Some Near Misses For Those in Rear Of Eight-Car Trains

Brian Moulton

Arlington

Metro is still investigating the two incidents, spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. But the transit authority is concerned that operators, like passengers, might be forgetting they are at the front of eight-car trains that fill the entire station platform.

Metro says it is increasing supervision and putting notices in operators' cabs to remind them. Operators should be looking down the platform from their cab windows to see the rest of the train. And they should be announcing that "This is an eight-car train" at every station -- partly to remind themselves.

I heard from four riders who were aboard those trains at Rosslyn. Petrillo said she didn't see any of her fellow "pre-coffee" commuters go for the intercom to contact the operator. "People didn't know what to do," she said. "You're not expecting that."

Nor should you.

The train operators were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigations.

Metrorail was designed to allow the doors to open automatically, but because of a malfunction in the electronic system that controls the doors, train operators recently assumed that task.

Riders know how often operators forget which station the train is at or where it's heading. The consequences of forgetting how many cars the train has can be fatal.

Enforcing Safety

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

So many people cross between corners that it is no wonder there are so many pedestrian deaths. Add to this the fact that people do not pay attention to the crosswalk signs, and there is a major problem.

A gentleman walked in front of me in the middle of a block while on his cellphone last week. Downtown Silver Spring could probably support the county just on illegal crossers at the corners around the Discovery Channel building if there was even minimal enforcement.

Philip Lalka

Wheaton

Despite periodic safety campaigns, local jurisdictions need to do a better job enforcing the street-crossing rules.

With limited resources, enforcement should target areas where pedestrian behavior is clearly dangerous and ticketing could produce visible results. Downtown Silver Spring, University Boulevard and Langley Park are among the good targets in Maryland.

What other dangerous spots would readers cite?

Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extras and Sunday in the Metro section. You can send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.com. Include your name, home community and phone numbers. Some letters are published.

Get There:http://blog.washingtonpost.com/getthere.