Recent Comments

Since the game theorists and IRVers cannot help us this election, and Mr Biddle will not likely drop out, the simple strategy for progressive reformers is to use our power and vote for Shapiro.

I can also attest to Shapiro's leadership, smarts, ethics, and collaborative skills. I have worked on many projects and
issues with him for more than a decade and he is really solid.
To say he was a Johnson ally is ridiculous BTW. I would think having a Washingtonian with a regional vision would be a big plus. Just saying...let's be smart this time and consolidate our wisdom and power folks.

by The best strategy in Sekou Biddle should withdraw and support Peter Shapiro on Feb 4, 2012 10:30 pm  

Thanks, Dan for writing about these issues!

Something that I mentioned in the interview that didn't make it into the article is that in my work with AMP, I've seen dozens of start up organizations try and get off the ground across the country, and I've seen local government attitudes ranging from very supportive to completely hostile. On that continuum, it seems (from a slight distance) that the Montgomery County folks are really making a commendable effort to be supportive of this effort; that sets everyone up for continued success down the road. Working through issues about ticket sale procedures, security policies, etc are a very normal part of the learning curve. All-ages shows have their own long-standing culture that is sometimes structurally out of sync with the usual workings of local government, and so making these kinds of projects work frequently involves a two-way process of developing cultural literacy between DIY organizers and government officials. That's part of why AMP exists--to aid in that translation and share strategies that have worked in other communities.

I was lucky enough to attend the show, and it was a really amazing reminder of why I do this work. Young folks running the sound board, staffing the merch table, helping with security. Awesome diverse music, and very positive vibes. Everyone who helped make it possible should be proud.

by Kevin Erickson, AMP in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 4, 2012 10:03 pm  

MoCo planners haven't "released" the Glenmont Sector Plan yet; in fact, they haven't even written it yet. What they submitted to the Planning Board last month was the scope of work, which is basically a plan for the plan.

by dan reed! in Weekend links: Densification on Feb 4, 2012 6:08 pm  

Lucre: Haha! Fixed.

by David Alpert in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 4, 2012 3:39 pm  

If any of the people on this blog have done your research about Mr.Jackson, you would know that he is more that qualified for this job, maybe over qualified. I am native New Yorker, now living in DC for the past 5 years. About ten years ago, I remember seeing s guy on the new in NY. He worked for the MTA for over 25 years before he even went to Chicago to head their control center. So far you can see he has been in management/leadership positions in the 2 top transit systems in the country! Not to mention international transit experience with Connex. He's been a CEO and COO and now he's in DC in a Associate Director position? Are you kidding me? Jackson is more that qualified. As far as age, this guy isnt even 55. Hes been in the transit game since his early 20s and worked his way up through the ranks. Obviously you can see that transit is this man's passion. When I take the metro to work I see so much crap and wish I was back in NYC because DC service sucks. Maybe we should give this guy a chance and stop pre-judging becuase the last position he had was as the head of the most improved transit system in the state of SCsince his tenure. His record speaks for itself. Ready or not DC, we're going to have to deal with his good track record of efficiency...

by NYC in Breakfast links: Who rules transportation? on Feb 4, 2012 12:19 pm  

FYI there's a typo in one of the item titles "Price [sic] Georges..."

by Lucre in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 4, 2012 12:16 pm  

@Steven, thanks man. I did happen to catch that one as I was looking back through the archives. It's part reason why I don't understand the anti-fervor against him. He seems ok to no lesser degree than the others.

by HogWash in Details matter when judging Biddle and Shapiro's fundraising on Feb 4, 2012 11:57 am  

A week long closure between xmas and new years isn't such a far fetched idea. Traffic is so light that time of year that buses could conceivably replace trains if wmata rented some extra buses. Of course, these kind of closures would be a lot more possible once we have streetcars.

by Falls Church in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 4, 2012 9:07 am  

Usually is there's single tracking anywhere on a line, the service disruption applies almost equally to every station on the linr because there's a reduction in how often they send trains from the end of the lines. Otherwise, trains would stack up at the point where single tracking starts. So, saying half the system has the effect of single tracking any given weekend isn't far off the mark.

by Falls Church in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 4, 2012 9:03 am  

I love the ride guide! Yes, people use it.

It's not perfect, but I've learned how to make it work for me over the years.

by Jazzy in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 4, 2012 8:08 am  

So I'm posting here over a year after this blog post was originally entered so I'm kinda late to the party. I thought I might chime in though anyway. I'm all for Metro expansion (and through heavy rail tunnels of course) but one thing that I would like to see is a Columbia Road N.W. Subway. This route was part of the intial 1965 Metro Route plan as a way to reach Columbia Heights. It was taken out in order to build what's now the Blue and Orange Lines through Southwest and near Southeast. It was determined that the neighborhoods served by this potential route, then white working class, were not those that the system was being built for. Ultimately, Columbia Heights was included on the Metro when African American community leaders pushed for the Green Line, which bypassed Columbia Road completely.

Because of this, Adams-Morgan never received Metro coverage (at least not direct coverage) and one of the densest areas of D.C. remains without a Metro station to this day. Of all the potential Metro expansion plans, none talk about expanding to Adams-Morgan or reviving the original Columbia Road route, which surprises me somewhat. Every time I walk through that area, I am struck by how urban and how dense it is (and yet how incovenient it is from the perspective of Metro rail transit).

I'm all in favor of the proposed expansions I see on your maps (especially the proposed M Street Subway and increased Capitol Hill coverage). I think though that a subway should be constructed linking Adams-Morgan (even if it means constructing a two stop route linking Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights stations). Another idea I had comes from your map with a separate proposed Longfellow Station on a rerouted Blue Line. I assume from the map that this stops at around 18th Street N.W. If that were to be constructed, I would propose building a new line up to Adams-Morgan underneath 18th Street N.W. It would have stops at Florida Avenue and Columbia Road. It would then cut up Columbia Road and connect at Columbia Heights. I would propose adding a station at 16th Street N.W.

Another alternative new route I would imagine would have a line underneath Columbia Road turn up 16th Street N.W., have an additional Mount Pleasant stop, connect with Walter Reed Medical Center, and then connect back with the Green Line (I'm thinking Fort Totten or Georgia Avenue).

by SoCalLiberal in Metro ponders new tunnels and connections on Feb 4, 2012 2:25 am  

I want to nominate Ken Hartman and Karen Thon from the BCC Regional Services Center for Montgomery County Employees of the Year.

They opened up their perfectly located space to a 13 year old with a dream (Ray Brown). He approached them in November for an idea to hold the Bethesda Youth Shows and they listened. How incredible is that in this day and age??? Maybe it shouldn't be so incredible but it is. Bethesda does not have a space for kids between the ages of 11 and 21 to hang out besides the commercial establishments that cater mostly to adults. When Ray called Barnes & Noble to see if they could support the Bethesda Youth Shows they said they would try because the kids on the weekends were "a problem" and they want them to go elsewhere. They said the kids run up and down the escalators and tear pages out of books. They are now counting the number of kids on the weekends because they want to know how many there are that hang out.

The first Bethesda Youth Show took place last Saturday, January 28. It was an incredible success because it was a learning experience and the kids had a great time. There were at least 75 kids and another 30 kids that didn't RSVP who were turned away at the door. Many of the parents dropped their kids off and went to take advantage of the Bethesda Restaurant Week specials. The kids who were turned away learned the lesson that when they are told to RSVP, they need to do it.

Ray respected the rules that were agreed upon at the first meeting. It was hard to agree to sell tickets in advance but he did it and only 10 tickets were sold (via PayPal) in the first 4 weeks. He asked if we could sell tickets at the door if the attendees RSVP'd and Montgomery County agreed. He learned that kids don't RSVP (or RSVP 15 minutes before the show) and then show up. We need to be flexible (within fire marshal limits, of course).

I think we all agree that Bethesda needs a space for the youth to congregate. The Bethesda Youth Shows mission is: "Teens providing other teens with a safe community and artistic opportunities".

Let's find a space for them to call their own on a consistent schedule and that they can manage and share.

PS. Chipotle came through with a very generous coupon for the attendees.

by Carol Ramirez in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 11:31 pm  

Not good enough. Raise Metro fares high enough to pay for roads.

by JAY in House GOP moves to decimate transit funding on Feb 3, 2012 10:15 pm  

Keeping with the topic of punks in MoCo, check out this video for "The Red Line" by It's Casual (thanks, Streetsblog!) Though they're talking about the Red Line in LA, of course. It still fits.

by dan reed! in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 9:42 pm  

@Ken

The City Paper didn't make it too clear whether the Black Sparks played, but it sounded pretty recent, so I assumed it was still in the works. That said, I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to have a safe and successful show, but making kids register in advance for a rock concert at a community center seems silly. When MCPS rents school cafeterias to church groups, do they ask the parishioners to RSVP? I don't think so.

We need to lower the barriers to community spaces in MoCo, not just for youth groups but for anyone. (For instance, Fenton Street Market, which the county almost legislated out of existence.) And if a kid gets turned away because the room is full . . . well, that just means the Black Sparks did a really good job, and it won't be the last time a kid encounters a sold-out show. I'm not sure we need to make this a matter of public policy.

by dan reed! in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 8:48 pm  

Hey Ken,

Check out this book, "In Every Town" it has a pretty systematic approach to successful and unsuccessful non-profit community-based performance events across cities big and small.

http://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3365/

by Canaan in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 7:56 pm  

The Maryland Government has a history of raiding the gas tax and using it to make up for short falls in other areas to try to balance it's budget. In FY 2010 alone, they took 370 Million from the gas tax funds and used them for other purposes.

If the roads are truly the high priority the Govenor says they are why not just put the money back where it was supposed to be in the first place and cut your other spending accordingly?

Does anyone really, truly believe Annapolis, looking at large deficits in the future, would not find an even larger gas tax fund an even more convenient solve all?

by Michael H in O'Malley's sales tax on gas is the right way to fund transport on Feb 3, 2012 6:53 pm  

@Hogwash Not sure if you found this in the archives or if it helps (VO actually gave some good answers) but here is a post on our education survey given to Special Election candidates

by Steven Glazerman in Details matter when judging Biddle and Shapiro's fundraising on Feb 3, 2012 6:50 pm  

@MLD; I never said anything about my use. Thanks to your numbers, we know people do use it.

However, I think that number, in isolation, is pretty useless. How many of those searches result in Met ro trips. You clearly don't think it is 1:1 ration. 1:10? 1:100? Or it the trip planner just being hit with a lot of spam bots?

For as long as I've been reading GGW, people try to find ways to fix the trip planner. Spatial based maps seem more popular. I did personally give up using it back when it required "Street" or "road" as part of the address -- no idea whether it still does.

by charlie in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 6:34 pm  

"The Examiner piece is kind of laughable. A faster pace of Metro maintnenace would require more at the farebox and would be even more disruptive. More right wing nonsense from people who probably have trouble picking out a wrench."

The Examiner may be ideological most other subjects, but they are the only "mainstream media" publication in DC that doesn't blindly accept Metro's spin. Do you really think it's acceptable for Metro to report a bus or train that's seven minutes late as on time?

by Phil in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 4:44 pm  

Why would every hit on the trip planner be equivalent to a trip on the system? Are you just trying to be snarky to question the numbers because they don't fit with your notion that because YOU don't use the trip planner, nobody does?

by MLD in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 4:43 pm  

Hmm. So one out of 7 trips on WMATA came from the trip planner?

by charlie in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 4:26 pm  

Did anyone actually get from Dan's post and the City Paper article that the Black Spark's concert actually took place?

by Ken Hartman in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 4:25 pm  

Hogwash, what gets confusing is intra-elite competition. The "establishment" has many factions. And the end of the day, they think and act alike, regardless of the faction/who's who...

Biddle was supported by "the establishment in power" vs. VO (supported by what Gary Imhoff has referred to in the past as the "corruption caucus" section of the establishment) for three reasons: (1) VO had the gumption to challenge Kwame Brown for council chair; (2) ergo, Kwame wanted to swat back at him; (3) plus the Brown family wanted to demonstrate its kingmaker status by annointing one of the people in their broad circle as the next Councilman.

But VO and KB are still part of the same general system of lack of vision and inside politics.

cf. - discussion of growth machine and urban regime theories, http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2006/05/superb-lesson-in-dc-growth-machine.html

- and this discussion of the counter-revolution in DC politics, circa 2004, http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2012/01/reprint-tom-sherwood-duncan-spencer.html

A lot of the intra-elite competition has to do with which crews/posses are the ones that benefit from access to contracts (cf. Marion Orr's _Black Social Capital_) and jobs.

Support for Fenty after Mayor Williams was driven by the previous to Williams regime's desire to get access once again to the money stream. Fervor against Fenty had to do with the fact that the old guard wasn't getting the contracts and positions, just Fenty's crew (runners, Sinclair Skinner, Ronald Moten, etc.).

And the lottery contract up in the discussion now was really the issue of different (and more than one) crews (Exec. Branch, Legislative Branch) wanting to get the contract, which couldn't be split up amongst all of them, there could only be one winner.

by Richard Layman in Details matter when judging Biddle and Shapiro's fundraising on Feb 3, 2012 4:21 pm  

Dan, this is something to do a thesis on (if one is required in your program), extending the ideas that you probably discussed with EO (since I connected him with you), what I think of partly as self-help and civil society initiatives, but also providing for noncommoditized spaces or "flexible spaces" and spaces for community in the context of a planning regime dominated by the market and private developers.

Places like you describe, the Electric Maid space in Takoma, Bloombars in Columbia Heights, etc. are very important.

I never talked to him about it (we have a mutual colleague) but Ian MacKaye did a talk about community halls (usually church spaces) being key to the ability of kid bands like Minor Threat being able to develop.

- http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2011/04/community-cleanups-and-other-activities.html

- http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2011/06/ground-up-guerrilla-art-2-community.html

Of course, your first piece on skateparks/the green/skatermom probably stoked my thinking about this long before EO...

by Richard Layman in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 4:10 pm  

I'm sure you could create the safest event ever if no one shows up.

I'm being facetious but there you have the basic divide. I understand that as a gov't employee (I used to work at a community center too so I've been on both sides) you have liabilities and such which is why a lot of DIY events end up in marginal spaces. But I'd reccomend contacting someone like Mark Anderson who runs positive force dc to see how he puts on a show that is all ages and safe, where I see parents pull up and drop off their kids because they aren't worried about them getting into trouble.

by Canaan in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 4:07 pm  

@SteveYates, AlexB; right.

2 feet, so that is about 30 miles of track.

The two tracks -- ok -- so about 100 miles of outdoor tracking, so somewhere above 1/3 of all the tracks need new ties?

by charlie in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 3:53 pm  

We were pleased to host the Black Sparks at the BCC Center. Bethesda has no venue for young people other than the corners outside Barnes & Noble and Chipotle, so when the Black Sparks came to me I was happy to open the Center to them. Everyone involved in making this happen wanted this concert to be safe and successful. The last thing anyone wanted was for young people to be dropped off by their parents and then turned away at the door. The most sensible thing to do was to require RSVPs ahead of time. Advance payment was initially required, but later became optional. Payment was accepted by the parents managing the event at the door. I'm sorry some see these simple rules as a hassle, but they were well advertised, and designed to create a safe environment for young people and a manageble event for the parents who organized it.

by Ken Hartman in Do-it-yourself culture makes our community stronger on Feb 3, 2012 3:39 pm  

@charlie
No, I don't have the numbers specifially, but WMATA says it's a popular feature:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=3994
1.7 million hits per month and TBD says the whole site gets 3.5 million hits a month:
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/11/wmata-com-the-evolving-history-of-the-d-c-metro-website--13506.html

Based on your crackerjack speculation we can determine it's probably useless though!

by MLD in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 3:36 pm  

Charlie - don't confuse route miles with track miles.

The number of track miles is at least double the number of route miles, since you have at least two tracks. Add in yard tracks, etc and it's greater.

I also think three feet is a bit generous, it's probably closer to 2 feet. I think your standard wood tie is 9 inches wide.

by Alex B. in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 3:16 pm  

@charlie

Keep in mind you have track going both ways, so that cuts it down to something like 21 miles.

by Steven Yates in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 3:12 pm  

@MLD; that's great. But do you have any numbers to back it up?

by charlie in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 2:59 pm  

According to the post, there are 75000 ties that need to be replaced.

At 3 foot to a tie, that is 42 miles of ties -- or bascially the entire above ground system -- not including the elevated sections? There are about 50 or 60 miles aboveground?

by charlie in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 2:58 pm  

Newly working to the area those houses are eye sores but doesnt mean they werent in a good space and good size to have become something beautiful in this community. Sad to see it has to result in demolishing one of them instead of trying to perserve them. Hopefully something good happens to the next 2 houses and development hurry and starts, so by next year something nicer can be seen on the strip.

by Angelica in Anacostia loses another 19th century home from neglect on Feb 3, 2012 2:51 pm  

@Steven Yates:
Ties are not used underground (the rails are anchored in concrete footings). They are generally not used on elevated sections either, but some bridges do have ties.

by Matt Johnson in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 2:27 pm  

Aside: would GGW consider a less user-hostile CAPTCHA? Something like a question-based approach, if necessary, supported by spam blacklists?

by David R. in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 2:12 pm  

The trip planner, I suspect, serves people who are novice riders *for a particular trip*, regardless of whether they're new to Metro or whether they've been riding for years. We might include people who have to get to a new destination; who want to travel at a different time than they're used to; or who just need to understand the area's complex bus network.

by David R. in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 2:08 pm  

@Andrew, I wondered what makes Orange NOT suitable for the job. I didn't ask why he WAS because I can read enough about his accomplishments/history online for myself.

I get the Pepco criticism but I still say it's much ado about nothing since, as you admit, he wasn't on the council during that time. I will not blast him for working there and question his ethics when this same Council allows its members to serve in office AND maintain outside employment. There's enough "perceived conflict" to go around without singling out Orange.

I don't know whether he's seeking higher office or not. Maybe he's issued statements suggesting such or it's simply well-known w/in the political arena. I don't know about it. But I'm also confused by this sort of criticism. Didn't Fenty join the Council with his sights on the mayor's office? Hasn't Tommy Wells been talked about as someone seeking the same office? Haven't we credited him for doing things that could light that path? But VO is somehow wrong for having these same aspirations?

I'm not sure how to respond to the idea that a politician's campaign staff (imagine that) writes his vision statement. Isn't that what they're supposed to do? I would hope that a plan of execution would eventually accompany his vision statement. What I'm hearing from you is the same we hear in during every election cycle across the country. That is, where's the beef! I get that. But remember this was also was asked of Obama, Clinton, and even Fenty when he ran back in 06.

You make perfect sense regarding why businesses shouldn't have to play politics in order to land a foothold in DC. The challenge is that most of the prominent/successful ones just do and if they don't know..they soon learn. I don't think it's particularly a "DC" thing as it is a politics thing and we all know we love to eat sausage..we detest seeing it made.

WRT ethics, I was doing my informed voter thing and went to Sekou and Shapiro's website to see their positions and I can't say that I'm any more or less impressed with what they had to say than I am with Orange..whom I agree didn't say very much. Both S's positions are those that have already been expressed in one way or another by other CM's and aspiring pols. I guess I don't know what a "top notch" ethics statement would be but do feel as if neither Biddle's nor Shapiro's VS are the best examples of such.

by HogWash in Details matter when judging Biddle and Shapiro's fundraising on Feb 3, 2012 2:03 pm  

There is probably a way you could design the system so that it would look for a 10-20 minute window around your arrival/departure time and let you know if there was a shorter trip. "If you arrive 10 minutes later your trip would be shorter!" with a link to the itinerary.

Regardless, the trip planner shouldn't be telling you to wait while three trains pass you by, period.

Google Transit can't always be trusted either - the B30 data is messed up and thinks it takes 10 minutes to get from Greenbelt to BWI.

@charlie, the trip planner is very useful and lots of people use it. I would not be surprised if it is the most used part of the wmata website. Also how can you have a transit agency website without a trip planner?

by MLD in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 1:48 pm  

Also, per the example in the post, the system is built to show the latest time someone can begin their trip and get to their destination on time. While you have to "wait" 40 minutes at New Carrolton, you actually would get one of the earlier trains and make it to Foggy Bottom on time. However, if you missed your bus, then you would have been late to your destination.

by Cassidy in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 1:29 pm  

Are ties and ballast only used at grade or are they used above and below ground as well?

by Steven Yates in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 1:28 pm  

I agree with @Steven_Yates, when I first moved to the area to go to UMD, I only rode the Metro a few times a year, and the trip planner was pretty helpful for me. I was a novice then and the trip planner feature is, for the beginner, a good system to use. I think if you change it around too much then you make the system a lot less useful for a lot more people.

People that are more experienced riding Metro and other bus lines don't need trip planner as much. Maybe a tweak here and there is needed, but otherwise it is good as is.

by Cassidy in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 1:25 pm  

@RL, thanks, I knew I was right about you!

I'll admit to knowing very little about the FL market deal so I can't explain why Orange would not have seriously considered the implications of what you consider a dirty deal. It's also more "inside baseball" stuff that most of us just don't know about.

VO was always the "establishment" candidate as he's on the DC Democratic Party's super delegate list. Nothing happens in DC politics that he doesn't know about or have a hand in even when he's not sitting in office. PEPCO is like most utilities across the country in that they have a number of executives positions (typically non-operational positions) that are exclusively reserved for former politicians for lobbying to that they can grease the skids for any and everything they want to do."

This is, er, odd. VO is the establishment candidate who didn't get the backing of the establishment..but won. The nonestablishment "progressive" candidate Biddle "didn't" win because the establishment supported him over the Orange (the establishment candidate). So it seems to not matter because if the establishment supports a nonestablishment candidate, he/she will still lose the anti-establishment vote because they're supported by the establishment. Then you play the Mitt Romney/Bain card and it too makes no sense. At some point, adults need to act like adults and use much better logic than that found among the tea party.

I won't even address you calling him a poverty pimp as that is the biggest sign of you not being serious wrt to your position against Orange. It's hyperbole over substance.

by HogWash in Details matter when judging Biddle and Shapiro's fundraising on Feb 3, 2012 1:21 pm  

I think Metro designed the trip planner with novice riders in mind. That's why it spells things out more. Sometimes this information is of somewhat questionable value (like the "walk .04 mile SW") but some of it is actually useful. For instance, Matt's version does not include direction the bus or train is going (just your destination). For someone new to the system this is useful information. Now for experienced riders, it's not. I know which train I need to get on to get to Foggy Bottom, so I would probably find Matt's table more useful, particularly when it shows what happens when I miss a transfer.

Having said that I've been using Google transit directions quite a bit. I like seeing on a map what my trip is going to look like. It's also pretty good at showing you options that require more walking, but might be faster. On Android phone, it also gives GPS navigation directions, telling you when to get off the bus for instance.

by Steven Yates in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 1:19 pm  

I'd just kill the trip planner. Honestly, how many people use it?

by charlie in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 1:05 pm  

I always wondered why Trip planner seemed so concerned about me missing my connecting train that it got me there way in advance!
Having a 'next train/bus departing at X time' as Richard suggests would be a significant upgrade. Someone has to hit various 'plan to arrive 5/10 minutes later' options to guess at when a later connection might be, whereas having that information presented would be handy. Sometimes you have flexibility and it is not so important to arrive by a narrow time period, which the current system provides for.

by DCster in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 1:04 pm  

Freely:

We single track half the system EVERY weekend as it is so I don't see the problem.

This is either hyperbole or an unintentional mistake. "Half" of the track mileage is not single tracked every weekend.

Also, remember, they single track for a reason now. They can accomplish a great deal, but some work is mutually exclusive. They can't single track for some work and still do tie and ballast replacement at the same time, exactly.

You're proposing to substantially add to Metro's workload for a limited upside.

AnonexRRguy:

I can't answer that, I have no idea what specific reasons they have for why they made those decisions, or why they can't change now. Either way, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Metro has bigger fish to fry.

by Alex B. in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 12:38 pm  

I think what improve it most would be the ability to tie-in real time data or foreseen schedule updates, as when there's track work planned during off-peak times. I don't think metro's data is all linked that way, though.

The planner really gets in trouble when Metro closes stations. For example, select "rail only," and go try to plan a trip from Vienna to the Smithsonian tomorrow, when Rosslyn will be closed. Instead of providing information about the anticipated shuttle services, the planner returns a message of no available service. While allowing both rail/bus options will include the 38B, among others, the planner still acts as if Metro isn't running its shuttle service, and reads as if the trains just aren't running. That's a waste, particularly since the shuttle bus service has actually been pretty reliable.

by worthing in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 12:31 pm  

I'm not sure that much detail is necessarily the answer (and could be confusing to the uninitiated), and I can't think of any reason why I or anyone else would want to sit around a Metro station for 40 minutes vs getting to a destination early. I think Metro should just put you on the quickest trip (assuming a reasonable transfer time). That would also allow you to say "wow, 8:55 is really early. Let me see what happens if I say I only need to be there by 9:40 instead of 9:30."

Another option (admittedly in the "more info" category) that I've seen is to have a line at the bottom of each trip segment in smaller print that says "next train 8:38" so you know what kind of delay you'd have if you missed the transfer.

by RichardatCourthouse in More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries on Feb 3, 2012 12:29 pm  

@alex and freely

I'm not confused about why they don't replace all the ballast now, to switch to concrete ties. That doesnt sound like it would make sense.

I am confused why they didnt go with concrete ties (and appropriate ballast) to begin with, on such a heavily trafficed system.

by AnonexRRguy in Breakfast links: Timeliness on Feb 3, 2012 12:16 pm