tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post4604802783233121496..comments2023-10-08T08:33:55.549-04:00Comments on Unsuck DC Metro: If I Ran Metro, I Would ...Unsuck DC Metrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02752056661298716293noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-18249835130305962102011-09-07T11:27:08.486-04:002011-09-07T11:27:08.486-04:00Not send out Pilot Project invitations without hav...Not send out Pilot Project invitations without having my S@%6& together!<br />I received an email to participate in the add value to your smartbenefit card online.<br />I normally use a transit chek visa card to do this at the station. So imagine my joy when I got the email inviting me to do it online.<br />Joy quickly turned into epic fail when I discovered I can't use my transit chek visa with lots of money on it to pay for my online smartbenefit purchase.<br /><br />Of course a call to the smartbenefit helpline netted nothing but bullshit, with the lady stating it is not our fault. I hope I hung up the phone extra hard in her rude damn ear!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-62460571604295140122011-07-21T13:38:18.074-04:002011-07-21T13:38:18.074-04:00Send the P17, P19 and W13 down the Anacostia Freew...Send the P17, P19 and W13 down the Anacostia Freeway rather than have them fight through traffic on S. Capitol. And as a result, extend the A9 to Oxon Hill Park and Ride to connect with them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-79271010539752373252011-05-04T13:38:14.192-04:002011-05-04T13:38:14.192-04:00Reserve one or two cars per train for riders 18 ye...Reserve one or two cars per train for riders 18 years old and older so that people who don't want to be around rowdy teens and crying babies can finally have a little peace.Ms. Blaséhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11605491023736134114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-9960876415024158182011-05-04T10:46:26.157-04:002011-05-04T10:46:26.157-04:00Get those idiots with their damned bicycles OFF th...Get those idiots with their damned bicycles OFF the escalators!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-84900871360877742922011-03-23T12:26:33.343-04:002011-03-23T12:26:33.343-04:00WHY IS THE HEAT ON FULL BLAST WHEN IT IS 55+ DEGRE...WHY IS THE HEAT ON FULL BLAST WHEN IT IS 55+ DEGREES OUTSIDE ANYWAYS!??! <br /><br />Some of us have to walk quickly and up hills before we enter the metro and when we get on the train to a big wave of heat it is very uncomfortable. It is also a safety hazard. The temperature on the train should not be above 80 degrees when the temperature outdoors is over 40. <br /><br />If this continues I will wear a bikini and bring a beach towel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-62429972697509608902011-02-14T20:51:54.643-05:002011-02-14T20:51:54.643-05:00Turnstiles. Why aren't there regular turnstile...Turnstiles. Why aren't there regular turnstiles that don't take forever to open and close? installing those stupid domes on the card readers doesn't make the gates open and close any faster.<br /><br />The gigantic boxes that house them and separate aisles...narrowing those boxes would easily allow for another aisle to be placed on each side of a gate. they are unnecesarily wide. And why does every station need two swinging door gates? If someone is appropriately being waved through, they can just be waved through on ONE SIDE. Put in another turnstile instead of the swinging walkthough. This would allow for at least two, maybe three additional gates to be in use. That is about a 50% increase for high volume times when everyone is trying to enter/exit through 4 gates.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-4087435392974797862011-01-14T12:07:05.489-05:002011-01-14T12:07:05.489-05:00a fairly easy thing to implement would be a rider ...a fairly easy thing to implement would be a rider reporting scheme where riders could call, email, tweet, or text metro police or the conductor when someone is doing something illegal on the cars. this would improve efficiency and reduce costs of policing to target infractions immediately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-87526330281026271732011-01-07T15:40:10.923-05:002011-01-07T15:40:10.923-05:003.) Step up the no food/ drink policy. I heard ab...3.) Step up the no food/ drink policy. I heard about that girl being arrested years ago for french fries and all of America laughed at DC's tough policy. <br /><br />But now I get why it came to that. The ilk that eat on the train largely only understand harsh penalties, not good will and courtesy.<br /><br /><br />I rode the NY and Boston trains for years and was surprised when I moved here that it was restricted. Now I see the genius of it. The problem is, it's getting to look like the worst of the trains I'd see up there.<br /><br />Especially on Fridays and weekends (when a party mood prevails, I can tell that the train has just been frequented by unruly ("urban")) teenagers by the time I get on at Farragut North to Shady Grove. That spot that also doubles as the end where a conductor sits tends to be loaded with fast food wrappers , spilled snacks , Iced tea cans, soda, etc. And yes, graffitti, pardon me, "graphic art." <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4- More uniformity in station announcements and commentary. Some offer too much detail and I tire of hearing each new rider welcomed with a " Good Morning..." as well-intentioned as that is. 97% us could care less about long-out-of-service elevators and escalator updates, too. <br /><br />5- Conductors: Don't speak at the wrong times, such as at the same time as the recorded "door closing - step back." There is a squawk that is produced when both happen at the same time. <br /><br />On another note, don't remind us we are "customers." It's sad to think I pay for "the Metro Experience" and at a prety penny at that, about $15 a day if I use the parking lot. (An outrageous daily sum)..Call us "riders" like other transit systems.<br /><br />6- Work on SMOOTH stops - ONE that is. The herky-jerky ride is very unpleasant. It feels like Amateur hour. As a former city bus driver in NY, I was trained to stop smoothly,to not spill the "champagne glass" on the hood. That's hard with the braking systems of a train but much more can be done. Know where the end is and then learn how to break on time to land there.<br /><br />7. Make the conductor position a better skilled , higher prestige position for serious people, not "working single mom" employment plan. Make it a sort of "Captain"-level responsiblity you might find on an airplane. <br /><br />I've ridden many subway / rail systems around the country - this is the most undependable and least confidence-building riding experience I have found. Impressions matter.<br /><br />The Metro Experence" (for so many well-documented reasons) has been all down-hill in the 5-6 years since I moved here and began commuting Monday to Friday. Here's hoping for a turnaround!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-16123002701846190972011-01-07T15:37:38.615-05:002011-01-07T15:37:38.615-05:00Random thoughts about Metro Rail, mostly from the ...Random thoughts about Metro Rail, mostly from the never-been-worse RED LINE):<br /><br />1. Let there be LIGHT ! It's long past-due to get over the modernistic "architectual marvels" that the stations are supposed to be ---put on some LIGHTS! <br /><br />Farraghut North is unacceptably poorly-lit to have to stand around under as you wait and many others are this way, by design and also poor bulb replacement policy.<br /><br />This is also a big problem once you're on the train. From too many seasts, many folks cannot figure out what the stop is - the announcements are not always clear or the speakers well placed.<br /><br />Also, more signs should be up so that you don't have to hope there is one more identifier.<br /><br />This is not always a problem for me but many newer riders and tourists and on some days, myself, cannot make out the stop.<br /><br />Also, Farraghut North now seems permanently in a state of crumbling decay. Roof sections missing, a big cordoned-off area ( a collapse?) ...It's looking and feeling very "3rd World." Factor in the escalator work and it's beyond tacky - just sad.<br /><br /><br />2.) Homeland Security announcements! "HULLO, This is Janet.." Puh-lease. We do not need to her Big Sister's burly reminder that we are reduced to having our fellow riders be the security on the trains. <br /><br />Yes, awareness is helpful, but it is no subtitute for a comprehensive re-think enforcement strategies, some of which are ignored for political reasons. I also don't want the rare private moments we have be a place for grand-standing politicians.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-69506670493152297712011-01-04T13:05:36.480-05:002011-01-04T13:05:36.480-05:00When reporting that kids are fighting on the platf...When reporting that kids are fighting on the platform or that you're getting hassled on the train, empower the metro police to *not* say, "Sorry Ma'am, I can't do anything."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-9281182519031534852011-01-04T13:03:29.900-05:002011-01-04T13:03:29.900-05:00Don't charge rush hour fares when not deliveri...Don't charge rush hour fares when not delivering rush hour service! This could be handled by software.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-86560347081876536932010-12-14T13:17:46.617-05:002010-12-14T13:17:46.617-05:00Fix Nextbus! Every time I call from the bus stop t...Fix Nextbus! Every time I call from the bus stop to find out when the next bus will arrive (as the slogan promises me) the sound of cars passing by in front of me causes the system to make up completely random responses that were nothing like what I actually requested. Here's how a typical call goes:<br /><br />Nextbus: Welcome to real-time next bus. Please enter your stop ID number.<br />ME: saying number<br />NB: I heard you say "Goodbye." Is that correct?<br />ME: No.<br />NB: Please enter your stop ID number.<br />ME: saying number<br />NB: I heard you say "Goodbye." Is that correct?<br />ME: No.<br />NB: Thank you for using real-time Nextbus. Goodbye.<br /><br />Trying again:<br />Nextbus: Welcome to real-time next bus. Please enter your stop ID number.<br />ME: saying number<br />NB: You said [stop number]. Is that correct?<br />ME: Yes! (hopeful, excited)<br />NB: Would you like information on a specific route?<br />ME: saying route number<br />NB: I heard you say "Goodbye." Is that correct?<br />ME: No. (dejected)<br />NB: Thank you for using real-time Nextbus. Goodbye.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-54610700116300263242010-10-26T17:18:26.888-04:002010-10-26T17:18:26.888-04:00The DC metro system needs serious upgrades and res...The DC metro system needs serious upgrades and restructuring.<br />It's very slow, inefficient, very expensive and very limited. <br />What is needed:<br />1. Beltway line which connects all other lines.<br />2. More trains to reduce waiting time and the time of travel.<br />3. Cheaper fair. Create a weekly, monthly and yearly card, the more you buy the less you pay per travel. Also combine travel fair for different transport to make one card covering everything like it is done in Europe.<br />4. Extend metro lines, make it more convenient for<br />people of the suburbs. Only than they will start using public transportation instead of their cars.<br />6. Government should support public transportation. It is a significant part of an infrastructure of any developed country, not just a business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-23978976263271485232010-10-12T18:09:34.552-04:002010-10-12T18:09:34.552-04:00Stop blasting out my eardrums by using their horns...Stop blasting out my eardrums by using their horns on the trains for crowd control, especially at Metro Center. Oh, and put in poles to hold onto in the newer cars -- that seems to have escaped their demented moronic minds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-27172027322398270982010-10-10T13:33:20.155-04:002010-10-10T13:33:20.155-04:00Metro should consider these following:
-Eliminate...Metro should consider these following:<br /><br />-Eliminate the no eating and drinking rule, allow vendors inside of stations. Also increase the penalty for litter and add more trash receptacles.<br /><br />-Get rid of the carpet in the subway cars.<br /><br />-Make the system 24/7 within city limits/bust segments. This means between 12am-5am Sun-Thurs and 3am-7am on the weekends red line train would only operate between Dupont Circle and Silver Spring, Green line between Anacostia and Fort Totten, Yellow line between Mt. Vernon Square Reagan National Airport, Orange line between Ballston and Minnesota Ave, and the Blue line wouldn't have any service at all. Trains could run a headways of 30-45 minutes to it wouldn't interfere with nighttime maintenance and trains could single track longer lengths without disturbing trains in the opposite direction. During this time metro could charge a $5.00 flat fare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-18770162949074267942010-09-26T15:51:22.754-04:002010-09-26T15:51:22.754-04:00I f I were King for a Day I would scrap the Union ...I f I were King for a Day I would scrap the Union Officals who go on You tube and look like they have a bad hang over. I would request an independent investigation of the Union and an independent investigation of Metro. I heard they missed out on grant money because the did not use the grant money before the deadline.<br /><br />1. Scrap current financial managers and hire competent advisors.<br /><br />2. Hire new staff in HR who will hire all races. (NO diversity!)Hire VA DC MD<br /><br />3. Husband and wife team on the UNION Board must go! (Should be illegal) Husband and wife self promoted in Metro conflict of interest and making over $230,000.00 a year.)<br /><br />4. Hire a CEO from outside the US. (Preferably not AA.)<br /><br />5. For employees who want to be promoted to qualified position must be given the opportunity. Regardless what position they were hired.<br /><br />6. All managers who have been caught on drugs, fire them and do not rehire them. These jobs/positions are safety sensitive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-44319324322740228552010-08-04T12:27:00.304-04:002010-08-04T12:27:00.304-04:00"Amend the Metro Board rules so that all memb..."Amend the Metro Board rules so that all members may not own cars and must use public transit for 100% of their travel needs."<br /><br />That is fucking stupid...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-32839262976800500022010-06-25T11:34:34.249-04:002010-06-25T11:34:34.249-04:00Limit station names to 20 characters. No slashes ...Limit station names to 20 characters. No slashes or hyphens allowed. Nothing that can't fit on one line on a map. Return all station names back to their original names. Start with Woodley Park, the one that started it all.<br /><br />(Yeah, trivial, I know. But annoying)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-12752469490073746972010-06-15T07:51:55.029-04:002010-06-15T07:51:55.029-04:00Provide accurate message boards. When I walk into...Provide accurate message boards. When I walk into the station, I need to know when the next train is leaving and not learn about elevator outages in other states.<br /><br />Also, "2 Minutes" has become "2 Minutes or less." E.g., trains have left Glenmont with 2 minutes showing on the board.bmfc1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-34749813167243545942010-06-15T07:49:00.890-04:002010-06-15T07:49:00.890-04:00Stop charging Glenmont and Shady Grove customers t...Stop charging Glenmont and Shady Grove customers the highest fares on the Red Line while getting 50% of the service. If there's a good reason to turn trains around at Silver Spring and Grosvenor, and I'm not sure there is, then don't charge anybody going past those stations for a longer ride when we get half the service.bmfc1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-52754930657442781322010-06-09T14:51:12.899-04:002010-06-09T14:51:12.899-04:00Fix the darn escalators faster. Van Ness Station e...Fix the darn escalators faster. Van Ness Station escalators have been out of service for so long. Both on the platform and then again at the top tier to exit. And there only seems to be one guy working on things at a time - slower than a snail. Come on guys, wrap it up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-84352424812955906152010-03-01T17:54:05.315-05:002010-03-01T17:54:05.315-05:00Create reserved parking garages so the paying subs...Create reserved parking garages so the paying subscribers aren't screwed out of a space before 10am by illegal occupants.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-23063133460864291792010-02-19T10:35:10.610-05:002010-02-19T10:35:10.610-05:00Here is how I would Un-Suck METRO
1. STOP the Com...Here is how I would Un-Suck METRO<br />1. STOP the Commedia dell'arte <br />2. PAY for PERFORMANCE<br />3. DEDICATED Funding <br />4. RESTRUCTURE Collective Bargaining Agreements<br />5. ESTABLISH Best Practices Review<br />6. IMPLEMENT State of the Art Technologies<br />7. DEVELOP 10 year $300B Master Plan for Capital Program.<br />8. SHAME/HARANGUE/EMBARRASS Politicians to Fund Capital Program.<br />9. WORK across political lines in non-partisan way<br />10. TALK the TALK, WALK the TALK<br />11. BE ACCOUNTABLE<br />12. PROVIDE VISION<br />13. PROVIDE LEADERSHIP<br />14. ADMIT MISTAKES<br />15. CORRECT MISTAKES QUICKLY<br />16. CONTINUOUS EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT<br />17. HELP INSTILL PRIDE in BEING METRO workers<br />18. LISTEN to Contrarians<br />19. RESPOND to scurrilous attacks immediately<br />20. SUPPORT hard-working employeesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-87191890213419246342010-01-21T18:31:54.417-05:002010-01-21T18:31:54.417-05:005A ways to improve the 5A to Dulles:
1. Install ...5A ways to improve the 5A to Dulles:<br />1. Install a ticket machine at the stop. That way, people could pay their fare while waiting for the bus, rather than clogging the entry when the bus arrives. This also would permit the use of credit cards, so people (particularly foreign visitors) don't need to ask fellow passengers to break a twenty.<br />2. Modify the schedule so that it runs MORE frequently on weekends and holidays (when non-business air travel increases), rather than less frequently like other Metrobus lines.<br />3. Regularize the seemingly arbitrary schedule to something that can be summarized in a few words, like "every 20 minutes."<br />4. Express from Rosslyn to Dulles, at least some of the time. How many people ever get on/off in Herndon?<br />5. Prohibit bags so big that they block the aisle. Or at least prohibit them in the front half of the bus, so that others can board.<br />5A. How would I pay for the increased service? Raise the fare. The 5A is less expensive (in some cases, much less expensive) than the fare from most of the 10 busiest U.S. airports to downtown (see list below). A fare increase to $5 would still leave it in the middle. (And if you raise the fare to a nice round number, you can do without suggestion 1. Note how many fares on the list below are round numbers.)<br />Fare from top U.S. airports to downtown:<br />ATL 2.00<br />ORD 2.25<br />LAX 7.00<br />DFW 3.75<br />DEN 10.00<br />JFK 7.25<br />LAS 2.00<br />IAH 15.00(!)<br />PHX 1.75<br />SFO 8.10Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8689506078297112665.post-68339454345524747392010-01-19T16:02:22.676-05:002010-01-19T16:02:22.676-05:00Add Platform Managers to restrain (literally, if n...Add Platform Managers to restrain (literally, if necessary) those idiots who think they can smoosh in. I have been on so many trains off-loaded because of ego-loaded people. A cheerful Platform Manager could get people to move to the middle of the car better that Anna Automatom, as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com