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 Tuesday, Feb. 20, 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: Hello everyone. Both of us are here today and looking forward to hearing from you. Let's go.

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Alexandria, Va.: Submitting early because I will be out of town...

This may seem like a small thing, but it would be so helpful if Metro could replace the sign on the lower level Rosslyn platform that tells passengers whether the train servicing the platform is either Orange or Blue. The signs at the Pentagon station for the Yellow and Blue lines (as an example) work great -- but the one at the Rosslyn station should really be looked at. I can't tell if the whole thing needs to be replaced or if it's just a matter of replacing a couple of light bulbs.

Lena Sun: Hi Alexandria. This is the kind of specific feedback that Metro officials who monitor this chat could read and do quickly. Let's post for them. Thanks.

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Orange Line: What can be done about iPods with the volume turned way up? This morning on the Metro I had the misfortune of sitting near a girl blaring music. I have tried getting my own music player but I did not like being cut off from the world sound wise.

It has crossed my mind to print up cards with "Please turn down your music!" and the number for a local hearing aid store on them.

I'd be interested to see how other readers deal with this situation.

Eric Weiss: It may be annoying to you, but think about how damaging it is to them. Instead, concentrate on the screeching of the train wheels on the rails.

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Annapolis, Md.: If private business owners are responsible for clearing the snow/ice from the sidewalks in front of their buildings (and the same holds true for private residences), what is D.C.'s responsibility for clearing common sidewalks?

I commute via an MTA bus down K Street. The sidewalks between K Street and the service roads are atrocious. You practically have to climb a mountain of snow. It's been a week since the storm. Why hasn't there been more of a dent made in the snow/ice removal?

Eric Weiss: I would add the city's Parks and Recreation Department to that list. Sidewalks around parks are often the iciest and treacherous sections around.

The Fenty Administration has been criticized for its snow-removal efforts during this last storm. The new mayor has promised to be more responsive to bread-and-butter issues such as storm response. Perhaps it will do better next time.

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Fairfax, Va.: Eric,

After VDOT redid the timing on the lights on Rt. 50 between Greenbriar and Arcola, which consisted of changing the sequence of the left turn lights, they did not do anything to the lights at Lee Road or Avion.

These lights would benefit from the same type of reprogramming as the others.

Eric Weiss: The light-timing changes on Route 50 are part of a VDOT test. They say they will be interested in the responses of drivers, so I'll pass your comment along...

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Washington, D.C.: I live a block away from where the two pedestrians were fatally run over by a Metrobus. While I am pleased that the bus driver was charged by the Metropolitan Police Department with negligent murder, I am skeptical that the culture at Metro will change, notwithstanding the best intentions of management. The Metro bus drivers union is very strong, and naturally they will be reluctant to agree to rule changes that will make it easier for Metro management to discipline drivers for arguably unsafe driving practices. Is my skepticism justified in your opinion?

Lena Sun: Hi. The bus accidents have been on everyone's minds these past few days. In one sense, you are right to be skeptical that the culture of Metro will change. It is a very top-down organization, and in the past, the safety folks do not have the ultimate authority over the operations folks. The new guy, John Catoe, has made very clear that he wants to change that culture and has taken some immediate steps in that direction. That said, he figures it will be months before you completely change an organization of 10,000 employees.

And yes, the union is very strong, and historically, management has not pushed the unions, but the largest union, Local 689 of the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union, recently elected a new president, and she has said she supports Catoe's initiatives for greater emphasis on safety.

So let's hope they really do work together.

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Washington, D.C.: Monday morning, I had the most pleasant ride on Metrobus and rail since I moved back to this area in the summer.

It made me realize that Metro could probably cut their ridership problems in half if they could find a way to keep up with the customer growth that doesn't involve pushing SmarTrip cards on everyone or adding more trains to only the Orange Line.

Lena Sun: Posting your response because we hear from many more people who complain about Metro's service. Thank you.

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Icy Fairfax!: I saw Gerald Connolly saying what a great job Fairfax had done on plowing. I'd like to debate that. Living near a middle and an elementary school, roads still rutted and iced over -- how can he say things are great? Is he taking the Marion Barry stance of "wait for June"? We're getting around, I'll admit that, but it is one lane and iced edges! By waiting until the end of the storm to do anything, Fairfax guaranteed that the roads would be a mess.

Eric Weiss: Most of the credit/blame should go to VDOT, which has responsibility for most of the plowing in the county.

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Metrobus Safety Training:"Mandatory"? I don't know what disturbs me more: the fact that it wasn't before or that they are just figuring this out now.

Lena Sun: The bus operators receive safety training when they are hired, but they are not required to have annual refresher training. Some states, such as California, have laws that mandate this. The new general manager, John Catoe, says he wants to look at that state and other models to develop a program for annual refresher training at Metro. Right now, it's on an as-needed basis.

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Penn Quarter, D.C.: The street lighting along Pennsylvania Ave NW in Penn Quarter is extremely dim. Is anyone looking into that as a possible contributing cause of the recent Metrobus fatal accident at 7th and Pennsylvania NW?

Eric Weiss: Not dim enough to not see a marked crosswalk. Investigators will look at all conditions at the intersection and I expect some changes will be in the offing.

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Washington, D.C., Shaw: My roommates and I have a bet going about which would be faster/more efficient. Say I am transferring from Green line to the Orange line. Is it better to ride the Green line to L'Enfant Plaza, then get on Orange, or get off at Gallery Place take the Red Line to Metro Center then pick up the Orange Line there? Or do you end up on the same train no matter what? Also whatever happened to the plan for a tunnel from Gallery Place to Metro Center?? Thanks for the info love the chats!

Lena Sun: Hi there. I think it would be easier to ride Green to L'Enfant and then get on Orange, fewer transfers, less walking (and fighting crowds, especially during rush hour).

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Lena--

I know you are sick of hearing Metrobus complaints, but these accidents lately (yikes!!) are not surprising. Often, the bus drivers speed through red lights, make illegal and dangerous moves and are often on cellular phones or listening to their IPODS while driving! I am a District resident and see this type of blatant carelessness all the time. These accidents that are happening now seemed to be foretold years ago. They need to fire half of those people and make them re-apply for their jobs with the new restrictions and aptitude tests in place. This is craziness! Yikes!!!

Lena Sun: Hi. Thank you for writing. I always want to hear from riders and I appreciate all the comments. I think the new general manager John Catoe is really going to be focusing on bus as one of his top priorities.

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Washington, D.C.: I am generally quite the fan of my Metrobus route, G8.

This last week has been brutal, but not a lot of fault can be placed at Metro's feet.

For several days now once we turn onto I St. NW to make our way from 13th to 17th St, the traffic just stops. Part of it is uncleared outside lanes from snow/ice, part of it is delivery/service vehicles that stop for their work reasons and then end up partially in middle lanes.

Bottom line is, I get off no later than McPherson Square now and have to walk to 19th and M St. because we go a half block in 10 minutes.

Is this week's 50 degree weather the only thing that can solve this???!! Why can't these lanes be properly cleared? It completely ties up everything down there for Pete's sake!

Eric Weiss: There have been lots of complaints about the condition of the city's streets. But not clearing downtown isn't just an inconvenience to drivers, it disrupts the delicate dance of buses and other transit options. There is no excuse for the grid to still be in disarray.

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Germantown, Md.: I've been riding Metro's Red Line from Shady Grove for more than 10 years and have seen the service continue to deteriorate. For the last year or so it has become ridiculous. We stand on the platform in the mornings for 5 minutes or more waiting for the train. Then when it arrives the train routinely sits at the platform for 5 minutes or more. In fact, the delays are so common that we frequently end up with two trains at the platform at the same time, in spite of the fact that they come from only one direction at that station.

The volume of ridership at Shady Grove is extremely high. High enough to warrant three parking lots and two large parking garages. Add to those the continuous stream of Metro buses and commuter buses, the fact that people come to Shady Grove from the next county (Frederick) and even from West Virginia. With all of that you would think that Metro would pay more attention to the upper Montgomery County stations. Instead it seems intent on creating delays and thereby increasing overcrowding on the trains. And yet we are never given an explanation.

Oh, and the Metro Alerts we can receive as text messages? What's the point? This morning, after sitting in a train at the Shady Grove platform for 10 minutes following a 5 minute wait at the platform (and another train arriving that was taken out of service), Metro finally alerted me to a 10 minute delay. Then a 12 minute delay. When in fact it was more like a 25 minute delay. The alert system is useless.

Lena Sun: Actually, for all you riders in the northern stretch of the Red Line, Metro began adding more trains going north to Shady Grove during NON-rush hour in October instead of having them turn around at Grosvenor and go back downtown. Not sure why you are experiencing a backup at Shady Grove.

As for the delays, they can't predict exactly how many minutes you are going to be delayed at every station because the delays ripple through at different levels. I know it's frustrating. I ride the Red Line too.

They are taking steps to be more responsive. They are testing some signs OUTSIDE stations that will tell riders about the delays and one of them is at Shady Grove. Have you seen it? Do you like it?

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Springfield, Va.: I have been a regular Metro rider for about 15 years and I thought I had heard it all, until this morning. I boarded the Blue Line train at Franconia/Springfield station this morning around 6:30 a.m. We left the station and traveled more or less normally, until we reached the Rosslyn station, where we remained with the doors open for more than the usual interval. Finally, the train operator came on the intercom and said that we would be holding at the station for a few minutes because "we have a block of ice coming down the tunnel," or words to that effect. Shades of Titanic, Batman! Eventually, the doors closed and we proceeded through the tunnel to Foggy Bottom/GWU, without striking an iceberg. NOW I've heard it all!!

Lena Sun: I was surprised too when I first read your message. But given all the reports of panels of ice flying off car rooftops on the highways, I guess the Metro trains were affected as well.

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Clinton, Md.: Why didn't Metro rail construct more three-track stations such as Reagan National Airport to prevent backup of trains for sick passengers, etc.

Lena Sun: That goes back to the design of the system back in the late '60s. I think it was a cost issue.

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Re: Loud Music on Headphones: I think you were too quick to dismiss the poster complaining of Metro passengers listening to their headphones too loudly. This bothers me frequently -- especially when it's early in the morning and I'm forced to listen to someone's heavy metal or gangsta rap (not that there's anything wrong with these musical genres).

Speakers without headphones are against Metro rules...I figure, once I can hear your music, you're technically using speakers. Metro had a great add campaign about loud cell phone use on the train. There were posters of a nerdy guy on his cell with the caption "No One Cares What You're Having For Dinner" or something like that. I'd love to see something similar regarding loud music on headphones.

I'm only 23, if that makes a difference...this problem isn't specific to older riders.

Eric Weiss: Sorry. I am old enough to remember when people would walk around with boomboxes and listen to them on NYC subway trains.

But Metro has set a higher bar for customer expectations.

I still think the inconvenience is nothing in comparison to the bores who prattle away on their cellphones.

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Washington, D.C.: What was the situation with the Red Line this morning? I heard they were single tracking around Friendship Heights-Tenleytown-Van Ness. My platform was crazy crowded when I entered at Van Ness, but I managed to get on the second train that came by. I would have hated to be going to Shady Grove this morning.

Lena Sun: A train at Friendship Heights, going in the direction of Glenmont, had to be taken out of service because of a brake problem. This happened around 8:20 a.m. They had to take passengers off a second train behind it as well, and then three trains had to share one track. Metro says the incident lasted about 30 minutes.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Hi Eric and Lena,

This morning, the floor tiles and escalator stairs in the Ballston Metro station were very slippery because of everything was just a little damp. No ice or standing water, just a layer of moisture all over the floor. I slipped a little getting onto the escalator at the exit. I caught myself before I lost my balance, but two people saw me and commented to me on how slippery it was. Is there anything that Metro can do to improve this situation?

Lena Sun: Hi. My station, with an outdoor platform, was very slippery as well. For the longer term, Metro will be using a different kind of tile -- same color, but square tiles instead of these 6-sided ones, that will be much less slippery and easier to maintain they say. In the short term, there's not a whole lot they can do except treat it with the salt that they use now.

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Clifton, Va.: Doesn't OPM have a policy of staggered departure when it closes federal offices in the D.C. area? Or did they forget about it? And OPM needs to provide the zip codes of where the wonderful individuals live who make the decisions on whether or not to open or close federal offices. And do any of these individuals actually drive to work?

Lena Sun: Hi Clifton. Lots of people were very, very angry about the way OPM handled the weather last week. A spokesperson for that office said they made the decision at the last minute because of the changing weather reports. That means they only gave Metro an hour's notice to let them know that all the federal workers were going to be streaming out at 2 p.m., which did not give Metro enough time to get operators back to work and trains from rail yards to downtown stations. (It takes Metro between 2 to 3 hours to ramp up for these kinds of big changes.)

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Rockville, Md.: I need to get from North Bethesda to Georgetown by 10 a.m. on Thursday. What's the least-traffic option -- Metro from White Flint to bus to Georgetown; drive straight down 355/Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Ave; or take 495 to GW Parkway to Key Bridge? I'm not a traffic expert in this region by any means, and I would love some advice. Thanks!

Eric Weiss: I would a.) avoid the Beltway, b.) Wisconsin Avenue should be okay closer to 10 and c.) take the paper and enjoy the Metro and bus.

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Burke, Va. - I'll stick up for the road crews: Having previously worked on a road crew in Boston I want to just point out that unfortunately, some lanes and some sidewalks in the city will always end up packed with snow. Why? Its simple physics. When you think about a city, it is lanes of traffic, side walks, intersections, etc. Its not like plowing a country road where you can just move the snow into the woods or someone's front yard. There is no dead space in a downtown environment like a front yard or ditch. It isn't feasible to remove all the snow with dump trucks or somehow vaporize it -- therefore, when you plow snow, it is going to get pushed somewhere -- it has to.

I'm not saying D.C. did a great job or even a passable one, just pointing out that in a city environment when you are moving snow off the streets, it has to go somewhere.

Eric Weiss: Good point. But D.C.'s own snow plan calls for plowing through lanes "curb to curb" in any storm over 4 inches.

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Ashburn, Va.: When it comes to snow removal, is VDOT, or all of the DOTs, spread too thin? Where I grew up, it was the township's responsibility to clear the roads, not the DOT. Well, we have county governments down here, why wouldn't they have to help out? Let VDOT handle the major interstates and make the county take of their own main roads and schools. Kids wouldn't have 3-4 snow days if the system were better.

Eric Weiss: The "Virginia Way'' means that the state department of transportation is responsible for clearing nearly all roads in the commonwealth, down to the smallest cul-de-sac.

Cities, though, are responsible for their own snow removal.

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Petworth, D.C.: I am not surprised at the car/bus vs. pedestrian incidents, only why there have been so few. We pedestrians see drivers ignoring red lights, stop signs, and those cute little white stripes on the street called "crosswalks" all the time. I have heard police officers tell me that they would not write tickets for red light running, well, maybe if someone were hit. . . Without the incentives to drive more civilly -- tickets for violations -- many drivers won't take the hint. We don't need more laws on this, just consistent enforcement.

Lena Sun: Hi Petworth. I spent some time last week at the same intersection -- Seventh and Pennsylvania -- and watched drivers and pedestrians. Yes, there were drivers who sped through that turn -- and yellow lights -- as they headed northbound on Seventh to turn onto westbound Pennsylvania.

But in the half hour that I was there, I also saw far more pedestrians who ignored the "Walk" signs and dashed across Pennsylvania Avenue into oncoming traffic.

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Cellphones: One solution a friend uses when annoyed by a loud cellphone user is to pull out his own phone, pretend he's making a call, and repeat everything the loudmouth says.

He swears it works, but I think I'd be afraid of encountering a nut with a gun.

Eric Weiss: Ha! That's a great idea, but I think it would qualify as "straphanger rage.''

How about a cold, hard stare?

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7th and Pennsylvania: Am I the only one concerned about how quickly the bus driver was charged in the incident at 7th and Pennsylvania Ave.? It seems like Metro/police usually take some time to do an investigation after something like that happens (e.g. the bus that killed a woman in Friendship Heights at Wisconsin and Jenifer about a year ago, the Congress Heights incident this weekend). Then they charged this driver the same night the incident happened.

The charges may be totally valid, but I was just worried that it was done so quickly for political reasons, to make it seem like Metro and police were taking these horrible accidents seriously and doing something about them -- that no matter the merits of the case, this driver was going to have to take the fall and be a scapegoat.

Lena Sun: Apparently there were several witnesses in this incident. The charging documents that were prepared for the operator's arraignment quoted one witness as saying the driver did not look, did not yield to the two pedestrians, and did not brake.

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Loud Music on Headphones: As a regular iPod listener I'm conscious that my music might be audible to those around me. However, an average train ride involves noisy tunnels, screeching brakes, and blaring, banal announcements - as well as quiet stretches. In order to hear above the noisy bits, my music might be a bit loud when we've come to a complete halt while "a train is on the platform in front of us."

If this is the biggest problem in your commute, you need some perspective.

Eric Weiss: I kinda hafta agree...

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Chinatown: Morning Eric and Lena,

I was the Orange Line last week and noticed two small black half-bubble-like structures on the ceiling of the metro car. They resembled camera's used in elevators. Any clue as to what they are?

Lena Sun: They are probably cameras. Do you remember what kind of rail car you were riding? Metro has reconfigured the inside of some of the newer cars, and they are filming passenger reactions to see if these designs make it easier for people to move into the center of the car instead of clumping and clogging the doorways.

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Arlington, Va.: To echo the previous poster about slippery tiles--did Metro purposely grease up the tiles inside the stations this morning? I got on at Courthouse and could not believe how wet and slippery it was INSIDE the station--same thing when I got off at Metro Center. I almost wiped out several times!

Lena Sun: Hmmm. Something definitely going on at your station. Will post and try to find out from Metro.

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Reston, Va.: Have you heard about any problems with the newer, more lightweight nickels not registering at toll booths?

At one of the Dulles Toll Road booths last week, I threw in four dimes and two nickels (one of the nickels was the newer version), and both nickels did not register. I heard the camera make a whirring sound, and upon calling customer service, I was told only $.40 had registered, and I would need to pay the $25 fine. Apparently my stunned silence said everything, because the rep -- who was extremely professional and sympathetic -- offered to speak with a supervisor, who determined I only had to pay the remaining $.10 ... at least I was able to charge it to my credit card over the phone.

A toll operator once told me that if a coin is dirty, it may not register, so I'm wondering if lighter-weight coins have the same problem.

Eric Weiss: The most amazing part of the story is that you called and got a response from customer service while at the toll plaza!

I'll check on these so-called lighter coins. Or you can stop using Canadian coins (ha!).

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20003: For the person taking the Green line to the Orange line from the Greenbelt end, it involves an extra transfer, but the Red line is a lot faster than going two stops down the Green line and three more back up the Orange line.

Unless the Red line is a mess in which case going to L'Enfant is easier. I've been caught by the Red line that way a few times, but usually it goes fairly well to do the hop.

Lena Sun: Another opinion for that person making the bet.

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Penn Quarter Bus Safety: Oh, and on the subject of Metrobus safety, the 70/71 Metrobus in both directions regularly blows through the red light, with no hesitation, at the intersection of 7th & G NW (by the MCI Center, Legal Sea Foods, Obabank, etc.).

Of course, so do like 50 percent of the other vehicles on the road there. It's a very dangerous intersection.

Eric Weiss: Now that 7th Street NW is a busy, revitalized pedestrian center, maybe some drivers should change their bad habits.

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Washington, D.C.: Please clarify. Is Metro still experimenting with running the yellow line all the way through Columbia Heights? I just moved to CH and I thought they were supposed to be doing that but it's not clear on the signs or the trains. I really wish they would!!

Lena Sun: Yes, Metro is still running the Yellow Line through Columbia Heights. I think they are in the process of updating the signs and the train operators are supposed to make that clear when they pull into the stations.

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Rockville, Md.: "the Marion Barry stance of 'wait for June'?"

This is a reasonable topic for debate. There are many times when a heavy snow will melt the next day. Do we really want to spend millions on immediate clearing of that which will melt soon? I think we do, but people should be aware of the options.

Eric Weiss: That would be a pretty courageous call to not plow and wait for Mother Nature to do the work. In a region where schools close at the mere mention of a snowflake, I don't know how realistic that would be. And you would have to count on the fickle Washington weather to cooperate.

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To Loud Music on Headphones: Hey, buddy, please learn something from someone who used to think the way you do: listening to music at a volume loud enough to drown out train noise will cause you to lose hearing and/or get tinnitus, a 24/7 ringing in your ears. Take some advice from one who knows from bitter experience how damaging loud headphones can be!

Eric Weiss: Good advice. But the debate is about whether the volume annoys others, not the deaf-to-be listener.

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Yellow Line, Va.: Some time ago there appeared to be a solution to the overcrowding (and subsequent delays) on the Blue/Orange line from VA into DC. As I remember it, Metro suggested diverting Blue line trains from Springfield/Franconia to MD across the elevated "Yellow line" bridge avoiding stops between Rosslyn and L'Enfant.

What gives? Was there a change and, more importantly, how are these trains identified?

Lena Sun: You are talking about the Blue Line Split, where some of the Blue Line trains would head over to the Yellow Line at Pentagon instead of going up through the congested Rosslyn tunnel. That is ONE of the options Metro officials said they might consider when they get more rail cars, and is likely to be discussed later this year.

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Green-to-Orange Line: Seems like that would depend on where the rider is going to and from. I assume he is coming down the Green Line from Shaw since he said he's from there. If it's rush hour, and if he's going west on the Orange Line, I'd think the Red is faster because L'Enfant requires a three-stop backtrack on the Orange. If it's not rush hour it's tougher because of the longer waits.

If he's going to McPherson Square or Farragut West, I'd say to take the Red Line to Metro Center (exit at 13th & G) or Farragut North (exit at Connecticut & K), respectively--the extra walk is minimal and is faster than changing trains.

Lena Sun: Here's another suggestion on that Green to Orange Line move.

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7th and Penn: I have to agree with the poster on weird lighting effects at the intersection. I don't know if it is the hill north on 7th, or the many lanes worth of headlights on both sides of your peripheral vision, but the glare from other cars makes it difficult to see through the relative darkness of the westbound lanes. The effect is double when both pavement and car windows are wet. The only indication of a pedestrian that I could see was an eastbound headlight momentarily blinking as he/she walked past.

I've also noticed most people wear rather drab or dark colored jackets to work - hardly ideal pedestrian wear in a city of self-absorbed drivers.

Lena Sun: Hope the city officials and transportation planners will take note of some of these comments about dim lighting.

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Eric Weiss: Thanks folks for all your questions and comments. Lena and I are going to sign off now and jack up the volume on our iPod earphones to block out our editor.

See ya next time!

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