Roads and Rails

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 Eric Weiss and Lena H. Sun were online Monday, Dec. 11, 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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Lena Sun: Good morning everyone. Hope you all had a good weekend. Let's get to your questions.

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Eric Weiss: Good morning, commuters!

Has anyone who is a long-distance commuter developed any medical conditions, such as lower back pain or leg cramps or anything else, they believe has been caused by spending hours a day in a car stuck in traffic?

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Washington, D.C.: I applaud The Post for listing the streets that would be closed for the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Dec. 7 in the Metro section and Get There blog. However, I think that The Post and other news media should have covered the severe traffic congestion caused by holding this ceremony on a weekday evening. The street closings cause one of the worst weekday evening traffic jams each year in downtown Washington, and the event should be moved to the weekend.

Eric Weiss: Good point. Or maybe they can move it up to lunchtime.

Are you reading this, Mr. President?

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Alexandria, Va.: Okay, let me get this straight. Metro is going to (1) raise fares, (2) reduce service, and (3) give its managers raises. Perhaps they could use some money for a good PR firm, because this needs lots of spin.

Lena Sun: Hi Alexandria. We have a lot of questions this morning about the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. On the fares, Metro really wants to look at the entire fare policy so there can be discounts for people who travel during the off-peak times, and for people to use their SmarTrip cards. The service cuts being proposed have been described as service "on the fringes," such as opening one hour later on the weekends. As for the raises, Metro officials say they are comparing the wages for their folks to officials in the local jurisdictions and federal government, who have been getting raises of about 5 percent in the last three years.

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Fare Increase: Are they kidding? Another potential fare increase on the Metro. You can ride anywhere on the N.Y. subway system -- rush hour or non-rush hour, Upper East Side all the way to Brooklyn -- for $2. Maybe they should focus on solving the issues that are there and work to keep the ridership happy. I know that my typical fare costs me $3.70 each way during rush hour -- how much higher can it go?

Lena Sun: We'll get a better idea on Thursday. The last time they raised fares, there was a cap established for the maximum fare during rush hour.

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Greenbelt, Md.: Isn't Metro reaching a point of diminishing returns with the deficit? To say the agency may have to cut bus and rail service and/or raise fares is just going to drive more people from public transportation at a time when our roads are already clogged? Why doesn't the transit agency ever look WITHIN to solve its problems, like cutting back redundancy in its bureaucracy before crying poor?

Lena Sun: Hi Greenbelt. The agency has looked within and that proposed budget includes internal cuts. Department heads were told to prepare a budget for next year with 95 percent of what they got for this year. Some of the board members have said the agency needs to go back and look for more internal cuts.

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Washington, D.C.: The Yellow Line extension is good to go, which I am very excited about. There was also discussion of running every other Blue Line train over the 14th Street Bridge instead of through Rosslyn.

Is this still in the works?

Lena Sun: Hi. You're referring to the Blue Line Split idea. Metro officials are supposed to provide more details about how that would work early next year. It's one of the options under consideration when they get the next batch of new rail cars.

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Arlington, Va.: I'm not especially surprised that ridership growth stopped. The system capacity has basically been reached during the rush hours. You can't keep jamming more people into the rail cars when they are already full. And people get tired of being crushed like sardines so they look for alternatives. Metro needs to increase capacity and then maybe ridership will grow some more.

Lena Sun: That's the idea behind the discounted fares. Metro wants to get more riders to take the trains during the off-peak, when trains are less crowded. The slowing in ridership growth seems to be happening on the weekends, not during the weekday rush hours.

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Washington, D.C.: Metro fare hike comment: I will gladly pay higher fares if they do not move Saturday and Sunday start times back to 8 a.m. This actually means 8:30 in the downtown area. I ride the first Orange Line of the day (towards New Carrollton) on Sunday mornings and there is always a substantial group of people on it. For those of us without cars, this is an important transportation link (to say nothing of those who have morning flights out of National). Thanks.

Lena Sun: Good morning Washington. Thanks for your comment. All these options are going to be discussed over the next few months, and the board wants to hear from the public, so you should definitely weigh in with them.

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Washington, D.C.: Need money for Metro? Here's what I'd like to see: a downtown congestion zone, like London's. If you want to drive downtown, it'll cost you $10 a day. We'll put that money towards Metro, which more and more people will be using because of the high cost of driving in the city. We can also use it to improve parking facilities at the outlying Metro stations, so folks can drive from home to a Metro line, then Metro into town. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Eric Weiss: Stockholm does a similar thing.

Such a program in the Washington area would be politically difficult because there are three jurisdictions involved and it would be seen as a commuter tax, which is opposed by Congress, Virginia, Maryland and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

On the other hand, it would be easier to institute in some ways because there are numerous bridge crossings and relatively few major commuter arteries that would make it easier to install EZ-Pass-like no-stop tolling.

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Arlington, Va.: Just wanted to thank VDOT for repainting the lines at the main toll plaza on the Dulles Toll Road, going both ways. Makes me wonder why it hasn't been done before. First day there were backups as drivers got used to the way it should be but ever since then, it's been smooth sailing and a definite improvement. Thanks again!!!!

Eric Weiss: Wow! A shout-out to VDOT!

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Eric Weiss: If you do have a driving-related ailment to report and don't want to share it on the chat, please email me at weisse@washpost.com

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SmarTrip: Why discounts for people who use their SmarTrip cards? What is the benefit of SmarTrip use to WMATA? Not that I'm complaining...

Lena Sun: Metro wants to reduce paper fares, use of transfers, and handling of cash. It takes a lot longer to collect a fare on the bus, for example, if the passenger is paying with cash. Using a SmarTrip card will speed up boarding time. Metro says they hope that SmarTrip will be working on all the regional buses by the first half of next year.

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Washington, D.C.: There's no way metro is going to encourage people to ride during off-peak hours unless they change their off-peak timetables as well. Peak hours are now from opening to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to like 7 p.m., right? I don't care how flexible people's work schedules are, it's nearly impossible for most people to leave for work after 10 in the morning and/or leave for home before 3 in the afternoon.

Lena Sun: Peak hours are from opening to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. And yes, I think it will be tough for people to leave for work after 10. But who knows? Seems like many more people have flexible work schedules, and perhaps this will encourage those folks to travel off-peak.

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Chantilly, Va.: I plan on driving from the D.C. area to Chicago near Christmas. Are there any major road projects along the Interstates in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana that I should be aware of?

Thanks.

Eric Weiss: The Federal Highway Administration has a "National Traffic and Road Closure'' Web site that collects that information from different states. If you are looking at using the Pennsylvania Turnpike or other private roads, you may have better luck trying their separate Web sites.

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Simple Math: Taking away Metro features, bus lines and hours and charging higher fares and giving 5 percent bonuses to managers. Something doesn't add up. The federal government and its employees will be earning a 2.1 percent raise next year. I don't know why Metro claims a 5 percent raise is the norm.

Lena Sun: Hi there. My understanding is that Metro officials were basing this on raises from the last three years.

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Christmas Tree: Light the tree at lunch, Eric? Doesn't it need to be dark out?

Eric Weiss: Ha! Good point. Maybe they could encase the tree in a dark tent so they can light it at lunchtime...

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New York, N.Y.:

I don't wish to offend anyone, but I've held my tongue long enough about people carping and whining about Metro.

I lived in DC for almost 20 years and used the Metro subway system daily -- loved it. Yes, it had problems with tardiness, and the system isn't very extensive, but it did the job. But, my God, did the locals complain about the fare price, the crowded cars, the bad audio system, etc. But when it came time to pony up some dollars to solve these problems, everyone stares off into space.

Now I live in Manhattan, and our subway is over 100 years old. It goes everywhere, it does so 24 hours a day, it is clean, safe, reliable and fast. And few people complain. Here in N.Y., the subway's capital improvement program for the 10 years ending 2011 was $11 billion dollars, and no one blinked, no one wrote letters to the editor saying they'd go back to their cars, etc -- we pay because we want the good things a proper subway makes possible.

Message to D.C.: you can't have it both ways -- you can't. Either fix your system by paying for improvements, or stop whining. If you want less crowded cars, pay for new ones; if you want faster service, pay for track improvements. But being tight-fisted AND a complainer will not fix the problem.

Lena Sun: Posting your comments, New York.

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SmarTrip: Speaking of SmarTrip, I can't believe that you STILL cannot add value to the card over the web. Metro has been promising this is coming for years, but still no progress.

Lena Sun: I agree.

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NOVA: I'm not sure I'd continue riding Metro if they increased the fares. I've kept my patience through months of escalator "refurbishment" at various stops (particularly West Falls Church and Judiciary Square), only to be greeted with escalators that make more noise or out of service more than they did before they were overhauled. I'm not sure they know how to spend the money their getting now, let alone more.

Lena Sun: Dear NOVA: Metro is starting the budget process, and will be talking about the budget for the next several months. You should let the board know how you feel.

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Frederick, Md.: The traffic on I-270 from Germantown to Frederick each morning and afternoon is some of the worst in the area. Are there any talks or plans to extend I-270 to 4 lines north of Germantown/Clarksburg anytime soon like they have done with I-66 in Gainesville?

Eric Weiss: Yes. Maryland SHA has put out a request for ideas on a public-private partnership that would widen I-270 from Frederick south and include a dedicated transitway for buses. Tolls would depend on traffic in order to ensure steady flow.

Eventually, Maryland wants to connect the toll road to the Capital Beltway, where Flour/Transurban is negotiating to add toll lanes in the Virginia portion.

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Arlington, Va.: May I note that that area businesses and the federal government can subsidize any fare increase for all of the employees who are under the maximum allowable transit benefit, so the cost can be absorbed by most people who get the benefit.

Lena Sun: Thank you Arlington. The heavy use of Metro by federal employees has been one of the arguments for a dedicated source of funds from the federal government. The authorization for that funding passed the House but did not pass the Senate.

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Your opinion: Eric and Lena, in your opinion, why do you think our city's Metro cannot emulate the success and effectiveness of other urban city subway systems? Is it something unique to the D.C. area?

Eric Weiss: Metro was designed as a cross between a commuter railroad and an urban subway. It was supposed to replace additional highways needed to bring federal and other employees into downtown Washington.

In contrast, New York's system was built by several different companies in competition with each other to carry city dwellers around the city, resulting in lots of redundancy in stations and lines to popular locations.

Based on the numbers of Metro riders and the development around Metro stations in the suburbs, case could be made that Metro did exactly what its planners envisioned.

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Arlington, Va.: Maybe the weekend slowdown has to do with, oh, I don't know, the constant track work and 20-minute headways. I will rarely take the train in the weekend since the added inconvenience of waiting so long can double the length of a Metro trip and make it take many times longer than driving.

Cutting back service will only make this worse.

Lena Sun: There certainly has been a lot of weekend track work. In fact, there are probably only a few weekends this year when there WASN'T weekend track work. But this is an aging system, and it takes a lot of work to maintain it. When Metro stayed open later and opened earlier, it cut down the number of hours in the middle of the night when folks could do the track work.

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Washington, D.C.: I support the Metro fare increase proposal. People taking the metro from Shady Grove to Farragut North pay under $8 roundtrip and make the trip in 30 minutes each way. Try that driving on 270! Vienna to Farragut West is similar - less than $7 roundtrip and just under 30 minutes each way. To do that on 66 you would have to have a car pool, and even then the 30 minutes would be hard to beat. People are spoiled!

Lena Sun: Thank you Washington. Or is that really Lisa Farbstein, writing in from Metro media relations?

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D.C.: When Tangherlini decided to take the government job instead of wait for metro, he agonized over the decision with his wife especially since he'd be taking a pay cut from $240K to $190K. Now that we all know the new guy is going to make $300K with a $60K cost of living assistance, any word from Mr. or Mrs. Tangherlini?

Lena Sun: When I asked Dan Tangherlini about the potential pay cut he was going to take, he said that if it was all about the money, he'd go work for an investment bank. I haven't had a chance to ask Mrs. Tangherlini how she feels...

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Woodbridge, Va.: I am so happy with my new job in D.C. However, I am not too excited about the ride. It just seems to me ridiculous waking up at 5 a.m. and getting home at 8 p.m. I am currently driving to the Franconia Metro station, to ride the Metro to Farragut West. Any suggestions?

Lena Sun: Hi Woodbridge. Are you waking up at 5 a.m. so you can get a parking spot at Franconia? Or is it taking you longer than you expected to take the Blue Line train from Franconia to Farragut West? Not completely sure what you're asking.

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Silver Spring, Md.: There is no excuse for the deaths of those two track workers. Surely in this high-tech era, the train operator should have known exactly where they were. Metro has news releases about the incidents on its Web site, along with another release that illustrates a big part of the problem. "Where Metro goes, prosperity follows," states a release about a station entrance closing for construction. Listen up, elected officials: Metrorail is about moving people around and keeping everyone safe. It is not about poking holes into communities, where developers can go crazy.

Lena Sun: I think the National Transportation Safety Board shares your sentiments about the deaths of those two workers. Unfortunately, once they take over an investigation, there is very little anyone else can say until they finish. So I don't know why the train operator didn't stop earlier, or whether those workers heard her sound the horn -- twice.

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Bowie, Md.: The big reason why people in DC are threatening about going back to their cars is because they can. Up in New York, they can't because their traffic situation/gridlock is bad also, and never mind the fact that their parking garages charge an arm and a leg, assuming you have the privilege to pay the $40. We have choices in DC whether to drive or ride public transportation. New Yawkers aren't tough enough to drive, as few own cars.

Eric Weiss: Having worked in Manhattan, I agree that driving a personal car to work is not a real option, except for the super-rich.

In this area, subsidized parking for some and relatively cheap parking --compared to NYC -- still makes driving in an acceptable option for hardcore drivers.

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DC 20002: Is cutting bus service an option to help close the deficit? Some areas of the city and suburbs already are under served by bus transportation. If this happens, I see the taxi industry making a killing.

Lena Sun: Hi. We won't know the specifics of the bus service reduction until Thursday.

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Silver Spring, Md.: The poster from New York who railed on and on about how somehow it's "our" fault and that we " can't have it both ways" is a PERFECT example of why it is so hard to get Metro to run itself efficiently. Why SHOULD Metro try and be any more efficient of better-run when people like him (or her) simply shrug off their disgusting performance as the fault of "complainers"? When you reward incompetence with complements, that's just what you're going to get......MORE incompetence.

Lena Sun: Posting this reply to New York.

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Arlington, Va.: How exactly does Metro expect to create more capacity by getting people to take non-rush hour trains during the workweek?

Workplaces have schedules, unfortunately.

Lena Sun: Their hope is to maximize use of existing capacity. They also want to cut costs by encouraging more people to use the SmarTrip electronic fare cards. It costs Metro about $200,000 a year to print and distribute day passes on the bus.

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Takoma Park, Md.: If Metro fares were CHEAPER my husband and I would be more likely to use it to get downtown on evenings and weekends instead of driving. We have plenty of income, but it still goes against the grain to pay that much for two round-trip tickets when we can spend less for gas.

How come Metro doesn't consider lowering fares to increase total revenue?

The exact same attitude plagues the BART system in the San Francisco Bay Area where we used to live. The fares go up and up, and surprise surprise, more people take their car instead.

Lena Sun: Actually, they ARE considering lowering fares for off-peak travel. I'm hoping we'll get some more specifics on Thursday.

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For the Woodbridge to DC commuter: Swing by the Park and Ride lot off the Prince William County parkway and pick up some slugs.

Eric Weiss: Here's a good idea--and the price is right, too-free!

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Capitol Hill, D.C.: A big thanks to DDOT for repaving the short 395 tunnel at the Capitol/US Senate exit. However, there is still the nasty fold in the pavement at the south entrance to the main 395 tunnel across all lanes. It needs to be ground down. Also, the Mass Ave exit ramp is a travesty. The concrete is crumbling around the storm grates, and what is left are two 3" high sharp ended bumps in the right lane. I shudder to think how many wheels have been bent on this pathetic excuse for a road.

Eric Weiss: And a shoutout -- and a suggestion -- for DDOT!

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Arlington, Va.: Something that always annoys me are people who freak out on the Metro right before we arrive at the station. Could you inform your readers that no one is unable to exit the train if they wait to stand up until the train stops?

Lena Sun: Thanks Arlington. Will post this.

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Burke, Va.: RE: New York...

Yes, the New York subway is amazing, but as you point out, it is far more extensive, and yet less expensive than Metro. Metro has no excuse to raise fares. We have the most expensive, most luxurious, most mismanaged subway system in the world. I would give up my padded seat, carpeted floor, computer-assisted hi-tech train for a lower fare. Let's face it people, it should not cost $20 to get back and forth to work!! I would gladly give up this Lexus of a subway system for a Hyundai!!

Lena Sun: Posting Burke's comments for the riders' groups and other Metro officials who might be following the chat. As I told the other posters, you should let Metro know your opinion.

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Lena Sun: Lots of you have reacted to the proposed budget for next year that may include fare increases. If you would like to share those comments with me directly, please send an email to me at sunl@washpost.com, with a way to contact you. I will be continuing to follow the budget debate and would like to hear from riders. Thanks.

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Washington, D.C.: As a federal government employee, I can assure metro that I have never seen a 5 percent increase, especially not in the last three years!

Lena Sun: Something to share with Metro officials.

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Fare increase/congestion charging: Presumably, New York keeps its fares low at least in part by using more tax dollars to fund the system. Virginia, in particular, won't agree to this, so Metro has to charge passengers more. Metro should base fares to/from stations in part on how much the locality is willing to contribute to Metro funding.

A congestion charge would be borne primarily by Virginians, as well. DC controls the bridges, so it would be easy to charge those crossing the Potomac. However, Marylanders have myriad choices for getting downtown w/out using the major routes. They just have to learn their way through the neighborhoods.

Eric Weiss: No doubt that funding Metro is more challenging that in New York. There is still no dedicated funding source dedicated to Metro and the system has to please all three of its masters.

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In Response to New York's Comments: I agree with New York's comments. They hit the point well but I also think the NY subway system uses the money they receive much more effectively. People in the D.C. area don't want to give more money to WMATA because we know that they don't get the most out of the money they already receive.

Eric Weiss: Who knew that New York City was the paragon of efficient, good government?

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D.C.: What's going on with this goofup in upper NW where the new buses can't drive under the bus shelter because the ceiling is too low. What do our Metro powers to be have to say about this, and why should the consumers pay for these bumbles?

Lena Sun: Metro officials said this week that they are seeking a solution that would allow them to keep the terminal open -- at least a for a while -- using only older buses that are also environmentally friendly.

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Washington, D.C.: On 7th and 9th Streets downtown, the city recently installed special lanes for buses and bicycles only. I often see cars and other vehicles using these lanes at all times of the day. My question is: can other vehicles use this lane? If not, do D.C. police ever give tickets to drivers in these lanes?

Eric Weiss: DDOT says the dedicated lanes are just that -- dedicated lanes for buses and bicycles only.

But the lanes, designed to help the Circulator buses move more quickly through downtown, are just an experiment designed to help downtown congestion.

Let DDOT know what you think.

As for enforcement, that is up to the Metropolitan Police Department.

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Lena Sun: Thanks everyone for your questions and comments. Sorry we didn't get to all of them.

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