By Dr. Gridlock
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Iasked readers to comment on the transit authority's upgrade to the electronic information displays in the Metrorail stations [Commuter page, Sept. 21]. The signs now can show information faster and in more detail when a service disruption occurs.
Most commenters saw this as an improvement, which is striking because readers rarely have anything good to say about Metro's communications with riders. And I agree with them that it's one of the areas in which transit managers most need to earn the trust of their customers.
For some readers, the sign upgrade is a case of "good, but . . . " They want to see -- and hear -- more.
"While I am delighted that the signage giving updates and information is going to be improved," Brenda Hillyer of Washington said in an e-mail, "I am still very concerned when you say that passengers 'should be paying attention to the oral announcements aboard trains and in stations.'
"I have really paid attention every single time I have heard one of these supposed announcements but have never been able to understand a word that was being said. The sound system in the stations is absolutely awful, and messages sound like they are coming from the bottom of the ocean."
John P. Markey of Reston suggested that Metro's Web site ( http://www.wmata.com) report the current conditions at each station. "For example," he wrote, "it might report that the outbound station platform is extremely crowded due to a train malfunction on the line and that the next train is not expected for 15 minutes.
"That type of information would tell a commuter in advance what the conditions were in a particular station. The commuter could perhaps decide to delay his departure from work or to take an alternate mode of transportation."
Access for DisabledI'm still concerned about access to the Silver Spring Metro station for the elderly, frail and disabled now that construction has begun on the transit center.
Here's some more information from Thomas D. Pogue, spokesman for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, about what various county departments have done to ease access.
There's Braille signage at bus stops. Some sidewalks were widened, unneeded posts and signs removed, and some trees and tree pits eliminated.
Lighting was added on Ramsey and Dixon avenues. There are audio signals for crossing the intersection at Dixon and Wayne avenues, a key junction for travelers during the construction.
Yellow dimpled warning pads have been installed on sidewalk access ramps. Reflective bands were placed at 48-inch and 60-inch heights on most of the sidewalk poles around the station and its bus stops to assist pedestrians with vision problems.
A third VanGo shuttle bus was added, and the route now includes stops at East-West Highway and Colesville Road, Wayne Avenue and Colesville in what's known as the "Jug Handle" (Bus Stop A in the new system) and at Bonifant Street and Georgia Avenue. A person can ride from any of these locations for free, and buses run every 12 minutes.
Two Web pages, one for the Silver Spring Transit Center at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/sstc and the other for the Health and Human Services Department at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hhs, offer guides that help people figure out distances from the Silver Spring Station's south entrance so travelers can evaluate using an alternative station.
Pogue said the county agrees that it would be helpful to post some type of "walking warning" on the county's Web site and on Metro's Silver Spring Station page and will work on that.
That Metro Web page for Silver Spring Station does link to the map showing the new bus stop layout around the station, but it would help to have more specific information for walkers facing challenges, along with a flat-out warning that this is going to be difficult during the next two years of construction.
A couple of other suggestions:
Pedestrians, it's easier to walk along the north side of Wayne Avenue, closer to Colesville Road. Drivers, use your signal lights. The crossing guards are doing a great job at the intersections, but they're sometimes baffled about your intentions.
Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extras and Sunday in the Metro section. You can send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.com. Include your name, community and phone numbers. Some letters are published. Get There:http://blog.washingtonpost.com/getthere.
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