how to use the emergency door release from the directions posted on the side of the train, and within a few moments the left door of the center car on the right side of the train opened.

A lot of passengers begin to go through the doors as "The Passenger" appeared to hold the door release.

Then, we heard the pre-recorded message with the voice saying "doors closing" with the usual chime of the bell.

I saw the door was still open, and people were still going through.

I wondered if the train was going to start moving.

Luckily, that didn't happen, and more people got out of the train.

Then "The Passenger" said "anyone else?" And just like that he said "you all have a nice day" as he was the last one to go through the door that he opened.

I'm not sure, but I think someone went to the emergency door release, did something, and the door closed on its own.

After the train started moving, I got up and thought that I probably should get off at Metro Center just to be on the safe since the Metro Center platform is on the left side.

Thinking that maybe the problem was isolated to the right side car doors, I figured I would see what happened with the left side doors as my stop is Federal Center SW, and the doors open on the left as well.

At Metro Center, things went smoothly, same at Federal Triangle, where the doors also open on the left. I thought things would get interesting at Smithsonian, where the doors open on the right, but the doors opened and closed normally.

Just another manic Monday.

Other items:
Key decisions ahead this week for Dulles rail (Examiner)
Planning for Purple Line moving forward despite no money (WaPo)
NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman blasts Metro in speech (C-Span)

Station Manager Ambivalent about Gun-Toting Teen

From Kenneth:

I'm a long time Metro rider. I take the Yellow and Red lines from Alexandria (Braddock Road) to Silver Spring each day.

It is terrible to ride nowadays.

I don't see how anyone can tell me Metro is improving.

However, one of my dealings with this transit agency, which took place on the evening of June 23, really takes the cake.

I was jogging at around 8:10 in Alexandria, when I came across a youth who was carrying a handgun in the waist of his pants.

He was headed in the direction of the Braddock Road station on a footpath adjacent to Buchanan St., so I thought it would be best to report this to the King Street Metro station manager, since that was the closest place I could report such a thing.

I sprinted to the station, and was met with complete ambivalence and laziness.

When I told the manager that a youth with a gun was headed in the direction of the Braddock Road station, he said muttered a bored "yeah."

He then said that he'd "take care of it."

He remained stationary in his chair.

I told him I could describe the youth, but he said nothing.

He then motioned for me to leave the station, saying again that he would "take care of it."

Whenever I have dealt with law enforcement officials, they want to know details.

Hell, when I've reported suspicious behavior to other station managers, they've asked questions. This station manager did nothing. He actually reclined in his chair during the conversation!

I ended up running over to a Hilton hotel nearby the King Street Metro, where the desk clerk called the Alexandria police department. An officer arrived within about three minutes and took my information.

Such ambivalence about a youth with a gun, walking in the direction of another station (in a residential neighborhood) is heinous.

I reported this as a complaint to Metro the next day. I genuinely doubt I will get any response.

Other items:
"Fired" (Examiner)

Metro Dance Party

Scam!

Yesterday, @RCarBar tweeted:

Car just invaded by teens supposedly from the boys & girls club asking for $...anyone know if these guys are legit?

The general consensus was that this was as bogus as a Metro excuse.

Thanks to @gtcaz for sending the following from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington website:

BGCGW is not affiliated with any on-foot individuals or street vendors that sell goods for the purpose of raising money for our clubs or related programs. These merchants are often found soliciting in front of high foot-traffic establishments, such as major grocery stores, drug store chains, metro stations and home improvement retail outlets among others.

Apparently, the BGCGW scam is not the only scam going on in Metro, and there may even be an animal cracker scam afoot. (More info please, if you've seen this one.)

And here's another potential scam from Jared:

You know those guys that come up to you with a folder and some papers asking you to donate to their football team? Three of them were working Green Line trains the other night on the way to the Nats game.

One guy sat down next to a tourist, cornering the tourist in the bench seat asking for money while his two buddies accosted other passengers. I'd call it a soft-arm robbery.

Anyone else seen this tactic?

The "fundraiser" was a black male, 18-22, with a trimmed goatee. He didn't look like he was in high school, and he was likely too young to be a coach.

None of the individuals were wearing any team or high school related t-shirts.

Other items:
Bus driver impersonator back in action (Examiner)
Texting idiot (Fox5)

Jerky Rides Explained

I've always wondered why Metro is so jerky, especially when pulling into a station or stopping/restarting repeatedly in a tunnel. I'd never experienced this on any other subway system.

In addition to being uncomfortable, the jerkiness in the stations is a huge impediment to the quick egress/ingress of passengers from the trains, as a lot of people tend to want to stay seated or holding on as long as possible, knowing there will be some bucking as the train pulls in.

I got a tip more than a year ago that the major reason for this was the cars, 1000-series, 2000-series, etc., all have different braking and accelerating properties. Some brake harder, some speed up faster. The source said the cars were never meant to be mixed.

We asked Metro then if it was true only to be told it wasn't.

Their reason: It is a common, unfounded operator gripe. Nothing else.

I've talked to numerous Metro sources, operators and others, over the course of months about this, and they all told me the cars do have different braking and accelerating properties. This, they all said, leads to an "accordion" effect with cars bouncing back and forth as some slow or accelerate more quickly than others.

For example, several sources said, the 5000-series brake particularly hard, so a different series car behind a 5000 will likely bump the 5000 as the train slows.

Next time you're on a jerky train, you can really sense how the cars interact with one another when slowing down or speeding up. They're certainly not moving in unison.

One source said mixing the various series of cars was not a safety issue, but that because of all the bouncing, it does lead to greater wear and tear on the couplers that connect the cars.

On the bright side, the new 7000-can't be mixed--because they won't couple--with any of the other Metro cars, so jerking shouldn't be a problem with them. The downside? 7000-series trains can only be rescued by 7000-series trains. That could prove interesting.

Another reason for jerky rides, I'm told, is that there has been an influx of new operators in the past several months. They're simply not as good as veterans. For example, many experienced operators can compensate for the differing braking/propulsion properties, said a source, but the younger ones don't know how.

The last reason for the whiplash experience is that Metro management frequently sends out "hit squads" or "jump out guys" to make sure the operators are pulling up to the end of the platforms. These teams stand near the front of the platform, often disguised in "Hawaiian shirts" said one Metro source who is not an operator.

If an operator pulls too short or long of the mark, even by an insignificant amount, the hit teams will basically storm the operator's cabin and "ding" the operator, which could result in suspension, said a source. The source said that even with an 8-car train, there's about a 10-foot margin of error.

Because of this, operators inch up and up until they're within the limit, even if there's no danger of opening a door still in the tunnel, as source said.

Not only does this cause jerky rides, but it also eats away at dwell time--the amount of time the train stays at a station.

We asked Matt Bassett of the Tri-State Oversight Committee (TOC) about this issue:

If a train operator pulls too far ahead, or not far enough, he or she runs the risk of opening the train doors outside the platform. This exposes patrons to the hazards of the rail environment; live 3rd-rail power, train wheels and electrified train components to name just a few.

The "inching up" phenomenon can likely be attributed to an operator's cautious approach to the 8-car marker at the end of the platform. We're Metro riders too, and we understand the annoyance that this lurching sensation can cause our fellow passengers.

But we at the TOC still believe it's preferable to even the possibility of exposing riders to a dangerous fall to the trackbed. Careful adherence to, and enforcement of, safety rules such as this are essential to keeping the system safe.

A Metro source--again, not an operator--disagreed and said the hit squads were a management gimmick, a waste of time, eroded morale and were nothing more than safety theater because the majority of trains are 6-cars long, and pulling to the front of the platform is next to meaningless. They added that even with an 8-car train, precision within a foot or two was unnecessary.

Other items:
Metro outlines track work for entire year (WMATA)
McDonnell support federal cuts for transportation (WaPo)