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 Lena H. Sun and Eric Weiss were online Monday, July 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.

A transcript follows.

Discussion Archive

____________________

Eric Weiss: Let's see, we have the failure of Virginians to come up with Metro funding and we have a burgeoning "war" on commuters by the District.

So what else is knew?

Questions, comments, kvetches?

_______________________

Farragut North, Washington, D.C.: There are lots of sound and well supported ideas around for improving public transportation in our region and I know the answer is always that there is no money.

But given the surge in gasoline prices and the fact that we already have a region that supports and uses public transportation in great numbers why are we not seeing greater forward momentum in the last year towards actually breaking ground on some of these projects?

I know Coburn is holding up some of the Metro money but is it really impossible to come up with the 60 to 80 million needed to connect the Farragut Stations and Metro Center and Gallery Place?

When it became obvious that replacing the Wilson Bridge had become an urgent matter it got done.

Why does the same urgency not apply to expanding public transportation?

Eric Weiss: Politicians respond to emergencies. Good ideas, good planning, not so much.

The Wilson bridge was literally falling down, with the possibility of weight limits on trucks, before the feds came across with some cash.

And that was when there was cash.

_______________________

Friendship Heights: Lena -- this streetcar plan the District has come up with seems really poorly thought out and a prescription for fiscal waste and I am writing this as a big booster and daily user of public transportation.

The low fruit on the tree so to speak when it comes to developing street car lines should be to build them in corridors where the bus lines already have high ridership rates and a certain amount of transit oriented development has already occured.

In the case of the District, Georgia Avenue, 16th Street and Wisconsin Avenue are the corridors that jump out to me.

But instead they are mucking around in an area of town where a whole host of other things need to happen first before there is any chance of a street car line succeeding -- e.g. new development and streetscapes, etc.

And spending this sort of money for a 1.2 mile line is absurd! Most adults can walk that distance in under 15 minutes so this is a spur to nowhere as far as I can tell.

And this was not detailed in the piece but the Woodley Park line has long mystified me -- I cannot even imagine what the population is that would be riding over that route but even sillier is the fact that most portions of the route are already served more efficiently by Metrorail!

Street car lines are a great idea and I hope we see many of them in the coming years but if the District continues on this illogical path we are never going to get anywhere with this option.

Lena Sun: Hi Friendship. Several other people had the same question about the streetcar line. That's why Jim Graham decided to hold the hearing today. I think part of what I was hearing is that someone had the idea back in the day to put this project in Anacostia, in part because it had some existing infrastructure, i.e. the CSX tracks.

Officials say they want to start somewhere less developed, work out the kinks, as it were, and use the segment as a launching point to connect Anacostia to better connect Anacostia to other parts of the city.

_______________________

20009: Couple of comments from two Post stories recently. Not to be too ghoulish, but in the story today about Chandra Levy, it was written, "after working out at the Washington Sports Club on Connecticut Avenue near Dupont Circle. Chandra would take the Metro to the Woodley Park station. From there, she would walk over the Calvert Street bridge to Condit's apartment in the trendy neighborhood of Adams Morgan." Does that make sense to anyone? She was just about doubling the time it took to get there more directly.

Second, Jim Graham (story about streetcars) said that maybe they'd be better served along K Street. My mouth dropped open as there are many bus lines already serving that corridor, including the Circulator.

washingtonpost.com: Transit Plan on Track ( Post, July 13)and Who Killed Chandra Levy? Part Two ( Post, July 14)

Eric Weiss: Interesting observation about the Levy story. Why would she backtrack to Dupont Circle when walking up a block and a half to Columbia Road and then to Condit's apartment would have been quicker and simpler?

_______________________

Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: I know, I know, Metrorail ridership has surged in the last few months and I think that is a great thing.

But I don't think I am imagining that on the Red Line there are fewer 8-car trains running (I haven't seen one in several weeks) and that on top of that the time between trains, especially in shoulder times (eg 7-9 p.m.) has actually dropped.

Has Metro had another procurement fiasco or problem with its rail car renovations?

If the answer is yes I really hope as reporters covering this beat you will get to the bottom of what is going on and more importantly report on whether or not anyone is actually being held accountable -- in the procurement office, among the companies providing the new and refurbished rail cars, etc.

Or perhaps there are no performance guarantees written into WMATA contracts and that would certainly be a story as well.

It just really seems to me that WMATA management is not up to the task but we ordinary folks have no way of knowing and lean on you to shine a light on this stuff.

Lena Sun: Hi Dupont. Are you riding during rush hour? That's when they're supposed to be running. Last I checked, they were receiving new cars on a regular basis and assuming the testing process is going smoothly, the eight-car trains should be out there. I'll check, and if for some reason there is a problem, it is likely to wind up as a story.

It's often not that simple to get answers from Metro.

_______________________

Springfield, Va.: When Metro first installed the message boards, I vaguely remember that they used to display reminders to tourists to avoid the system between 4-6 p.m. as that was when things were busiest. Is there any way that Metro can start those reminders again -- maybe as part of the announcement rotation?

Tourists tend to have flexible schedules -- commuters aren't always so lucky.

Lena Sun: I'll post your suggestion but the message boards are pretty crowded these days. Also, I would think it's sorta basic common sense that trains would be most crowded during a weekday rush hour, no matter what city or country you're visiting from.

_______________________

Alexandria. Va.: I just wanted to get the word out that the 11Y bus has added new buses to the route. Very few people seem to be riding the new ones while the "old" ones are still standing room only. Granted the new buses start and end at Huntington Towers vs going all the way to Mt Vernon.

It really is just a great option for those who lives along the GW Parkway/Washington Street that I wanted to push it so we don't loose it.

Lena Sun: Thanks for thinking of your fellow riders Alexandria.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Why did Metro make the reshaping of the Pennsylvania Avenue Line -- the No. 30 buses -- so complicated? Why couldn't the previous routes from the eastern terminals all be cut back to the Archives-Navy Memorial station with a new No. 30 running from Archives to Friendship Heights? I also don't understand the logic behind the new No. 31 route between Friendship Heights to Potomac Park? Why not just extend the southern terminal to the Kennedy Center instead of the middle of nowhere?

Lena Sun: Metro held lots of sessions with the public to get their input. This was subject of LOTS of discussion. So the new configurations are essentially based on what folks told Metro they wanted.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: It seems that D..C wants it both ways. They want to be able to make it impossible to commute into the City, but they are not going to invest in the money to make Metro run more frequently and on time. I should never have to wait twice as long for a train as it takes to drive there (that's not even including the time on the Metro trains).

The system is too slow to be have me give up my car. The D.C. government, in a surprise to no one, is being unrealistic.

Eric Weiss: The District has committed its share of dedicated funding for Metro, as has Maryland.

Guess who hasn't?

(Hint: It ain't Alabama)

_______________________

Clifton, Va.: The District needs to remember that it does not have "Home Rule" and that Congress can make things interesting for the District! Has D.C.'s budget passed the Congress? All it takes is one senator to hold it up!

Eric Weiss: Clifton, Clifton, that sounds like a threat!

Congress would never stoop to meddle in the affairs of the District.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Every weekend this summer that I try to use the Metro, track work delays the Metro up to 30 minutes. This Sunday, there were 20- minute delays on the Blue and Yellow lines between the airport and Braddock Road. I had to get off a Pentagon City and wait the announced 15-17 minutes wait for a train to continue to Huntington. When can I expect to ride the Metro on weekends without delays? Also during the daytime many times the Orange Line is using one tracks near Vienna, and I have to plan to leave one hour earlier to the airport if I am to use Metro and catch my plane.

Lena Sun: Metro folks are looking for ways to cut down on weekend track work, but personally, I don't think that's going to happen. Here's why: there is a ton of stuff they have to do for maintenance and repair, and only so many hours in a 24-hour period when personnel can get down into the tracks and tunnels to do it. They can't do it when the trains are running.

So if you use Metro on the weekends, assume there will be track work. Check their website in advance. Track work schedule is usually posted by Thursday afternoon for that weekend. Before you leave your house, go to the website and click "Next Arrival" to see when the next three trains are departing from your station. If you have a bberry or other device, you can do it as well, and check for departures on your trip home.

_______________________

Purple Line...again: I heard mention of the infamous Purple Line on the news again this morning, but didn't catch the details, do you know what they are saying about it now? Thanks.

Eric Weiss: Read Sunday's Washington Post. There was a comprehensive article on it.

_______________________

Chinatown: Re: Chandra's commute to Condit's --- maybe she worked out at the WSC near Brooks Brothers/Big Hunt, not the one near Rite-Aid/Buca di Beppo.

Eric Weiss: Hmm. Good point. But it still might be quicker just to walk up 18th Street from there.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Was out in Berryville, Va., and gas at the Shell on Rt 7 was $385.9 for regular. 24 cents cheaper than in Centerville, Va. Transportation costs are higher since the pipeline is in Fairfax or Springfield where the tanker loads up at the terminal. What a nice scam by the major oil companies! Zip code pricing!

Eric Weiss: Wow, let's all head out to Berryville for cheap gas!

Where is Berryville?

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Teeing Off on Purple Line Planl ( Post, July 13)

_______________________

Falls Church, Va.: Isn't the jump in gas prices producing a windfall of tax money? Can't the amount of the windfall be estimated and dedicated to public transportation projects.

Eric Weiss: Unfortunately, since the gas tax in both Virginia and the federal government is based on cents per gallon, it is actually producing LESS money because Americans are driving less and consuming fewer gallons.

If the gas tax was a percentage of the price of a gallon, like the sales tax, we could all afford a Springfield Interchange in everyone's front yard.

_______________________

SW D.C.: I've read all the stories in the paper about the guys getting killed on the shuttle from RFK. But I can't find the answer to a question I keep asking: why were they standing? If it's an open-air seating area, surely they should have been sitting. Are such rules in place/enforced on these kind of buses?

Lena Sun: I was one of the reporters working on that story this weekend. If we knew why they were standing, we would have put that in the story. It's one of the things police are investigating.

_______________________

Herndon, Va.: What does Metro do if you happen to leave your car overnight? Do they tow it or ticket you? Thanks

Lena Sun: There are only a few Metro parking lots where you can park for more than one day. At the other lots, I believe you will be ticketed. Here are the stations with multi-day parking:

Multi-day parking is available at three stations: Greenbelt, Huntington, and Franconia-Springfield. Each of these stations has between 15 and 17 spaces allocated for multi-day use of up to 10 days. Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no charge for multi-day parking beyond the regular fee (paid with a SmarTrip card) on the day of exit, if exiting during collection hours (10:30 a.m. - midnight on Monday - Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. - 3 a.m. Friday).

These spaces, located inside the regular facilities and not at the metered (kiss and ride) spaces are at:

1. Level 1J at Franconia station

2. The South Lot at Huntington station (This is the lot, not the garage off N. Kings Hwy)

3. Cherrywood Lane side at Greenbelt station

_______________________

Dulles/Tysons Rail: Is there any status for the Dulles/Tysons rail? I know a lot of folks think it's a waste of money, but try living and working there...trust me, it will be used and it is needed. At least the portion to Tysons anyway.

Thank you.

Eric Weiss: They are currently relocating utilities in the corridor, leading to some lane closures and other inconveniences.

_______________________

It ain't Alabama: Can't Metro stage a protest and refuse to service Virginia until they pony up?? This isn't fair!

Eric Weiss: The deal that U.S. Rep. Tom Davis has offered to DC/MD/VA is that if they provide $50 million in dedicated funding, the feds will give the system $1.5 BILLION to fix up the system and buy more rail cars.

Sounds like a good deal to me. Davis' bill is being held up by Sen. Tom Coburm (R-Okla.) but Davis told me last week he was confident the bill would pass both houses with veto-proof majorities.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I drive in a carpool to work which is easier and better than taking Metro. When I go downtown I prefer to take Metro. My rotten experience last weekend makes me want to rethink that. I had plans to meet friends at Dupont circle for breakfast at 9:30. I got to Glenmont at 8:35. Not only did I have to wait for a train for almost 30 mins due to switching problems at Silver Spring, we then sat on the train for another 20 mins or so. To add insult to injury, the escalators at Dupont were out of order which made it a very long walk. I was over an hour later.

Lena Sun: Traveling on the weekends definitely takes longer. There's ways to minimize your waiting time though. See earlier post.

_______________________

Eastern Market, D.C.: I was disappointed with the unnecessarily inflammatory angle of your "war" on commuters story. Much of what the District is doing is an effort to improve the safety and quality of life for people in the district. As a frequent pedestrian in a city with a high pedestrian fatality rate, I applaud their efforts.

Eric Weiss: As a District resident who often walks to work, I hear your pain. However, part of my job as as reporter is to look at things from other people's perspectives. And based on the hundreds of responses from drivers to the article, they very much see it as a "war" on drivers.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: About 10 miles from Winchester. You all need to leave your urban dwellings and get into flyover territory more often! Would give you a better understanding of transportation in the area and the issues all folks in the area face not just condo dwelling liberals!

Eric Weiss: Isn't Arlington filled with condo-dwelling liberals?

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: How is one senator (Coburn) able to singlehandly defeat the Metro bill? Is there no way around it? I understand his position on out of control govt spending but we must not be convincing enough Congressman that this is a problem.

Eric Weiss: Senate rules allow individual senators to place holds on bills for any number of reasons. That's why the Senate is so efficient.

_______________________

Mount Airy, Md.: They're installing small white boxes every 30 feet or so in the Dupont Circle station. Any idea what they are?

Lena Sun: Checked with Metro and here is what they said:

"As part of Metro's Office of Infrastructure Renewal Program, Metro is relocating public address speakers to improve sound quality at seven Metrorail stations. The white boxes someone mentioned seeing at Dupont Circle are the new speakers, but they are actually supposed to be more of a concrete color to blend in with the station wall. We are replacing them with the appropriate color tonight.

The seven stations where speakers are being relocated are:

Metro Center upper level Red Line

Gallery Place upper level Red Line

Dupont Circle

Judiciary Square

Smithsonian

L'Enfant Plaza

Pentagon

_______________________

Chandra Levy:"Eric Weiss: Interesting observation about the Levy story. Why would she backtrack to Dupont Circle when walking up a block and a half to Columbia Road and then to Condit's apartment would have been quicker and simpler?"

Maybe she was taking a more circular route on purpose -- so it wouldn't be obvious where she was going, perhaps?

Eric Weiss: This is sounding like a mystery novel.

_______________________

Vienna, Va.: Eric -- how about some more balanced reporting on Virginia's transportation problems?

Del. Bob Marshall proposed using 3 percent of the state's general fund for transportation; yes, this would the topic of much debate, but I think it's worthy of at least a mention. I've read nary a word about this in The Post.

And how about the funding disequity which sends a disproportionate amount of money to rural areas in Va.? The Post likewise sweeps this important part of the problem under the carpet.

The Post's reporting concentrates solely on taxes as the solution. I find far better reporting on this issue from the Examiner and even the local free newspapers like the N. Va Sun Gazette.

Eric Weiss: The Post has reported extensively on both efforts to divert money from other programs to transportation as well as the fact that Northern Virginia is the economic and tax engine of the state.

Gov. Kaine has made it clear that diverting money from education, health, etc. will not solve Virginia's transportation problem.

But those proposals have been very much covered in the Post.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I hope that regular readers of your paper have realized that Metro on the weekends is a bad bet. Traffic in D.C. is relatively light.

I don't want to cut Virginia off from the Metro -- Arlington, at least, is still paying its bills. If I'm going to shut down some Metro stops it would be in neighborhoods that do not allow development around their expensive and heavily subsidized Metro stops. I'm talking about Tenleytown and Takoma -- no Metro for you!

Eric Weiss: Are you blind to the obvious architectural splendor of upper Wisconsin Avenue? Why mess with 1960s low-density perfection?

_______________________

Penn Quarter: Chandra's route: from what I remember reading the circuitous route was probably deliberate to make it less obvious that she was involved with Condit.

Eric Weiss: Who would be following an intern at the Bureau of Prisons?

_______________________

D.C.: re: bus accident

I'm asking this because you just mentioned you covered the story of the Nationals fan's accident. Is there any connection between the private bus company that was shuttling these fans to the stadium and the way Metro buses were forced out of the "shuttling" business? Clearly this would not have happened if Metro buses were used.

Lena Sun: I'm not sure about the timing of the Nats decision to charter buses for their shuttle and the federal regulation change that now basically prohibits Metro and other public transit agencies from providing charter bus service if there are private sector agencies available to do so.

But going forward, the change in federal regs will definitely cut down on the shuttle services that Metro can provide. Think Redskins, for example. There is a way for Redskins to get a waiver from the federal regs, but not sure whether they are seeking one. If you have any pull with the Redskins front office, maybe you could suggest they return my phone calls so I could find out.

_______________________

Falls Church, Va.: RT. 50 in Falls Church was to be closed Saturday night to allow the pedestrian span across 50 to be installed. It never was and I would like to know what happened. This construction project is moving very slowly, going on almost two years now and is making it very difficult for drivers to get from Point A to Point B. Thank you for your response.

Eric Weiss: According to the lovely Joan Morris at VDOT, they had planned to detour traffic on Route 50 Saturday night to install beams for the new pedestrian bridge over Route 50 at Seven Corners. However, they had to cancel the detour because the bridge beams they received were cracked --

they've sent them back to the manufacturer. The detour will probably be the weekend of July 26-27. The construction has not been going on for two years -- the project started Nov. 2007 and will be completed Nov. 2008.

_______________________

Coburn: Sen Coburn actually has holds on almost 100 bills so it's not just Metro he is picking on.

Eric Weiss: Maybe he wants an aging subway to be built in Tulsa.

_______________________

Multi-day parking: I see cars left in the Shady Grove lot for multi-days and they never get a ticket. And you think it would be fairly simple to check the lots overnight.

Four years ago, when I started riding Metro, a Jeep was parked there for about three months before it disappeared.

Lena Sun: Here is what Metro says about what happens to cars left overnight.

"Customers are allowed to park in Metro parking lots up to 24 hours. In general, nothing will happen if you leave your car parked overnight in a Metro lot. After 24 hours, however, Metro will report vehicles that have been parked for over 24 hours to the police in the jurisdiction where the parking lot is located. It's up to the police in the jurisdiction to determine the next course of action (whether to ticket, tow or investigate further)."

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Re: overnight parking at Metro...

It is legal to park overnight at any Metro station parking lot. The Metro parking rules are "24-hour parking", not "no overnight parking." So if you park, you can leave it overnight so long as it is removed within 24 hours of when you parked originally. The stations with multi-day parking allow parking above and beyond the 24 hours (meaning multiple overnights allowed).

I frequently park overnight at Metro as I do a reverse commute from the city. Park at 6 p.m., out by 8 a.m. the next morning, never had a problem.

Lena Sun: Yes, thanks. See the answer from Metro I just posted.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Can you find out any information on the new Metro parking garage that is supposed to be built at Glenmont? It has been in the works for a while, but I can't find any information on when it is supposed to be started or if there has been a problem with the planning.

Thanks!

Lena Sun: Metro says it has advertised the construction document and is in talks with Montgomery County about funding. Waiting for other details and will post if we have time.

_______________________

More Chandra speculation: Maybe she was tired from working out and didn't feel like walking? Sort of like people in the 'burbs who drive to the gym to run on the treadmill; rather than just run on the sidewalk.

Eric Weiss: She could have taken the 42 bus from either of the WSC sports clubs and it would have dropped her off two blocks from Condit's apartment.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: The streetcar discussion has me wondering who makes transit plans? They often seem poorly thought-out. For example, can you explain the purpose of the Circulator line from the Waterfront to the Convention Center which seems to duplicate the 70s bus line, which runs fairly frequently? I love the idea of having Circulator lines to fill in for routes with poor or no bus service, but I can't figure out the purpose of this particular Circulator route. Can you?

Lena Sun: I don't know the answer to your Circulator/70s bus line overlap question but on your broader question about transit plans, I think I would say it's a mix of transportation planning and a good portion of politics.

_______________________

Lena Sun: Hey folks, we're outta time. Thanks for chatting. Talk to you next time. Stay cool.

_______________________

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.