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 will be online Monday, April 14 at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, feel your pain and share the drama of getting from Point A to Point B.

Submit your questions or comments before or during the discussion.

Discussion Archive

____________________

Lena Sun: Good morning everyone. It's supposed to be a beautiful week, weather-wise, but not so great traffic-wise. Not sure if Eric is going to be able to join us today--that will send him to the doghouse in my book for sure--so let's get started.

_______________________

Arlington, VA: With the huge number of people coming on Thursday for the Pope and as someone who works at the Washington Navy Yard, should I just stay home that day?

Lena Sun: Hi. All depends on how you get to work. But if you can work from home that day, District transportation officials are suggesting that you do so since there will be huge crowds going to the Pope's Mass at Nationals Park. The Mass starts at 10 a.m. but people have to pass through security and be in their seats by 8:30 a.m.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Is there anywhere online were you can see what streets are closed when and where for the pope's visit?

Lena Sun: Yes. there is a link on our website. will put it right up.

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Traffic Tie-Ups, Disruptions Expected During Visit(Post, April 13)

Lena Sun: here it is. let's see if i did it properly.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: I'm assuming this has happened to others, so I'm hoping someone could help me.

After going to the Wizards game Saturday night, as I was leaving the system at the Rockville Metro to go to my car and go home, I followed the person in front of me through the turnstiles, tapping my SmarTrip card as I was going through (everyone tells me you don't have to wait for the turnstile to close before using it). As I went through, the turnstile started closing in on me. I made it through, but after I got home, it made me wonder if the system didn't take my tapping, and if not, does that mean it still thinks I'm in the metro system? What happens the next time I use my card? I only ride the metro on the odd occasion so it may be awhile before I use the SmarTrip card again. I called Metro and they basically said I should just use it and see if it works, and that it might or might not. If it doesn't, I should take it to the station manager. Anyone else have this happen to them before?

Lena Sun: Yup. this has happened to me too. If you're not sure, and you have time before your train comes (look at the electronic sign that gives the next train arrival), go to the station manager and have him check it to make sure your fare was deducted. otherwise you will get that annoying message when you try to exit that tells you to stop and see the station manager.

_______________________

Washington, DC: I've got a 4:40 international flight from Reagan on Thursday. With all of the expected traffic delays from the Pope's visit, how early do you think I should leave? Leaving from Columbia Heights - not far from the airport, but who knows what traffic will be like.

Lena Sun: Are you taking metro or driving? Metro will be running rush hour service all day, so if you are taking the Green/Yellow line at 2 in the afternoon, trains are supposed to be running on a rush hour schedule.

_______________________

Silver Spring, MD: I'm assuming the Papal mass is longer than your everyday Sunday version. If I'm headed from Suitland to Rosslyn on the train at 2 p.m. on Thursday, am I going to ride into the middle of a mob scene at Navy Yard?

Lena Sun: The Pope is supposed to be leaving Nationals Park at 12:15 p.m. There are going to be an estimated 47,000 people at the ball park, but not all of them are going to be on Metro. I'm thinking you'll be at the tail end of the crush.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: As tourist season begins, I am concerned with a real safety issue. Parents with gigantic strollers (unfolded) who stand directly in front of the doors and/or block aisles. The other day a massive stroller was parked directly in front of the metro door and the parent wouldn't move it (despite there being room). I ended up missing the train as I was unable to board. On the bus, the rule is that strollers must be folded due to public safety concerns and for the safety of the child. I understand completely the need for a stroller and fully support families riding the Metro, but why are the same rules not in place for the metro as the bus?! I do not enjoy tripping over a child to exit the metro nor do I appreciate having to miss my train due to a completely preventable cause (if the stroller was folded, or in the back area of the train, this would have not have presented any problems).

Lena Sun: I think you have to ask the person with the stroller, nicely, to move the stroller to the side. Or zip over to another part of the platform before the train pulls in to get on at another spot. Metro has been doing recorded announcements for tourists and others advising them to stand on the right when going on up the escalator, etc., but lots of times, tourists and others from out of town are not paying attention.

_______________________

Mount Airy, Md.: No need to wait for the turnstile to close. Watch for the green light when you tap your SmarTrip card. Green light...it was scanned and you're good to go. No green light...you'll get the annoying "see the station manager" the next time.

Lena Sun: Thank You!

_______________________

Will we be able to purchase: that Pope bobblehead at the stadium?

Lena Sun: I have gotten quite a few requests from readers wanting to know about the Pope bobblehead. Did you try looking on the internet?

_______________________

DC: I live a few blocks from the Basilica and am concerned that I will have trouble parking near my house during the Pope's visit, if tourists/onlookers are trying to park nearby. I imagine that even with the 2-hour posted limit without a residential permit, many of them will park anyway and just pay the ticket.

My particular concern is that many streets have alternate side street cleaning on Tuesday and Wednesday, further decreasing the amount of available parking. I hope the District gov't will consider skipping the street cleaning for the week, and not ticketing residents who are parked in a street cleaning no-parking zone.

Lena Sun: I've been trying to reach someone in the District's Department of Public Works to get that answer for you but alas, person is not answering her phone. We'll find out and let readers know in the paper and on the web.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Who is the best person to contact regarding changes to the Montgomery County RideOn bus stops? Within the last couple of weeks, the bus shelter for the Routes 3 and 5 stop at 16th Street and Lyttonsville Road in Silver Spring was removed and the bus stop relocated one block north on 16th Street. Instead of a large concrete pad with a shelter, we now have a little blue sign and a patch of wet grass to walk across (not good for strollers or wheelchairs). This is a heavily used bus stop, but no one seems to know who decided this or when, or what the reason was.

Lena Sun: Did you try calling the bus stop hotline? 240-777-5824. It's not a live person but if you leave a message, someone is supposed to get back to you within 2 business days.

_______________________

watching for the green light: Sometimes the green light doesn't work! I got in the habit of looking for it when I tapped my SmarTrip card. Then once at Union Station, it didn't show and I got the dread message telling me to see the station manager. He checked my card, then walked over and pointed out that the gate was still open. My card had worked, I was just so busy looking for the green light, I didn't realize it and had tapped the card twice!

Lena Sun: These cards can be tricky. One time I added $10 in cash to my card, but I forgot to tap the target after I had added the money. When I went through the parking exit, the money did not show up. I had to back out of line, park the car, walk back to the station and ask for help from the station manager. Bottom line: make sure you get the little "thank you" after adding money, otherwise it won't get registered properly.

_______________________

Friendship Heights: Did WMATA ever rework the outrageous contracts that bus and metro drivers have that pays them ridiculous amounts for overtime including when they are on vacation?

I ask because I live very near the Friendship Heights Metro station where there is also a bus garage and although this is a very well off neighborhood I am not exaggerating that the average metrobus driver has a much nicer car than anyone in my neighborhood does - you really would not believe the number of bus drivers who have recent model and high end Mercedes' and BWM's.

I in the meantime am struggling to make ends meet and incrased subway fares are part of my cost of living crunch.

Lena Sun: That part of the contract was negotiated decades ago and I'll bet my own very old cars that it will remain in the contracts. Please message me directly at SUNL@washpost.com so I can talk to you more about this. thanks.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: For the international flyer: Having gotten flak in the past from a NWA agent for not showing up the required two hours prior to an international flight (even though I was flying domestic to make a connection to an international flight), I'd leave no later than 2 for a 4:30 flight if you're on Metro and 1:45 if you're driving (or if it's Metro and you have to deal with Terminal A). Yes, you may be putting your feet up at the airport for a while, but it's better than dealing with the 50/50 chance of being told you didn't show up "early" enough and your bags may not make it, etc.

Lena Sun: For the flyer...

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I think Metro did a horrible job yesterday getting people to and from the Nats and Caps games. On the yellow line, 45 minutes before the Nats game was set to start, they were running trains every 15 minutes. After the game, the trains were every 10-12 minutes. that is NOT rush-hour service and they were all packed.

Lena Sun: Several complaints from readers this a.m. about crowded trains last week. On Sundays, Metro does not run rush-hour service. Usually after games, they have extra trains available if needed, but am checking to find out how much extra service they put out.

_______________________

Centreville, Va.: Metro failed Friday night after the Caps and Nats games. Waiting at Gallery Place for 15 minutes while TWO empty trains passed us by was unacceptible. Metro should have realized there were more fans at Verizon Center than at the Nats game (turn on a TV to find out). That, and finding out that the $20 I just put on my SmarTrip card did not take has sent me back to my car.

Lena Sun: Posting this complaint for folks at Metro who sometimes read behind on these chats.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: A GIANT boo to Metro on last Thursday's night's commute. Usually at Gallery Place they alternate Green and Yellow line trains, but due to Metro's kowtow to the Nationals, they ran six, mostly EMPTY, Green line trains in a row. How do I know? I was waiting for a Yellow line to Huntington. It's the first time I've seen my fellow Yellow liners yell at the Metro drivers as the roll past.

Lena Sun: Will definitely be checking on this....I think Metro is also trying to figure out ridership patterns now that the games are at the new ball park.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I work near Judiciary Square and all of the various courthouses. It seems that about half or more of the cars parked along the streets suggest that there's official law enforcement business going on, I assume police officers testifying at trials.

My question is whether these cars are allowed to park in restricted areas. Seems to me that regulations near corners, in front of fire hydrants, in bus stops, etc. are safety regulations, so it doesn't make sense to exempt law enforcement personnel from these regulations, except in cases of emergency (which I assume these aren't). Yet they're never ticketed.

I know the officers need to be here, but is it right that they can park anywhere they want?

Eric Weiss: DC Police headquarters is right there at 300 C Street and it seems that police officers park wherever they want, including on sidewalks. And these are not cruisers, but what I assume are their personal cars.

I agree, it is an outrage, especially since many of the vehicle do not have DC plates and there is a Metro station right across the street.

Shame, shame.

_______________________

Alexandria, VA: Who came up with the bright idea to drop the outer loop of the beltway down to 3 lanes at Eisenhower Avenue? I assume this is in preparation for the new span of the Wilson Bridge, so it shouldn't last too long (assuming the new span opens next month as planned), but it's sure going to make a mess of the afternoon rush hour for the next few weeks.

Eric Weiss: The lane drop is not related to the new span opening soon, but because of serious work beginning on the Telegraph Road interchange. It just pushes the merge up a mile closer to the Mixing Bowl.

_______________________

Arlington, VA: Could you please post a link and phone number to Senator Coburn's office, so we can call him a total moron for wanting to cut funding for Metro. The fact that this area has a higher average income than the rest of the nation should not be a consideration in funding mass transportation.

Lena Sun: Here it is. Sen. Tom Coburn:

http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCoburn.home

phone number: Washington: 202-224-5754;

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Are Metro bus drivers not allowed to tell passengers when they will be stopped for a while or changing drivers in the middle of a route? This has happened to me on several occasions on the G2 on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. When the driver stops the bus and gets off, everyone ends up waiting 10-15 minutes for a new driver to come on board, get settled and finish the route. It just makes more sense to me for them to change drivers at the end of the route as the rail does then in the middle with everyone wondering what's going on.

Eric Weiss: The 42 change drivers at Dupont Circle. I assume it is because it is next to a Metro station. It is not helpful when drivers chit-chat to each other during the switch, prolonging everyone's wait.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hi Eric and Lena,

Who can I contact at Metro about a real problem with use of escalators? I find it troubling that people use the escalators when they have small children in strollers or people with extremely large suitcases who go on the escalators and block the way for anyone trying to pass them. I feel that Metro needs to do a better job of advertising the safe use of elevators in these cases. I can't tell you how many times I have almost fallen over suitcases or strollers. Thanks.

Eric Weiss: It doesn't help that sometimes the elevators are hidden down hallways and are difficult to find. And that doens't count when elevators are out of order.

What bothers me is when people who don't need to use the elevators use them because they are too lazy or impatient to stand on an escalator, forcing folks with strollers or bags to wait for successive elevators (Hello, Woodley Park commuters!).

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Hi Eric and Lena,

A friend of mine and I were returning from a softball game on Sunday at around 1 p.m., taking the Metro from Tenleytown to Metro Center and changing to the Orange Line.

He commented on the foot traffic when going down the escalator from the Red Line platform to the Blue/Orange platform, and how disorganized it was, with people trying to cross between each other from escalator to trains and vice versa.

Why did Metro set things up like that at the major transfer points? Didn't anyone go to London to see how well the Tube directs passengers onto and off of platforms so that people don't feel like salmon trying to swim upstream?

Lena Sun: I agree. When they have people directing traffic, it works more smoothly.

_______________________

$10 on card?: Hi Lena,

How were you able to only put $10 on your SmarTrip card? Mine won't let me put any less than $20, sometimes to my chagrin when I'm in a hurry and just want to quickly put in some cash and go.

Lena Sun: CASH!

_______________________

Germantown, Md.: How much longer will it be until the Montrose Road/Montrose Parkway intersection is complete?

I HATE the new road and its circuitous route it takes to get from I-270 to 355, and cannot wait until I can make that simple left turn to get back on old Montrose Road.

What rocket scientist thought this new road was a good idea anyway?

Lena Sun: I could not agree with you more. I have heard tons of complaints from folks. (Full disclosure, I live in that neighborhood as well).

Lena Sun: I have been on hold for several minutes trying to find out but no one has come back to me. If you email me directly, I will give you the name and phone number for someone in Moco. SUNL@washpost.com

_______________________

Hyattsville, MD: Who is responsible for reversing the lane on DC-295 north of Benning Road through the construction zone?

The times that this operation is completed are absurd, and someone needs to inform this contractor that shifting northbound traffic to 2 lanes on Thursday and Friday evenings at 7:00 PM does not do ANYONE a bit of good. The shift is far too late to help baseball traffic, and far too early to accomodate the completion of rush hour.

Why can't this shift be made during late night hours (after 10 PM)?

Eric Weiss: The change is not on account of baseball traffic but to help rush hour traffic.

At 7 p.m., they switch the reversable lane back for the next morning's traffic.

DDOT spokeswoman Karyn LeBlanc says thank you for your input and they will speak to the contractor to see if they can do it at 5 a.m. instead.

How's that for action!

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: Can you guys confirm that the National Harbor complex is charging for parking at all times? I'm surely not going to bother going there if I'm going to get charged for parking to have dinner on a Saturday night, especially when EVERY other retail/entertainment district in the region outside the beltway (and a bunch more inside the beltway) has free parking on evenings and weekends.

Lena Sun: Trying to nail that down for you. They do charge for parking but not sure what the different rates are.

_______________________

Eric Weiss: Thanks all for your questions!

Until next time, may your commte be quick and avoid all Pope-related closures.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.