Monthly Archives: August 2008

WMATA Regan National stop out of service this weekend

WMATA is performing major track work this weekend

This weekend, Metro will undertake a major track rehabilitation project on the Blue and Yellow lines that will heavily impact service between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road Metrorail stations. The stations will remain open, but the track between them will be closed, so customers using the Blue and Yellow lines should add 30 minutes into their travel plans to allow to transfer to a shuttle bus to get through the affected area.

Take another look at buses for commuting

The Washington Post has article on using buses as an alternative to driving.

Buses may lack the hipness of subways or light rail, but they are the best hope for accommodating large numbers of new riders quickly and affordably. To harness the increased demand for mass transit, officials are turning to new ways of delivering and marketing their bus service.

When looking at public transit we need identify the major routes, then use local connections, walking, biking, and local buses to feed into those major routes. Washington has metro area already has the metro which act as major trunks, we should be looking for the gaps and filling them with express buses, bus rapid transit, light rail etc. The Washington area does best when linking buses to the metro, we need to do more with rapid bus links to make interconnected journeys possible.

It sounds likes WMATA’s Catoe gets it and is already working to this goal.

Expanding and improving Washington’s bus service is critical to shift some of the pressure off the rail system, which is packed during rush hour and has little room to add longer or more frequent trains. Catoe has proposed an extensive network of express buses that would use shoulders or bus-only lanes to help meet the region’s immediate transportation needs.

Metro Testing Straps for th height Challenged

The Post reports that metro has been testing new straps that will help people who can’t reach the top pole..

The transit agency is testing several different styles of overhead handles in rail cars to give riders something to hold onto for extra balance and comfort.

I haven’t tried them out in person, but some of the Fairfax Connector buses have spring-loaded stainless steel handles, which I have found to be next to useless on the buses, you need something solid to brace your self on as a bus swings round corners. So hopefully the straps will work out better.

After using the new 6000 cars I dislike that they have removed a number of polls that go from the floor to the ceiling, they are my favorite brace point for when you have to strand. it also always a natural hand grab for all heights.

Got an ugly bike, don’t park it at Union Station in DC

If you have an ugly bike, you might want to think twice about leaving it locked up outside on Union Station, from the Washington Post letters page.

I went to the nearest security guard to report the apparent theft, and he promptly retrieved my “stolen” bike. As it turned out, my bike had been judged to be “unsightly” by Union Station standards and had been impounded. They had cut the lock and confiscated the machine, obviously without bothering to verify whether it was abandoned or just a little beat up.