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Some Metro Riders May Reach for Car Keys
Fort Washington resident Omar Bynum, a contractor for the Justice Department, now spends between $10 and $12 a day to park and take Metro into the District.
(By Lois Raimondo -- The Washington Post)
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Many riders said the proposals unfairly target suburban commuters who work for federal agencies and have no control over when they start their workdays.
"Stick 'em up," said John Parker, 61, raising his arms in a mock holdup as he got off a Red Line train at Metro Center about 8:15 a.m. yesterday. "We're the easiest targets," said Parker, a Rockville resident who commutes between Twinbrook and Foggy Bottom, where he works at the State Department. Parker has to travel during rush hour, and he doesn't want to drive because there is no parking.
Omar Bynum, 35, lives in Fort Washington and rides the Green Line from Southern Avenue on his to way to Metro Center. As a contractor for the Justice Department, he also has to travel during rush hour. His daily parking fee and round-trip commute is easily $10 to $12 a day, he said. Still, he said, he would probably stay on Metro because it is cheaper than driving.
Younger workers said the 35-cent surcharge seemed particularly unfair.
The 35-cent charge "for using a downtown station seems like a penalty for those of us who work anywhere within D.C.," Sarah Sullivan, 26, wrote in an e-mail. Sullivan works in the marketing department of a downtown law firm and takes the subway from Rockville to Metro Center. "It feels like I'm being punished not only for living far away where rents are more affordable, but also for working downtown."
Graham said his review of the budget proposal "suggests very strongly that we can take steps to avoid any fare increase."
Specifically, Graham suggested that the agency cut an additional 5 percent from all administrative budgets and eliminate 240 vacant positions, rather than the 34 proposed by staff.
He also suggested hiring fewer consultants, eliminating about 60 take-home cars and dropping the planned 5 percent pay raises for about 1,600 nonunion employees. Agency officials had proposed the raises as a way to keep middle managers from leaving for jobs in other jurisdictions where raises have averaged about 5 percent.
Several board members said they agreed with Graham's assessment that fare increases are not inevitable.
"Before anyone comes to that conclusion, we have to have an exhaustive look" at all options, said Chris Zimmerman, who represents Virginia on the board. "Fare hikes should be the next-to-last thing we should do," he said. "The last thing we should do is a reduction in service."
