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 writer Lena H. Sun was online Monday, April 28 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.

Discussion Archive

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Eric Weiss: Good morning, commuters!

I bet the commute was extra-special because of the rain.

Tell us about it, or ask us questions.

It is, after all, up to you.

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Bethesda, Md.: There were delays last week during the evening rush last week on the red line; the driver said it was due to problems with "wayside" communications.

Can you give some insight to what was going on and whether its likely to recur?

Lena Sun: Metro has been trying to get train operators to communicate more with passengers to let them know what is going on. So often the operators will talk in the system jargon. "Wayside" refers to stuff going on on the tracks. That's where many of the key signalling systems are located.

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Washington, D.C.: There was a major backup going east on the Sousa Bridge on Saturday morning due to DDOT repaving. It took me 35 minutes to cross the bridge. I was on my way to Forestville for a family funeral. I got onto the bridge from the 17th Street turnoff around Barney Circle on the west side of the river. It was quickly apparent that all lanes of traffic were backed up. First I saw a Road Work Ahead sign, so I figured traffic would be slow but would move. Didn't happen. Cars, including traffic merging onto the bridge, were constantly changing lanes left to right and visa versa. About halfway I saw a sign that said the two right lanes were closed ahead. Actually, it was the two left lanes that were closed, but you didn't see that until towards the end of the bridge, where the road work was actually taking place. This was a very poor way to manage traffic on a major arterial, even for a Saturday morning.

Eric Weiss: Repaving projects, especially on major roads at night or on the weekends, are part of the summer life here in the Washington area, along with the humidity and those big bugs that look like cockroaches but actually FLY!

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Centreville, Va.: I wonder why nobody else has brought this up. I rode Metro this weekend for the first time in a long time and hear an announcement, "please move to the center of the car..." Isn't Metro trying to get people AWAY from the doors? The center of the car has doors. Shouldn't they be saying something to the extent, "Please move to the areas between the doors."

Lena Sun: Hi there. They are trying to get you and lots of other people from standing near the doors and moving toward the middle of the car so other people can get in at the next stop.

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Germantown, Md.: I moved here from San Diego, so am one of the few newcomers not suffering from sticker shock at the cost of housing, etc., in the area. Except when it comes to transportation! In San Diego, unlimited bus/trolley (light rail) transportation is $64/month; $16/month for seniors like my still-working Mom. Parking at stations is free and there are frequent bus routes that deliver you there in short order.

Here, I pay more than $64/week for my commute and parking, Since I really have no option (I'm not driving into D.C. and the nearest Ride On stop is 12 blocks from my apartment), all I can do is grouse. However, I'm sure those with other options are leaving the system in droves.

Lena Sun: Dear former San Diegoan(?: Lucky you. Fares went up in January and it has hit long-distance rush-hour commuters particularly hard. That said, there has not yet been a drop-off in Metro ridership. The traffic here is the second-worst in the country, and now we're paying a lot more in gas money to sit in it.

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Washington, D.C.: I like to use online traffic sites like Traffic.com, Google and Microsoft's Live Maps. However, I find that at any given time, all three can vary in their estimations of traffic congestion.

Which online traffic site do you find to be most reliable?

Eric Weiss: None. I rely on the live traffic cameras that are widely available on a bunch of sites. On my favorites is Trafficland.com, although a bunch of sites show DDOT, VDOT and SHA cameras. It just depends on what interface you prefer.

But we are in the middle of a revolution of real-time traffic reporting that will transform the way we drive. I wrote a story a while back how companies plan to aggregate cell-phone location data, GPS and other anonymous info to not only tell us what the situation is up ahead but actually suggest solutions.

(Maybe Paul can fish out that story and post it later.)

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Bethesda, Md.: What causes fare cards to not work? Do keeps cards together or with smart trip cards demagnetize them?

Lena Sun: If you keep the fare cards with electromagnetic items, they can become demagnetized. Cell phones are a big culprit, Metro says. Keeping them next to a SmarTrip card shouldn't do it because that card relies on a tiny chip embedded in the edge of the card. So don't bend those SmarTrip cards.

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Please move to the Center of the Car: I think Centreville's point was that, in this message, Metro is using a series of words to try to say one thing, but based on rider behavior it actually means something else to the folks listening. Just a thought, but has Metro ever actually done focus groups or observational studies to see how their words are interpreted? May saying somthing like " Please move down the aisle" or "Please move between doors" would be more effective.

Lena Sun: Good point. I vote for "please move down the aisle."

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Washington, D.C.: Did you recycle anything Saturday?

Eric Weiss: We have pallets of old paint and other assorted poisons on pallets in our basement. Every year we forget the ONE DAY the District allows us to dump it off and the pile gathers for another year. This year we --thank god--missed it again.

It seems DC officials will soon make dropoffs more frequent and convenient.

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Downtown, D.C.: I went to the Nats game on Saturday and was disappointed and dismayed by the service the Metro provided after the game. I could not get near the Metro station, much less inside of it, because so many people were packed trying to get in, but unfortunately there was only one train coming in the next 17 minutes! How does Metro defend this?

I was particularly disheartened because I was defending Metro and its service on the way to the game, only to be proven wrong just a few hours later. Not to mention it was in the middle of a rain storm, so everyone had to wait outside in the rain.

Fortunately I found a Metro bus near by to hop on.

Eric Weiss: Which bus, and where?

Has anyone had any experience with the N22, which goes to Union Station?

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Flying bugs:<<those big bugs that look like cockroaches but actually FLY!>> Some cockroaches fly.

Eric Weiss: It still freaks me out. It is against nature.

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Alexandria, Va.: Any idea when the new parking at the Huntington Metro station will open?

Lena Sun: Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel says later this summer.

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Arlington, Va.: I was at the Nationals game on Friday evening and, in spite of a sizable crowd which necessitated slow progress to get to Metro, the police were active in moving us along and, when I got to L'enfant Plaza to transfer to the Oranage Line, they had an empty train waiting to load us all up. Although I stood all the way on two trains, the ride home was relatively smooth. This is good because I think a fear of Metro could be one thing that kept attendance lower than it could be.

Lena Sun: A couple of you had different experiences getting to the Nats games this weekend.

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Alexandria, Va.: Some comments on Metro to the ballpark....

We went to Saturday night's game and thankfully the rain held off until we were on the train home. Normally on a Saturday night we would have driven to Branch Avenue and ridden the Green Line to avoid changing trains, but the Wilson Bridge was closed for several hours due to a car fire, so we parked at Huntington instead, took the Yellow Line, and changed at L'Enfant Plaza.

We'll never do that again. The people who run Metro seem to be COMPLETELY incompetent in how they set things up. Changing trains on the way TO the game, we found that while there are three escalators connecting the faregate level to the platform (you go up to the faregate level to change platforms from the inbound Yellow to the outbound Green), on the side going towards Greenbelt (where people are going UP to change to the opposite platform) they had ONE escalator going up and TWO going down, and then on the other side, where you board the train to Navy Yard, they had ONE going DOWN and TWO going UP...i.e., on both sides the escalators were exactly the opposite of what was needed to move the crowds. But we got there OK in spite of having to yell at woolheaded clowns for standing on the left on the escalator AS THE BALLPARK TRAIN PULLED INTO THE STOP! (Of all the times you should know to get moving!)

But it's the trip home that caused us to rule out ever riding the Metro to the ballpark again if we have to change trains. Getting on at Navy Yard was painless enough, although they need to do a better job of indicating to the paper-farecard users which lanes don't accept paper farecards. Setting that aside, though, we were on the train quickly enough and we decided to change to the Yellow Line at Archives, rather than L'Enfant, because there would be fewer crowds. That proved true, but unfortunately we had to wait 25 minutes for a Yellow Line train. Seems that Metro focuses entirely on clearing out Navy Yard and doesn't run trains for people to change to (when we finally got to L'Enfant on the Yellow, some of the same people we had seen on the Green Line half an hour earlier squeezed on board).

Having to wait 25 minutes for a train is asinine. In the future, I think we'll drive downtown to my office and walk to Gallery Place so as not to change trains....or, if DC United are not playing, we might do the "Nats Express" bus. I do not consider Metro a reasonable option if it takes me an hour and a half to get home via subway, given that it takes me about 35 minutes by car, and what I really do not understand is why the turkeys in charge of our subway system can't seem to use a shred of common sense in how they set things up in terms of having the escalators running in peak direction and in terms of recognizing that getting the crowds out of Navy Yard is only the FIRST step in getting people where they're going.

Eric Weiss: Your adventure sounds terrible.

The signage at L'Enfant Plaza is woefully inadequate for those transferring from the Blue Line and looking for the Green. Metro's attitude is that evenutually we'll get the hang of it. Doesn't seem to be much of a strategy.

On the return ride Metro held a Red Line train at Gallery Place for baseball fans.

I wonder how long all this special service by Metro will last.

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Arlington, Va.: Just wanted to say that, with gas prices esclating, I'm now WALKING to all the places I frequent within a 2-mile radius of my home. Not only do I save the gas, but I also get excellent exercise.

Lena Sun: Good for you. Now if they could only make comfortable AND attractive-for-work walking shoes, I'd walk to my Metro station.

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16th St. Heights, NW: Kudos to the DC gov't for organizing "e-cycling" @ Carter Barron. But I must say, it created awful, unexpected traffic on 16th and in Crestwood.

D-DOT had lots of staff on hand directing traffic, but surely, something can be done to facilitate life for those taking time on a Saturday to do the right thing. Has this event received any attention at the water cooler?

Eric Weiss: It is stupid for a major city to hold a recycling event twice a year.

It took Saturday's cluster!@#$ for someone at the Wilson Building to realize this.

The city say they will make recycling easier in the future.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Just a comment about my pet peeve on Metro -- people who lean against the poles so no one else can hold on. Come on, people, you're not the only ones in the car!

Eric Weiss: A simple "Excuse me" usually works.

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19th & K, NW: You misunderstood Centreville, Va's point. When Metro says "Move to the center of the car" they are inadvertently telling people to gather near the center doors of the car, simply because the center of the car actually has doors. They should do as Centreville, Va., suggested and say something more along the lines of "Please move to the areas between the doors." Get it?

Lena Sun: I get it, I get it. And I say it myself when I'm trying to get on a crowded train and no one wants to budge towards the middle of the car.

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Nats and Metro: I have to say I am sick of people complaining about the Metro and Nats games! My husband and I took the metro to the Nats game a few weekends ago and it was fine. I think the biggest problem isn't metro but it is people not being patient! Maybe it is the raininy day that has put me in a bad mood but I think people need to relax!

Eric Weiss:

You are suggesting that people in the WORLD CAPITAL who do IMPORTANT THINGS, many involving the law, to RELAX?

What are you, from California or something?

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Silver Spring, Md.: This isn't terribly important, but I'm curious anyway. I remember reading that the Glenmont Metro Parking Garage is being rehabbed because it was built 15 years ago (and looks the part). But, wasn't Metro finally extended past Wheaton to Glenmont in 1998? Do you or any readers know if the garage sat there for 5 years, or am I completely wrong? Thanks! This has been bugging me for weeks...

Lena Sun: You are correct. The Glenmont parking garage was opened (and not fully used) because the line hadn't been extended to that station. The old garage is being rehabbed and Metro will be building a new 1,200-space garage across the street on land that it owns. The construction bids are due this week. It will take about 18 months to build it.

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Old Post Office Pavillion, DC: I think part of the problem with the sports events in town is that there's really no way to know exactly when the game is going to end. It's really hard to schedule trains to be in a particular area when you don't know when the people are going to be there. I rode Metro on Friday and it was great for me. The fireworks after the game helped to thin the crowd out a bit to. I hope there are more post-game events in the future to help out.

Eric Weiss: You never know when a baseball game is going to end, especially if Chad Cordero gets his job back as closer.

Your suggestion for more post-game bread-and-circuses events is a good one. It might keep folks from leaving in in the seventh inning.

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Away from the doors: How about Metro just say "please move away from the doors"?

Lena Sun: I think they already say that.

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Olney, Md.: I think the person from San Diego doesn't realize that the ridership here is much more in demand than there, so the price is high to prevent it from being even more crowded or for the parking lots to be even more filled. San Diego's rail system is 3 lines of two-car trains running about every 10-15 minutes. Compare that to our 9 branch lines (2 for each line, except Yellow) of trains running every 6 minutes in rush hour.

BART in San Francisco has discovered that their parking is too inexpensive ($1.00 per day). I think the only thing keeping rush hour ridership down on the East Bay side is the lack of parking at most stations after 8 AM. They are currently building a 1500-space garage 35 miles out of SF on one line to keep up with parking needs. And I believe the only 2 stations that don't fill up are that way because they are in an empty high-crime non-residential industrial area.

Lena Sun: Thank you Olney for that wealth of information.

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Washington, D.C.: I've read about the new bike-sharing program and I saw a similar program in Copenhagen last summer. Worked well there, and what seemed nicer about their system is that you don't have a time limit on your rental. The idea of renting a bike to ride over to Nationals Park sounded like a nice idea until I found out that you have a time limit that would not allow enough time to watch a ballgame. Perhaps the people setting this thing up could explore adding a rental location near the ballpark. Seems like a great way to increase their business.

Eric Weiss: Very good idea.

I spoke to a few people who biked to the game and said it was quick way to avoid traffic and Metro.

And as a plus, their bikes were there at the end of the game.

There were plenty of places to lock-up, especially along South Cap. Plenty of cops and security folks as well.

There is also a free bike concierge service. Has anyone used it?

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Arlington, Va.: I'm not DEFENDING door blockers, but one issue to keep in mind that some people are going to have to get off or transfer within a few stops, and don't want to shove to the center (between-door area) of the car only to have to shove back out in a few minutes. The people who are riding to the end of the lines are the ones more likely to actually heed this advice.

I'm not saying that it's right to block the doors, just saying that not everyone is just doing it for kicks.

Lena Sun: Agreed. But during the morning rush, most of the folks getting on at or near the end of the lines are heading many stops into the downtown area.

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Brentwood, Md.: For everyone who complains about how Metro handles weekend track work -- things could be worse. You could be riding the NYC subway!

I was in NYC this weekend, and the weekend track work on the subway disrupted my travels far more than track work in DC ever did. There were a few closed lines and many closed stations. In one branch of the system, service was suspended entirely! In the parts of the system that were running, delays were horrendous (I waited over 20 minutes for a 4 train.)

A trip that should have taken me 20 minutes took an hour and 30 minutes!

The next time someone in this chat complains about NYC's superior handling of delays and construction, I'm just going to laugh...

Lena Sun: Posting this from someone who was riding in New York this weekend. Also, for that rider who was upset because he had to wait 25 minutes for a Yellow Line train Saturday night after the baseball game: Metro says on Saturday nights, the headway--or the interval--between trains after 9 p.m. is 20 minutes. So tack on an extra minute or two at each station while people get on to the train and there's your 25 minutes.

Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel says that's the deployment based on ridership so far after the games.

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Rock Creek: Any word on completion of Rock Creek Parkway's construction? It's not so much the aggravating stand still traffic (okay, it's that too), but the total inconsistency. I gambled this morning and the two right lanes were moving right along, but the left was blocked up past P street.

As a cyclist, I appreciate them FINALLY upgrading that path, but as a car commuter as well, this is really driving me nuts!

Eric Weiss: Bill Line of the Park Service is checking on the lane closures this morning.

Otherwise, the project from Virginia Avenue to P Street is on schedule for completion by November.

Line suggested using transportation alternatives.

The next phase of the project moves to Beach Drive north of the National Zoo.

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Centreville, Va. (once again): Thanks DC for seeing my point. A couple of the riders scowled at me and Lena, sorry for the second message earlier. Just frustrating when you hear the message, and I understand what it could be saying, but this is Metro.

One more thing though, why don't they put signs ABOVE the SmarTrip only faregates instead of on the gates themselves. You can't see the gates when the station is crowded.

Lena Sun: That's a very good point about the signage for SmarTrip. I will post your suggestion and forward it to Metro.

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aggressive driving: Why is it that driver education programs and traffic enforcement initiatives are aimed against aggressive driving, but no authority seems to care about passive-aggressive drivers? I ask because of the rain this morning, and the number of drivers that were in in the left lane of route 50 in Maryland, cruising at 50 mph. This was in a 65mph zone. Considering that the rain was drizzle, and my car felt like it had more than adequate traction, I'm puzzled why I had to pass these people on the right. In addition, there were long periods of congestion that turned out to be more people driving very slowly for no apparent reason, in the left most lanes.

Is there any way to change this behavior? Can we focus on it as much as we do lane weavers? I just don't see the point in widening roads in this region if we are going to wind up with the same set of left-lane cruisers comfortably blocking traffic and creating congestion. Perhaps if we are rigorous about all road rules, not just the speeding, we can really improve the flow of traffic.

Eric Weiss: Left-lane cruisers drive me nuts as well.

It seems there are two solutions to this, based on my experience.

1. The New Jersey experience. The State Police are merciless in pulling over speeders in the left lane. So everyone avoids the left lane.

2. The Connecticut experience. Drivers use the left lane to pass, and then, generally, move over to the center or right line depending on their speed.

I found that in the Washington area, there is little enforcement and even less consideration. People hang out in the left lane a) because they can; b)It's generally less of a hassle; and c) traffic is generally bad and it is the best through lane and d) Consideration of other drivers is just not applicable.

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Merrifield, Va.: Any word on the causes, impacts and outcomes of the car fire on the Wilson Bridge on Saturday afternoon? A friend and I were just about to take the ramp to 495N from Rt 1 in Alexandria when we realized from the traffic that the bridge must be closed (or opened), so we were able to extricate ourselves enough to get on 495S instead. We heard about the fire on the radio as we cut through the city to get to Maryland...but I've not been able to find out any more info since. Was everyone involved okay?

Eric Weiss: I'm checking on the fire...

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Bethesda, Md.: It doesn't matter what the say concerning standing near the doors, because people will continue doing whatever they want. I can never understand why people stand near the doors when there are plenty of other places to sit or stand.

Lena Sun: The clumping-at-the-doors phenomenon tends to happen more frequently when there are no seats and people want to hang on to those poles.

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Arlington, Va.: Do you know what's going on at the lower level of Rosslyn? A huge block of the wall lights have been out for over a week, and it makes the platform VERY dark (and kinda creepy!). I'm thinking it's a bigger problem that just burnt out bulbs...I just can't imagine what it would be that it's taking over a week to fix.

Any info on this? Thank you.

Lena Sun: I put a call in to Metro at the beginning of the chat but haven't heard back yet.

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Lena Sun: Okay folks, thanks for chatting. Eric apologizes for being too sarcastic. He didn't have breakfast this morning. See ya next time.

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