Metro: Roads and Rails

Roads, Airports, Mass Transit

Do you think Metro has grown unreliable and become downright unpleasant? Or are you happy with your commutes on rail and bus? Does the thought of the intercounty connector (ICC) keep you up at night or does it seem like it's long overdue? And what of the moves by Maryland and Virginia to encourage the private sector to build road projects, such as widening the Capital Beltway?

Washington Post staff writers Steven Ginsberg and Lyndsey Layton were online Monday, April 17, at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, feel your pain and share the drama of getting from Point A to Point B.

A transcript follows.

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Steve Ginsberg: Hello fellow travelers. The folks in Virginia are still twiddling their thumbs while we still sit in traffic, Metro had its second highest day ever last week and the whole get out of town ride was turned upside down this weekend. The roads were jammed Friday morning but if you left the city at 5 o'clock there was no traffic. Is this particular to Good Friday or are we all leaving early to beat traffic and just creating different traffic? And with that, let's go...

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I-66 Eastbound afternoon holdup: I've submitted this several times before, but never gotten it posted, so if you do answer it, thanks in advance. What on earth is the deal with the afternoon holdup at I-66 Eastbound and the merge with 276/Dulles Toll Road? I drive from Reston to Arlington in the afternoons, and I really don't understand why there's usually a fifteen-minute backup at this point. At first I thought it was because 267 and 66 were merging, but the stop-and-go traffic continues past the Glebe Road exit.

Who's going eastbound at this time of day (besides me, of course)?!?! Traffic on westbound 66 at this point is flying along, and you can't tell me more people are heading eastbound in the afternoons than westbound.

It's so frustrating. Thank goodness for books on tape. And I know a 15-minute holdup isn't much compared to what other people face, but it's frustrating to have a 26 minute commute in the morning and never know how long it's going to be in the afternoon.

Steve Ginsberg: I hear ya. I used to do this commute myself. The answer is a combination of things. First, there are way more people like you than you think. With people moving into the city and jobs moving to Tysons and Dulles, there are lots of what used to be called "reverse" commuters. I don't think that term applies in our area anymore. Commuters go in every direction, all the time. The second factor is the merge you cite, which takes a couple miles to shake out. And lastly, there are just too many cars for a two-lane highway these days. This sometimes impacts eastbound 66 more than westbound because the westbound traffic is heading toward a highway that expands, while eastbounders are stuck with two lanes all the way to the District.

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Washington, D.C.: So what's up with the street cleaning in DC?? I recently watched on my block as the street cleaner went down the block swerving around some cars that were left in the way. These cars all had the regular $30 ticket on them. What angered me was well after the street cleaner had gone by here comes the DC tow truck hooking up the cars and towing them off. Is this just another revenue stream for the DC govt or what?? Whats the point of towing the cars after the street has already been swept? The street cleaners never come back and hit the block again. I am all for keeping the streets clean and keeping my car out of the way but the towing seemed a little out of hand to me...what gives DC government??

Steve Ginsberg: I think the idea is that if your car gets towed this week, odds are much greater that you'll remember next week to move it.

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White Plains, Md.: Why don't DC are airports and rail stations utilize EZ-Pass to pay parking garage fees?

Steve Ginsberg: I don't have exact dates, but I've heard that they will be using this technology soon. It makes a lot of sense, for sure.

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Greenbelt, Md.: How often does Metro review how well its bus service serves the public? IFor example, my mother is in her eighties and would love to ride the bus to her errands and appointments, but finds the system is too disjointed. She has friends who live in Fort Lincoln, about three miles from her house in Northeast Washington. But she would have to take three buses to get there because all of the service in her neighborhood is focused on carrying people into the heart of the city, instead of around its periphery. If anyone from Metro is monitoring this chat, I have a suggestion. Why not extend your current low-ridership route D4 shuttle from Union Station to Fort Lincoln? That way, more people from a fringe area on Northeast Washington would have a direct downtown connection. Metro should be more useful in directly connecting neighborhoods.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Greenbelt,

Your mother's observations are on target. Metrobus has an unusually high number of transfers - which is an indication that the route designs are not in sync with travel patterns.

Basically, Metrobus hasn't changed much since it was created in the 1970s. Planners do a little tweaking here and there, but by and large, the system is unchanged. (We chronicled this problem and others related to Metrobus in a lengthy story in December).

The bus system doesn't regularly monitor on-time performance - it has no idea if most of its buses are late, early or following the schedule. And it has only loose ridership estimates - it hasn't checked ridership on some routes in five (!) years.

That kind of poor baseline data makes it difficult to know if the routes and schedules are meeting demand.

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Lyndsey Layton: Two weeks ago, a chatter from Arlington asked whether Metro will stay open late if Nationals games go into extra innings, and who pays for that extra cost.

Candace Smith of Metro says the agency plans to use the same agreement it negotiated

last year with the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. If rain

delays or extra innings cause Metro to operate beyond its normal

closing schedule, the system will calculate the extra cost and bill any shortfall to the sports and entertainment

commission.

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Petworth, Washington, D.C.: My dream has come true. A recent morning at the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station, a guy pumped the transfer machine a few times to get extra transfers. The Metro employee, out of her booth, reprimanded him up and down, but politely, saying he didn't pay four fares so he wasn't entitled to four transfers. The kicker was, "What kind of influence are you on the children?"

Next, eating and drinking on the trains and in stations. Consistent reminders and reprimands from Metro workers would go a long way toward changing behavior, but they're usually silent.

I wish I hadn't been in such a rush, and had thanked the Metro worker.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Petworth,

Consider your thank-you delivered. And a shout-out to the station manager at Georgia Avenue-Petworth, who displayed the kind of job performance we'd like to see throughout the system.

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South Riding, Va.: Braddock Road, between South Riding and Centreville, is a narrow, winding and dangerous 2-lane rural path that connects thousands of homes to Fairfax County and points east. Toll Brothers and Loudoun County are improving the parts west of the county line. Fairfax County doesn't perceive this as their problem. How do we go about getting VDOT to upgrade this road, before someone gets killed?

Steve Ginsberg: You're not going to like my answer. But the answer is to join the long list of people who have similar requests. There are lots of roads just like Braddock that haven't quite made the transition from rural route to commuter connector and the state has lagged in dealing with them. They say they don't have the money and that's one reason why the governor and some legislators want to raise taxes to give VDOT more money.

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Washington, D.C.: Thought we could use a comment on something done well. I usually drive to Nationals games because it's faster for getting home to Virginia than taking the Metro, but for the home opener on Tuesday I left from my office downtown and had to come back to the office after the game, so I took the subway out there. On the way back I decided to try the free Metrobus shuttles to Union Station since I work across the street from Metro Center. I was back at my desk within 25 minutes of leaving RFK. Based on the crowds heading to the subway, the train would have taken twice as long. Hopefully WMATA will continue to offer this service for future day games! My only gripe was that the bus wasn't air conditioned.

(I did not get to ride the express train on the way out there, but I'm curious how they pulled that off. Are non-rush intervals large enough to allow nonstop trains without running up on the train ahead?)

Steve Ginsberg: You chose more wisely than I did. I took a cab to the game from downtown and that probably took about as long as Metro, for a lot more money. But we got stuck in awful traffic on the way back and it took us about an hour. Metro would have been wiser all around.

And you've got the express service right. There is enough of a gap to run an express. I talked to Metro boss Dan Tangherlini about the service Thursday and he was very pleased with it and said they plan to do it again.

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Ashburn, Va.: Steven: I think we must be all changing our schedules to avoid traffic and creating different traffic patterns. For the past four years or so, I've been working a very early schedule, getting to the office by 6 and leaving at 2 to beat the traffic. I've noticed the number of cars on the road has increased tremendously over that time period. Jam spots include the merge onto I-66 from the toll road in the morning and from Rosslyn to East Falls Church in the afternoon. On mornings like this one, when we have rain, the traffic is even worse. I guess I'll have to start working 5 to 1 soon....

Steve Ginsberg: Pretty soon I bet you can go back to 9 to 5 and have no problems at all.

The biggest shift I've seen is on weekend getaway days and holidays. People really have jumbled when they leave and now it's actually harder to predict when to go. I drove down to Fredericksburg Friday morning at 10 a.m. and it was bumper to bumper the whole way. Took me two hours. It looked worse when I came back around 1.

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Reston, Va.: Why don't the local governments look atnew options such as hovercraft service on the river and the bay to Washington, D.C.?

Steve Ginsberg: Various ferry/hovercraft ideas have been explored over the years and none have made enough economic sense to do.

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Bowie, Md.: Good morning. I'm going to be taking classes 3 evenings a week in Gaithersburg. At first I was going to take metro to Shady Grove and then the bus to the school...however, the bus doesn't run that late in the opposite direction, so I'll be driving instead. I'm coming from the Union Station area and the directions I got say to take the GW Parkway to the Beltway to 270. I have never gone in this direction during the evening rush. Any idea how traffic is going that way? (The class is less than 3 months, so if it's bad, at least I won't be doing it for too long.)

Steve Ginsberg: Yikes. I'm guessing you got those directions from MapQuest, which is, for some reason, wild about sending people on the GW Parkway. The Parkway itself is somewhat okay during the rush, but I'm not so sure about getting all the way from Union Station to the Parkway. I think there's got to be a better way that would avoid that long crosstown trek and the Beltway in Maryland. Anyone have any thoughts?

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Washington, D.C.: Lyndsey, Lyndsey! I e-mailed my Red Line manager about a increasingly frequent situation on the train. In less than TWO hours Helen (Becky) Gregory replied to my message addressing my concern and offering several strategies for coping with the situation. Three cheers for Ms. Gregory and Metro.

Lyndsey Layton: Well, all righty. That's what we mean by customer service!

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Fairfax, Va.: I seem to remember somewhere that VDOT plans to upgrade the intersection at Gilberts Corner (US-15 and US-50) by constructing a series of roundabouts. I'm curious if you know of anywhere that shows a map of what's planned. I'm interested in knowing what VDOT means by a "series of roundabouts." I'm sure they aren't going to do something like the Magic Roundabout in Swindon.

Steve Ginsberg: You should be able to get your answers at this site:

http://www.route50.org/

In the meantime, do please tell us all about the Magic Roundabout in Swindon.

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Atlanta, Ga.: Hi Steven!

In your last chat, a poster said that Metro should change to center facing seats, just like on Atlanta's subway. That poster was incorrect-- Atlanta's subway, called MARTA, has seats just like Metro's! The seats that are next to the doors face inward (as do Metro's, I think) but the rest of the seats face one another.

For proof, see the picture on the " Bikes on Marta " page.

Unlike Metro, MARTA's restrooms can actually be easily used by customers... the restroom doors here even have signs stating that the restrooms are for the use of customers! (I can email you a picture if you'd like.)

Steve Ginsberg: Setting the record straight about MARTA from our friends down South.

The center facing seats I know are in New York.

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Washington, D.C.: This may more of an etiquette question, but it is pertaining to the Metro. As daily commuter on the Red Line, and a rather skinny rider myself, I'm faced with a reoccurring problem. I feel I'm often the target of overweight passengers looking for a seat that could offer them the most room. Is it rude to stand up and excuse ones' self from the seat to allow the other passenger the entire bench? I'd rather stand than be forced to sit smashed against the window for 30mins. I've been tempted offer this to several riders, but I fear it may be rude, implying that the other rider is too large for the space (which they often are). Get up and move, regardless of the consequences, or grin and bear it?

Lyndsey Layton: Oh my goodness. You've just touched on a neurosis many of us share. I come up against it when I'm sharing a seat with a stranger and a nearby bench is vacated. Do I get up and move to the empty seats? Or do I stay put because I'm worried about offending the stranger next to me? And why am I worried about offending a stranger? And is this something women think about much more than men? By the time I get to the question of socialization, I've arrived at my stop.

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Re: ferry service: "Various ferry/hovercraft ideas have been explored over the years and none have made enough economic sense to do."

Yet sitting in traffic, wasting time and gas, and all of the lost production DOES make economic sense? Our elected officials need to sit in this traffic every single day. I'll bet suddenly, it would make a lot of economic sense.

Why does it work in New York (a bigger city) and Seattle (a smaller city), but it wouldn't work here in D.C.?

Steve Ginsberg: Washington has many problems those cities don't have. The Wilson Bridge, for one. Wanna raise and lower the drawbridge a couple times during rush hour every morning and night? I'm also told that one of the problems in Washington is that there isn't the high concentration of workers near a landing site for a boat. Where would you drop them? You could do Georgetown, but there's no Metro and that's not where most people work. It's not like lower Manhattan, where millions work within walking distance of the pier.

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Boonsboro, Md.: Has the ban on food on Metro been dropped? It seems every other rider is eating on the Red line...

Lyndsey Layton: No Boonsboro, it's just Tourist Season on the Metro. Do many of those people chewing and drinking look like they're from somewhere else?

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Weird question here: I have a 6:30 PM flight out of Dulles to London on Wednesday and I'm coming from downtown. Do you have any sense of how I-66 is between 3:00 and 4:00? I know if I waited until after 4:00 I could ignore HOV, but then if I get stuck somewhere I'm shaving it too close. Would I be better off on Washington Boulevard or US-29 out to Falls Church and then picking up I-66 to the Dulles Access Road there, or should I chance I-66?

Steve Ginsberg: I have crossed the line and now avoid 66 at all costs. I would take the GW Parkway to the McLean Rt. 123 exit. Follow that for a couple miles, where it hooks up with the Dulles Toll Road/Access Road. Others? Better suggestions?

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Arlington, Va.: Metro surveys: Last week one morning I was handed an orange mail in survey card as I entered the Ballston station dealing with the 8 car train debacle...erm, I mean experiemnt. Today I received a blue card with a similar survey as I exited the blue line at King Street. Will the results of these surveys be made available to the press and the public at some point? It would be interested if everyone else's perceptions of the experiment are similar to mine.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Arlington,

We'll certainly ask for the results. Stay tuned.

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Arlington, Va.: Hey Lyndsey, last chat, I wrote in about my trenchcoat that was ripped by a Metro fare gate, how I talked with the station manager, who filed a report, and who told me that I would hear from them. I've never heard anything back, I'm just wondering if you have any suggestions on who to contact? I tried sending an email, no response to that either.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Arlington,

Send me an email directly at laytonl@washpost.com and I'll hook you up with someone at Metro.

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Fairfax, Va.: Has anyone noticed that the Airports Authority proposal to build rail drops federal funding for Phase II, and instead takes the money locally? That's roughly a billion dollars in new taxes imposed by the Authority, which is unaccountable to the people it is taking the money from. Does anyone care?

Steve Ginsberg: Lots of people care, for sure. The money would come from drivers on the Dulles Toll Road, who would be tolled to raise money to repay Authority bonds. However, while the airport authority has said it doesn't need the federal money, it has also said it will continue to try to get it so they don't stick toll road users with most of the costs. Whether they get it remains to be seen.

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Herndon, Va.: Comment: Dulles Toll Road - paralyzed so the President can go shopping!!

Steve Ginsberg: really? right now? is he getting me anything?

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Magic Roundabout in Swindon: Swindon is in England, west of London, and is legendary for the Magic Roundabout. Five roads come together there and the junction has five mini-roundabouts arranged around a larger central roundabout in which traffic flows anti-clockwise instead of the usual clockwise flow (remember they drive on the left, so traffic goes the other way).

Imagine plopping THIS down in place of Dupont Circle or Washington Circle:

The Magic Roundabout

Steve Ginsberg: Wow! It is magic! We could get our own in Seven Corners and outdo the British by two. Take that England!

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Fairfax, Va.: I'm new to the area and just discovered a great way to bypass Springfield if heading south. From Tyson's Corners/Fairfax City, just take Route 123 South to Woodbridge and you're right on I-95 South.

Steve Ginsberg: You are indeed, but doesn't 123 jam pretty bad quite often?

(And if it doesn't, you've just ensured that it will.)

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Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C.: To whom should I address my complaints about the behavior of Metrobus drivers? On several occasions, I've witnessed them failing to pick up disabled people, or making inappropriate comments to women, that sort of thing. How can I make sure that somebody in a position to do something about it will hear me? I fear that my complaints will be summarily round-filed.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Columbia Heights,

The bus system badly needs a point person, similar to the newly appointed supervisors for the various subway lines, to which riders can address complaints and suggestions.

In the meantime, send us an email with the bus number (it's in big digits at the front of the above the windshield), route number, time of day, and what you observed. Send it to laytonl@washpost.com or sunl@washpost.com

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Silver Spring, Md.: For the Union station to shady grove person:

Rock Creek Parkway all the way up to where you can get off near Grubb Road in Silver Spring.

Then left on 410 and through Bethesda/Old Georgetown Road to 270.

OR

up 13th/16th to Georgia to the Beltway and on to 270.

No quick way exists.

Steve Ginsberg: Thanks for the suggestions. Were it me, I would take the first option.

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Reston, Va.: About the Hovercraft/ferry ideas:

Building rail to Dulles does not make economic sense either, yet we are doing it.

Steve Ginsberg: One distinction: Dulles is a state project. The ferry ideas have been explored by private firms, which have to make money. I don't think the state has ever looked into it, unless I'm forgetting something.

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Suitland, Md.: I am a creature of habit. I ride the Green line and the REd line to work every day, and I always sit i nthe same cars and use the same escalators when I transfer. But for the past two weeks, my escalator at Gallery Place/China Town has not been working. There are no signs of any repairs being done, it is just not turned on. In the grand scheme of things, clearly this is not very important, but every morning I see that escalator not working and it annoys me. What gives?

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Suitland,

You're the second chatter to raise the spectre of the frozen escalator at Gallery Place. (See earlier posting) We'll find out what gives and let you know.

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Ashburn, Va.: Steve, I couldn't agree more with the rising unpredictability as to when people decide to leave the area for the weekend. Two weeks ago, it took over 5 hours to drive to Philly, yet this past Friday it took 4 and half to get up to the NE part of Penn. I face this predicament every time I head north to PA or out 50 to Ocean City, and it's pretty much a coin flip. Either you're flying along or you're crawling.

Steve Ginsberg: It's so frustrating. And I agree, you either get super lucky or super unlucky. We should time our departures by license plate number or something.

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Alexandria, Va.: My experience with MARTA was during the Olympics, and the system was running trains with perimeter only seating. If this has changes since I last used the syste in 1996, then I stand corrected.

Steve Ginsberg: Okay, last word on MARTA. We don't care that much.

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Fairfax, Va.: For the skinny Metro rider...I vote get up and move. I've done it myself and have in fact stood. I don't say anything to the other rider then "excuse me please" as I get up. As for the consequences, they still have a seat and probably both of you are more comfortable. I also get up and move with any size rider if I'm trapped on the inside and an open seat becomes available, I don't see the point of my being crowded on the inside, but sometimes people who possibly are afraid of offending me don't get up. I wish they would but since they don't, I do.

Lyndsey Layton: Well all right, Fairfax. 'Get up and move' is now my new mantra.

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Burke, Va.: Will we ever see a new Potomac crossing in my lifetime (I'm 30)? It's pathetic to think there are only 8 bridges (Point of Rocks, American Legion, Chain, Key, Roosevelt, Memorial, Wilson, and Nice) along almost 50 miles of river. In addition, three of those aren't even double lane in each direction. You don't see a lack of crossings anywhere else in the country, especially in a region that has such a high number of people crossing between states.

What's the deal?

Steve Ginsberg: The deal is that people on both sides of the river oppose additional crossings whenever they are proposed.

I'm not sure if you'll see another one in your lifetime. There's certainly not going to be another one in the next decade or more.

But, the effect of another one will come in 2008 when both spans of a new Wilson Bridge open. It'll go from 6 to 12 lanes.

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Alexandria, Va.: Please put out the word about the Washington Area Bicyclist Association's "Bike to Work Day" on May 19th! I've largely given up Metro in favor of a lovely ride along the Potomac River trail. I get exercise, fresh air, and plenty of elbow room.

Steve Ginsberg: Putting out the word....

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Fairfax, Va.: 123 jams quite badly when you get into the Lorton area, due to the numerous road and house construction projects down there.

Steve Ginsberg: Just as I suspected.

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Fairfax, Va.: Hey Steve:

Look at MWAA's financial plan for Phase II of Dulles Rail. It's on their web site. There is no line item for federal funding --its all from the toll road users. They may be saying that they will go after federal money, but their plan certainly does not reflect it.

Steve Ginsberg: Right. They don't need it so it's not in their plan, but they say they'll go after it. The question is whether the feds will see any need to give it to a project that claims to not need it.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: I dream of the day when western Montgomery County/Shady Grovers can get to I-95 wihtout a winding back road drive or the crushing traffic of the 270/Beltway. So what's up with the forgotten ICC?

Steve Ginsberg: Hardly forgotten. State officials say they're going to start building it later this year, perhaps as soon as the summer.

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Flight to London: The poster said the flight was at 6:30, so he or she would have to be at the airport at 4:30. There is no way that would be possible if he/she left at 3:00-4:00 from downtown. Leave around 2:30 or so. The person would only be competing with the 6:00-2:00 commuters and no HOV restrictions if they chose 66.

I'm with you, Steve, on avoiding 66 at all costs. There is a full-time daily backup on 66 West between the Beltway and 123. I go by there inbound at around noontime daily, and it's horribly slow moving outbound. I can only imagine it doesn't budge in rush hour.

Steve Ginsberg: I think you could get there by 4:30 by leaving at 3. (I actually think you could leave at 3:30 but I don't want to be responsible for you missing your flight.)

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Arlington, Va.: The person who has a flight at Dulles might want to consider the metro to West Falls Church and then the $8 Washington Flyer bus that zooms out the access road to drop you off at the front door of the airport. It's the way I usually go. I think the buses run 2 times per hour though so you need to check their schedule so you can try and time it without having to wait 30 minutes.

Steve Ginsberg: another thought for our flyer.

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Arlington, Va.: Metro was taking a survey last week about the 8-car train pilot. As a daily Orange line rider for over ten years, I don't think the pilot is working at all. The trains seem to be start and stop at least 3-4 days per week, if not everyday.

What do you think is going on?

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Arlington,

What I think is going on is that the public is clearly unhappy with the 8-car train pilot but Metro won't pull the plug until it has quantifiable evidence.

The whole problem with the 8-car experiment is this: it was wrongly billed as a way to reduce crowding. You can't reduce crowding if you don't add capacity. And Metro didn't add capacity - the system just rearranged the cars to make them longer. There's no net increase in rail cars, so the capacity stays the same.

The thing the 8-car trains were supposed to improve was flow of the line. Longer trains, spaced farther apart, wouldn't 'bunch up going through the Rosslyn tunnel. Instead, they would flow through the tunnel and along the line and service would be smoothed out. That's the theory.

But the execution has been poor - the trains are being run manually by the operators and not by the computers - so you still get uneven spacing.

So, you still get stop and go pacing along the line, and riders now have to wait longer between trains. So you've basically made conditions worse and ticked off the public.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, What do you think of metro's Fastball Express experiment? I was galdly surprised to see metro exploring express services because they had been telling us riders the 'single-track' (one-track-per-direction) design wouldn't allow express trains. But it will come a time that express will be a must during peak-hour. Some Orange line riders must swallow the inconveniences of going to the opposite track to get to local stops, but it'll be for a greater good.

Steve Ginsberg: I didn't take it, but it makes sense to me. I go to a lot of games and almost no one during off peak times gets off at any of the interim stops. It's all baseball fans and if it can be done, there's no point to make them stop numerous times between downtown and the park.

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"Should I stay or should I go?": I used to worry if I was perceived as rude if I got up for a larger person (I am very small and skinny.) Now I just smile at them and do it. Life is hard enough without getting squiched because you worry if random people perceive you as rude.

Lyndsey Layton: Another vote for Get Up and Move.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I know there are many more responsible bikers than not but it seems as tho I see the dangerous ones on Georgia Ave almost every morning. They ride between cars when we are stopped at lights, they don't stop at stop signs or, like this morning, completely blew through a red light right in front of me. I realize that if I hit them I am most likely not held responsible if they are in the wrong but I prefer not to have to carry that with me for the rest of my life. I have personally seen two people get hit by cars while riding bikes and it isn't pleasant. Please remind them to ride safely, if not for their sake then for mine.

Steve Ginsberg: Consider them reminded, though I wouldn't get your hopes up. This is not a new phenomenon.

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Re: Tourist Season: I've noticed tourists performing "unacceptable actions" such as eating on metro trains, trying to get on a train before riders exit, standing on the left side of escalators, etc but I'm wondering if you (or readers) have some good "you won't believe it but . . " stories. thanks

Lyndsey Layton: I'll toss this to the chatters. Observations, people?

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Washington, D.C.: On F Street near the front entrance to The National Building Museum, DDOT came in and paved the street about a year ago. There must have been either two cars or a truck parked on the street overnight, so DDOT paved around them. And so there is a patch of road that to this day remains unpaved. Why they didn't tow the offending vehicles away from the road when they paved is beyond comprehension. But they did. Which begs the question, why they haven't come back to pave it still?! Can you please put in a word to get it paved?

Steve Ginsberg: Here's the word. I reckon they've marked that street off as paved and moved on. But it certainyl sounds pretty ridiculous.

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Washington, D.C.: Regarding street cleaning: I used to live in Cicero, Illinois (suburb of Chicago). Residential streets had signs posted for weekly street cleaning, and if you forgot to move your car it would get towed, and you would have to pay $100+ in fees and tickets to get it back. The funny part, however, is that I never once saw them actually clean a street. It was apparently all just a way to make money for the city and the towing company.

Not long after I moved away in 2001, the town president and a few others were indicted and then found guilty of stealing millions from the city. It was mob-related. I don't know if they ever started cleaning the streets.

Steve Ginsberg: They definitely clean the streets here. My frustration is that they often come to my street before the set time, so some cars are in the way, legally.

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Alexandria, Va.: Howdy. To what extent do the Metro conductors keep an eye on whether people are finished boarding/disembarking the trains at each stop? Last week headed toward DC during the morning rush hour, the train stopped at King Street and the doors opened half way then immediately snapped shut. The train then left the station without any passengers getting on or off. The next station proceeded as normal, but I just wonder how the conductor missed what happened at King Street.

Lyndsey Layton: HI Alexandria,

That seems highly unusual. Metro operators are, in fact, required to stick their heads out of their compartments and scan the length of the train before hitting the button to close the doors. They are supposed to make sure no one is going to be caught in the doors.

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Steve Ginsberg: I'm interested that not a single person has sent in a comment about the transportation debate that is still going on in Richmond and still holding up the state's budget. Does anyone care?

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Washington, D.C.: Last week, I took a bus that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. When I boarded, there was no one on the bus. I asked the bus driver where everyone was and he confessed that he started mid-route since he was running so far behind and another one of the buses on his route was already at the beginning of the route. He figured he'd start mid-route to put himself back on schedule. What can we do about this?

Lyndsey Layton: Unless that bus operator was directed to start mid-route by a supervisor, that operator appears out of bounds. If you have the location, time of day, route number and bus number, send it to us.

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Springfield, Va.: When driving East bound Old Keene the signs indicate that the two far right lanes are for traffic exiting onto either 395 North or the outer loop of beltway heading toward the Wilson bridge. It is only later, when driving on the ramp, that the signs indicate which lane is going where, regularly resulting in cars dangeroulsy switching lanes at the last minute while on the exit ramp. Why can't VA change the signs leading up to the exit so that cars will have more time to get into the proper lane?

Steve Ginsberg: I think they need to work on lots of signs in the Mixing Bowl. The signs alerting drivers, like me, to the new ramp from 95 to the outer loop come way too late to do anything about it in several lanes of high-speed traffic. I got caught on the wrong ramp and then stuck on Van Dorn because of it. I can only guess this will get much worse as more ramps open and people become more confused.

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Washington, D.C.: April 17, 2005

Please advise, I have noticed lately that the escalators at Gallery Place seem to be shut off during the early morning hours in which at times has made my commute more hectic than usual,when escalators are not on commuters transferring from both directions Yellow and Green lines use the escalator which would normally carry passengers down to platform, is used by all commuters up/downwhich is quite inconvenient, is this to be expected? or is this an attempt to conserve energy and operating costs for Metro? This makes commuting that much more challenging, Metro of late is seeking ways to run the system cost effectively however, the decline in services and continued fare increases appear to me that the only benefactor is METRO and not the commuters many of us who have no other means of commuting will just have to be subjected to whatever Metro dishes out.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Washington,

There was an earlier posting regarding this situation at Gallery Place. Years ago, Metro would turn off some escalators to save money. Now, elevators are sometimes turned off to 'meter' crowds, i.e., slow down arriving passengers from entering a crowded station. I don't know what the story is at Gallery Place but we'll inquire and report back to you in two weeks.

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Washington, D.C.: What exactly is the work that's being done on the Roosevelt Bridge, and how long will it take to complete? It's a mess coming over I-66 into the city, the road is a mess of holes and uneven sections, I can feel it tearing up my car each time I drive it!

Steve Ginsberg: The bridge is being refurbished from top to bottom. What you see is a redecking project that is supposed to provide us with a nice, new driving surface. Workers are also redoing some of the structural work. The project is supposed to be done around the end of the year.

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Virginia budget: You said: "I'm interested that not a single person has sent in a comment about the transportation debate that is still going on in Richmond and still holding up the state's budget. Does anyone care?"

Yes, but the Post will not allow you to print what I have to say.

Steve Ginsberg: give us a try.

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Arlington, Va.: "Steve Ginsberg: I'm interested that not a single person has sent in a comment about the transportation debate that is still going on in Richmond and still holding up the state's budget. Does anyone care? "

I'm still too shocked by the person who said that Rail to Dulles didn't make sense to respond to anything else.

Steve Ginsberg: Snap out of it! And tell us what you think already.

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Oakton, Va.: To the person heading to Dulles for London trip, if you don't need your car and you are close to the metro, one option is to metro to west falls church and catch the bus to dulles.

Steve Ginsberg: another vote for metro and bus.

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Washington, D.C.: Lyndsey: I'm not seeing any of your Metro stories anymore--except for one about strippers, and the only relationship that had to Metro was the pole. What's the deal?

Lyndsey Layton: I'll never think of those Metro poles in quite the same way. I'm taking a Metro break - I'm writing about economic development and gentrification in the District. And I welcome any story suggestions at laytonl@washpost.com.

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Springfield Interchange signage: I think the signage is not entirely in its final configuration because the interchange isn't done. With that said, the little green signs on Franconia Road indicate highway number and direction (I-95 South, I-95 North) but not destination (Richmond, Washington), so I suspect that some people who have directions given by destination get messed up, and others just want to use whatever line is shortest and then horn in..... The signs do work well if you know whether you want to go north or south.

I think in general the Springfield Interchange has been a HUGE improvement, but getting around Springfield via the streets has become a lot more complex.

Steve Ginsberg: The signs work well if you know what you're doing. But thousands of drivers go through there every day, right now, who don't know what they're doing through no fault of their own. Poor signage should not be tolerated, especially for a project that was designed to improve safety. I do agree the fixes have made huge differences.

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Tampa, Fla.: What happened with stink about the WMTA Board having free parking at HQ and not using public transit to get to and from their jobs? I recall reading in the Post that some Board members said they were too important to ride public transit, that they just had to get to their jobs by car. That struck me as not outrageous, but also insulting, patronizing, and condenscending.

Lyndsey Layton: Oh, come on, what do you really think? The travel habits of the Metro board members remain largely unchanged. But they do get charged for parking at Metro headquarters now.

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Springfield, Va.: Is the bottleneck south of the Mixing Bowl going to stay the way it is? It seems that most of the construction is concentrated north of Franconia Road, but the problem now is that all of the lanes that have been created end south of 7900 causing serious backups at just about every time of the day.

It's great to spend billions of dollars on a pretty interchange, but does not good if you're just shifting the problem downstream two miles.

Steve Ginsberg: There are plans and, finally, money to widen the highway south of the Mixing Bowl. Get ready for those construction-caused delays next.

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Washington, D.C.: I am a resident of the District, and I am opposed to express trains for riders going to baseball games. First, the city is giving a big subsidy to build a stadium. Second, a large amount of money will be spent to upgrade the Navy Yard subway station, and other infrastructure. So, I do not think that city residents should be incovenienced by express trains. Besides, I don't recall express trains for Redskins' games at RFK Stadium.

Steve Ginsberg: They're not inconvenienced. An extra train runs in between the normally scheduled off-peak trains. It's more service, not less.

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Washington, D.C.: RE: multiple bus transfer guy ...

Why would you want more than one? You're only going to take one ride on the other end of the train, and aren't those things time-sensitive in some way?

Lyndsey Layton: Just guessing here, but some people trade bus transfers for a cigarette and other items in what's akin to a black market for transfers.

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Hold-up in the legislature: "I'm interested that not a single person has sent in a comment about the transportation debate that is still going on in Richmond and still holding up the state's budget. Does anyone care?"

It would be more shocking to us if the legislature actually did something about transportation. This do-nothing attitude is just business as usual. There's nothing unusual or surprising about it.

Steve Ginsberg: But what do you want done about it? I can't for the life of me figure out what people want the legislature to do. Is traffic so bad that a tax raise sounds pretty good or are taxes so bad that people would rather deal with traffic?

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Dupont, Washington, D.C.: I've just finished "The Great Society Subway" by Zachary Schrag -- have you guys read it yet?

It answered a lot of my questions about why our traffic is so bad here... and really surprises me that we owe our metro to the forward thinkers in the LBJ era. I would never get done today!

Lyndsey Layton: Mrs. Schrag, is that you? Got a copy, haven't read it yet, looking forward to it.

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20906: Do you actually think the ICC will help anything?

Steve Ginsberg: It would be silly to argue that a new 6-lane highway won't improve commutes for some people. Whether it will help more than other options, such as Metro, or whether it will help enough to justify the billions it will cost is another question, and one that has been debated extensively.

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Bethesda, Md.: Can you or any of your Metro contacts explain why there is sometimes so much wind rushing down the escalators and into the Bethesda Metro station, even on days when it's not windy outside? It can be like a wind tunnel trying to get from the turnstiles to the escaltors, making it difficult for women and children. Perhaps some type of windbreak barrier at the top of the escalators could be put into place?

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Bethesda,

This is a problem at other stations as well (Woodley Park comes to mind) and it has to do with the design of the particular station and how that is impacted by the movement of the trains, which act as giant pistons, pushing air in and out as they move through the tunnels.

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Charlottesville, Va.: Re: The budget: Re: VA Budget: If the government wants to raise taxes, pass a tax bill, don't stick it in the budget bill. This is clearly and end-run. Besides, didn't the people of Northern Virginia turn down a tax increase for transportation just a year or two ago? Have enough people changed their minds to support one now?

Steve Ginsberg: It doesn't seem like an end run when they announce they want to raise taxes and make a big deal out of it. They're not hiding anything. And Northern Virginians voted down a transpo referendum 4 years ago. I know traffic has gotten much worse since then, but I don't know if sentiment has changed. To me, it seems like people are completely disengaged from the goings on in Richmond.

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Bethesda, Md.: Union Station to Shady Grove: Take Mass. Ave. all the way to the end. Turn right on Goldsboro, then left on River Road to the Beltway and on to 270.

Steve Ginsberg: another suggestion for our class-taker.

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Arlington, Va: Just a thought, has there been any consideration to adding a stop to the blue and yellow line at Patomic Yards. This is a nice size shopping complex and there seems to be a bevy of condos springing up around it.

Lyndsey Layton: Hi Arlington,

There was a discussion about this several years ago among the county, Metro and the developers of Potomac Yards but the deal never jelled.

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Taxes vs traffic: Why don't we put some of the onus on the developers?

Steve Ginsberg: They do put "some" onus on developers. But developers don't build major roads or rail lines. They can help with local roads. But beware what you ask for. Some developers are now offering to build fairly good-sized roads in exchange for allowing them to build more houses, which cause the traffic that the roads are intended to fix.

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Metro board members: "But they -Metro board members- do get charged for parking at Metro headquarters now."

And get reimbursed later, no doubt.

Lyndsey Layton: You betcha.

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Washington, D.C: Re: "Should I stay or should I go?"

Well, this is irrelevant to the topic, but

I found this 'dilemma' facanating. I grew up in Asia and I would never have thought whether it's -rude- to get up and move to another seat. I guess my culture is really ignorant to what others think, but that seems to be counter common perception. Or not.

Lyndsey Layton: That is very interesting. Where in Asia?

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Washington, D.C.: I love Metro, both subway and bus. There are problems, but I'd rather take them than try to navigate the streets of DC.

I think people just need to be more aware of their surroundings and others. In the past few weeks, I have had women get irritated when I tried to sit down next to them on an open seat - since neither of the women nor myself (also a woman) is a skinny-minny, the seats become tight. One woman began cursing at me on a bus that I was sitting on top of her, when I was clearly hanging off the end of the seat into the aisle. (This is also a problem for women who think their bag should sit next to them on the seat, rather than in their lap.)

The other problem I've noticed is that people go one at a time out of the doors on the subway, which takes longer. The doors are wide enough for two people, and going one at a time just causes frustration from others trying to get off and those trying to get on.

So, people, please, we all need to be considerate and think of others. We have enough anger and hatred in this city and this world; can't we travel together for a short time without it? Thanks for letting me rant.

Lyndsey Layton: Rants R Us. Thanks for sharing.

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Washington, D.C.: I have a question about the elevators in the new parking garage at New Carrollton. Have they been inspected (there are no inspection certificates posted). There are 8 floors in the garage, but you can't press more than 3 buttons or all the lights go out and the elevator goes nowhere. It makes me wonder what else doesn't work (those things we can't see).

Another question about the parking lots. Why do the first 3 floors have to be taken up with reserved spaces (which are always empty)? I called Metro about getting a reserved space and was told that I would be put on a mile-long waiting list. Why is there a waiting list if there are so many empty spaces. Just curious. Thanks.

Lyndsey Layton: Ok, it's a bit of a concern if you push three elevator buttons and ALL THE LIGHTS GO OUT. We'll ask Metro about this. thanks.

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Washington, D.C.: Steve:

Your question about the legislature shows the false dichotomy in the debate. The choice isn't necesarrily more taxes versus more traffic. We could do a lot more with less. For example, we could cancel Dulles Rail and build a regional transit system for the same amount of money that would carry far more people.

Steve Ginsberg: It's not that simple. Dulles rail is being paid for by drivers on the Toll Road, the feds (phase I) and a local tax on businesses who want the rail line. those money sources aren't simply available for any ol' project you want. They're specific to the rail line. You could argue that toll road money could go to other projects, but I don't think those drivers would stand for higher tolls that don't directly impact them.

On the larger point, sure VDOT could do some things more efficiently. But I'm skeptical that their inefficiencies are so great that they have all the money needed to reduce traffic to some acceptable level.

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Steve Ginsberg: thanks for a great chat folks. see you back here, talking transportation, in two weeks.

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