By Lena H. Sun
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 20, 2008

For nearly a year, Metro managers have not been able to find money to give riders something they have been asking for: big signs at station entrances declaring that it is illegal to eat and drink in the system. But during the same period, they spent $76,000 on office furniture and equipment to replace outdated items in two executive conference rooms.

Neither the $75,000 cost of the signs nor the money for furniture is substantial in Metro's $1.3 billion operating budget. But the decision-making related to them has raised questions among riders about spending priorities and the agency's follow-through on issues directly affecting them, according to riders, officials who deal with the agency and Metro employees.

Three months after Metro unveiled 22 "state of the art" buses, the agency has yet to announce which routes will use them, even though Metrobus chief Milo Victoria promised that the new buses would be on the busiest routes by the end of August. It wasn't until last week that Metro publicly disclosed that a track inspector failed to notice the conditions that caused an Orange Line train to derail in June.

At Metro, many issues are controversial because they involve huge sums of money and competing political interests. But better signage is relatively inexpensive and supported by riders, staff and board members.

"That's ridiculous," bus and train rider Marian Wiggins, 38, said of Metro's spending decisions. "I work for a social service nonprofit, and we have the same cracked conference room tables since I got here over five years ago, and we use folding chairs."

Wiggins said that station signs would not only benefit riders, but also save Metro money "because they wouldn't have as much cleaning that has to be done" because of food and drinks. "Things that will help the ridership overall don't get implemented the way they should," she said.

Metro Deputy General Manager Gerald Francis acknowledged last week that his office had let the signs slip through the cracks. "It was overlooked, and it's on me," he said. After a reporter's question, he said that his department would find the money and that signs would be in place by the end of the year.

The bus deployment has been delayed because of road construction in the District, officials said. The delay in releasing the derailment report was to ensure that "all the t's were crossed and i's were dotted," Francis said.

Riders say improved signage will help visitors and infrequent users. There are prohibition signs, but they are small and hard to find. On rail cars, the symbols, slightly larger than a quarter, are on the system map and easily blocked from view on a crowded train.

"It's almost a game of scavenger hunt to find the prohibition sign in the rail car," said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. "It doesn't jump out at you."

The sign Metro designed last year is nine feet long and a foot wide and addresses all prohibited activities, including smoking, listening to audio devices without earphones, and eating and drinking. Metro wants to install signs at each of the 117 subway mezzanines, near the fare gates.

"This is a sign you would have to walk past upon entering," Farbstein said.

Metro's conference room expenditure replaced carpeting, ceiling tiles and chairs, some of which were more than 20 years old.

It included $30,000 for 60 leather chairs -- 30 for General Manager John B. Catoe Jr.'s conference room and 30 for Francis's -- and $5,655 for a 20-foot table for Francis's conference room. The table cost an additional $3,345 for refinishing and installation, which involved hoisting it from outside through a second-floor window. The new furniture was in place by early fall.

The old table was refinished and moved into Catoe's conference room; Catoe's table was sent to another office. The expenditure also included nearly $26,000 for videoconferencing equipment.

Two weeks ago, Catoe sent a memo to all employees directing them to cut back on nonessential spending, including travel, consultants, supplies and furniture. Metro, which is preparing next year's budget, will need to tighten its belt, he said, because the local and state governments that provide about 40 percent of its annual operating budget are cutting spending and seeing their revenue plummet.

Although some Metro officials warned against buying furniture, given the agency's budget problems, Catoe defended the purchase. "This furniture was ordered way before this economic crisis," he said. "I don't think there's ever a good time to buy new things." The previous chairs were old, and on several occasions, staff members had almost fallen when they leaned back, he said.