Other Ways to Come Out a Winner at the Ballpark

Thursday, May 22, 2008

So far, so good on getting people to and from Nationals Park on South Capitol Street SE. Metro has handled the crowds at the expanded Navy Yard station on the Green Line. But that's only one of the choices that allow fans to avoid driving to the neighborhood around the stadium.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Fans who end up on the Yellow, Blue or Orange lines after a game should consider skipping Navy Yard. Instead, take an extra 15-minute walk to the Capitol South station at First and C streets SE. Fans going anywhere in Virginia and many places in Maryland can avoid the mobs.

My destination is Pentagon City. Taking the Blue Line through town and around Rosslyn gives me a quiet ride with a seat instead of a long wait at Navy Yard and then a crowded ride to L'Enfant Plaza, plus a hurried switch to the Yellow Line. I've done all the routes for the past several weeks and, believe me, this is worth checking out.

Charlie Trew

Arlington

Mr. Trew said he uses the New Jersey Avenue route: "People can walk up Half Street with the crowd, and then cut over at M Street or go up another block and then cut over. Also, just after you cross over the railroad tracks on New Jersey, there is a little stairway that cuts down to Garfield Park on the right, and you can walk up First Street. I do that myself."

Some readers, many of whom haven't visited this area in a while, have expressed concern about the safety of a walking route.

"This area is changing fast," Trew said in an e-mail. "You've seen all the construction. There are loads of police around, too, and more than a few fans use this route already, so people shouldn't worry."

I think the New Jersey Avenue route is a fine choice, not only for the 20 minutes of exercise but also to avoid the congestion at Navy Yard Station or at the L'Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place Metrorail transfer points.

A little walk might be just the thing for baseball fans June 7 and 8, the last of four weekends for Metrorail's switch replacement project at Mount Vernon Square. Delays on the Green and Yellow lines will be extensive, and the transit authority is advising riders to add 30 to 45 minutes to their travel times through downtown Washington.

If you're not inclined to walk, look for the free Metrobus shuttles to Eastern Market, Union Station or Federal Center Southwest that will be operating after the seventh inning from New Jersey Avenue and M Street.

Headlight Reminders

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

With car headlights now automatic in many new cars, it seems drivers take for granted that their headlights are on when in fact they are not and should be. I've lost count of the number of cars I've seen on the road without lights in the last month.

Do you think it would help if traffic reporters reminded people to make sure their headlights are on when the sun starts going down? Late traffic reporter Walt Starling used to do it every night. And once the law went into effect requiring drivers to have headlights on when using windshield wipers, traffic reporters gave helpful reminders then, too.

Diane Condrick

Darnestown

Strategic Living

Melinda Solomon of Charles Town, W.Va., sought advice on where to live, given that she works in Gaithersburg and her husband in Manassas Park [Dr. Gridlock, May 8]. I suggested the Leesburg-Frederick corridor, but another reader makes a valid point.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I disagree with your advice to Ms. Solomon about her and her husband's commute. An obvious answer is to choose one job and live near it, and have the other spouse commute via Route 15.

Take into account who works the longest hours, who has to be home to greet the kids from school or who needs to be nearer the school. Also consider whose job is most likely to be permanent. Maybe one or both of them will not stay long at the same job.

My pick would be Manassas Park. Prices are way down there, and there's a VRE station if either gets a job inside the Capital Beltway.

It really depends on whose job fits which city. I think it's nuts to encourage both spouses to commute to other places when gas is so expensive. Why should they both be stuck in traffic?

Ann Clay

Manassas

Many couples have jobs that take them to widely separated destinations. As they look for a home, how should they decide who gets the shorter commute? Can both come out winners?

Metro Mats

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I think Metro should place mats at the main entrances of all stations. When it rains, the floor leading into a station is sopping wet. The wet-floor caution signs will not prevent falls. Fortunately, I have not witnessed any falls, nor have I fallen at a Metro station. But big, sturdy mats, on which Metro patrons can quickly wipe their feet, would most definitely prevent falls.

Rachel Cooper

Arlington

I like the sentiment. The platform tiles can be especially slippery under wet feet.

But picture the congestion at the station entrances as people pause to use the mats. Also, Metro has had some difficulty in keeping things attached to its floors. A few years ago, the transit authority stuck informational messages to the floors in stations. It wasn't long before they began to peel away. Imagine the results of installing floor mats without enough stick.

Dr. Gridlock appears Thursdays in the Extras and Sundays in the Metro section. Send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.comor write to Dr. Gridlock at 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Include your name, community and phone numbers.