Transit
What you said about station names
749 people voted in our poll on station names. What did you conclude?
Photo by Carol Browne on Flickr.
In short: Metro should use subtitles for long station names, including Grosvenor, and also short station names with universities in the name. Forest Glen and Waterfront shouldn't gain anything else, while Navy Yard should add Ballpark as a subtitle and King Street add Old Town.
New York Avenue versus NoMa had no clear consensus, and you were split 50-50 on whether Smithsonian should get a subtitle added for the National Mall.
Subtitles
Subtitles had strong support across the board. WMATA staff are recommending subtitles for 12 long station names; 93% of respondents agreed. They left out Grosvenor, partly at the request of Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, but 80% of respondents thought that name should also get a subtitle.
8 stations have shorter names including universities. Staff are not yet recommending subtitles for those, but 83% of respondents felt those stations should also use subtitles.
Station renaming proposals
Respondents overwhelmingly agreed with the WMATA staff recommendations on King Street, to add a subtitle, and Forest Glen, to leave the name alone.
| King Street | 116 | 16% |
| King Street Old Town | 451 | 62% |
| King Street-Old Town | 155 | 21% |
| Forest Glen | 500 | 69% |
| Forest Glen Holy Cross Hospital | 179 | 25% |
| Forest Glen-Holy Cross Hospital | 41 | 6% |
There was also strong, but less unequivocal, support for the staff recommendations of leaving Waterfront with no subtitle and adding Ballpark as a subtitle on Navy Yard.
| Navy Yard | 84 | 12% |
| Navy Yard Ballpark | 358 | 50% |
| Navy Yard-Ballpark | 152 | 21% |
Navy Yard- | 129 | 18% |
| Waterfront | 396 | 55% |
| Waterfront Arena Stage | 261 | 36% |
| Waterfront-Arena Stage | 66 | 9% |
Respondents split almost exactly 50-50 on whether to add "The National Mall" as a subtitle on Smithsonian, or to leave the name as is. Staff recommended leaving the name; among other reasons, the Mall is near several stations, and Metro often tries to persuade riders to use those other stations during special events.
What about New York Avenue or NoMa? There was not a clear winner, but some useful statistics:
| New York Ave Florida Ave-Gallaudet U | 313 | 43% |
| New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U | 30 | 4% |
| New York Ave-NoMa Gallaudet U | 122 | 17% |
| NoMa Gallaudet U | 200 | 28% |
| NoMa/Gallaudet U | 61 | 8% |
| Total with NY Ave | 465 | 64% |
| Total with NoMa | 383 | 53% |
| Total with Gallaudet in subtitle | 635 | 87% |
It might have been better to run this one as an instant runoff vote. The people who picked New York Ave-NoMa [Gallaudet U] clearly liked the New York Ave and NoMa names. But would they rather have just New York Ave and drop NoMa, or keep just NoMa? Is that a reasonable compromise (which is what DDOT thought) or not popular enough (which is what WMATA staff concluded)?
New York Ave seems somewhat more popular than NoMa, though not overwhelmingly so. For many respondents, apparently, the unfamiliarity of or unease with NoMa as a name edged out the fact that the station is really quite misnamed, being actually not so near New York Avenue.
The WMATA Board will discuss the issue today. It appears they would generally do well to accept the staff recommendations, except in one area: they should go farther in using subtitles, not just for the 12 names staff suggest but for all points of interest, like universities and performing arts centers.
It's also fairer this way. Gallaudet students are understandably unhappy their school is one of only 3 to get moved to a subtitle. Riders clearly prefer the subtitles over the alternative, but the board could at least treat all universities equally by moving them all to subtitles.
 | David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.   |
Comments
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Because:
Ballston
MU
Seems a rather pointless use of a second line of space. If the second line is going to be used it should be used for more than 2 or 3 characters. So then it becomes
Ballston
Marymount U
I suppose I'd be OK with that. But are all the people who voted that schools be pushed to subtitles going to have a conniption?
by Paul S on Oct 13, 2011 10:38 am • link • report
Actually, I agree with you on this one. As far as I'm concerned, the number of characters matters less than the number of things in the title.
For subtitles, I think it makes sense to spell out the university names. (I also think it makes sense to spell out "street", etc.)
After all, "U St." sounds exactly the same as "U Street" in an announcement.
by Matt Johnson on Oct 13, 2011 10:43 am • link • report
by Lucre on Oct 13, 2011 11:06 am • link • report
Right now there's a hodgepodge of styles, with some unis getting their full name on the station and others an abbreviation. WMATA needs to choose one style and stick with it.
In the same vein, all universities should be treated equally and get their names moved into subtitles. Particularly since a number of named universities (GMU, Maryland, Marymount apparently) are a bit of a hike away from their respective stops.
by Adam S on Oct 13, 2011 11:08 am • link • report
I don't care as much about the "st." vs. "street" names but it does make sense to spell out university names but I also wonder would that exceed whatever the character limit is. George Washington University?..or does that not apply to subtitles
I don't think keeping NoMa but dropping NY Ave is much of a compromise..not sure y ddot thought that.
by HogWash on Oct 13, 2011 11:10 am • link • report
Not only do they try to persuade riders. They usually close Smithsonian altogether. That's more forceful than just persuasion. Can you imagine what would happen on the 4th of July when tourists traveling to the Mall for the fireworks freak out when Smithsonian/National Mall station is closed? Yikes.
by Sam on Oct 13, 2011 11:14 am • link • report
by Phil on Oct 13, 2011 11:26 am • link • report
by Rob P. III on Oct 13, 2011 11:40 am • link • report
MLK Library
by John on Oct 13, 2011 11:47 am • link • report
by jkc on Oct 13, 2011 11:50 am • link • report
by GWalum on Oct 13, 2011 11:54 am • link • report
by Froggie on Oct 13, 2011 12:02 pm • link • report
by spookiness on Oct 13, 2011 12:07 pm • link • report
by GWalum on Oct 13, 2011 12:42 pm • link • report
by GWalum on Oct 13, 2011 12:43 pm • link • report
I was ok with the original name but like simply "NY Ave" metro much better.
by HogWash on Oct 13, 2011 1:34 pm • link • report
I voted for New York Ave-NoMa, but I'd rather have New York Avenue than NoMa, which would parallel the naming convention at King Street (even if NY Avenue is not right at the station).
Good job sorting through the poll results. I hope National Mall is left off Smithsonian since its location is obvious on the System Map and there are other Mall stations. I was pulling for Old Town to be left off of King Street since it's not really in the heart of Old Town, but I can see how that information would be useful for tourists.
by Omar on Oct 13, 2011 1:39 pm • link • report
Also - isn't the NYAve Metro not even on NYAve?
by Shipsa01 on Oct 13, 2011 2:09 pm • link • report
Actually I'm referring to the "place" not so much as the metro station name. I am fine with NoMa for both. I have come to associate the name with the geographic area. When I use the name to refer to the area, most people know what it means and I don't have to explain it.
by spookiness on Oct 13, 2011 2:10 pm • link • report
Swampoodle is definitely incorrect; M St is *way* too far north.
Eckington distinctly refers to the area north of Florida Ave/Boundary St and west of Eckington Pl (which has had a variety of names over time).
East of Eckington Pl, there was a huge B&O freight yard.
Coincidentally, there *was* apparently a NY Ave Station at some point on the B&O at the Florida-NY Ave intersection at some point. Not even terribly far from the current Metro stop, even.
One map I saw marked the neighborhood as "Metropolitan Junction," as the B&O's Metropolian Branch and B&O mainline converged at Delaware Ave & I St NE, which is kind of close to the current Metro Station.
The area around Trinidad/Gallaudet/Capital Market seems to have once been known as Kendall Green (the old maps really aren't clear what this was, or what its boundaries were).
Gallaudet was known throughout its history by a variety of names that would be moderately offensive by today's standards, so we probably shouldn't use those.
For some reason, Brentwood (not near the NY Ave station at all) gets its name from the Brentwood Mansion on Florida & 6th St NE (which is somewhat close to the station). I don't really have a point here, but it's certainly an odd tidbit.
Um....there are a handful of streets that no longer exist: Colfax (betw. 100 block of L & M). One map lists a whole bunch of warehouses between North Capitol and 1st St: Decatur, Riley, Babcock, Forsyth, Fenton, Myrtle, and Jackson; a few of these may have been streets. It's hard to tell.
I couldn't find *any* old maps that make references to the Neighborhood's "official" names of "Old City" and "Near Northeast." So much for that.
But, really, the neighborhood immediately surrounding the Metro station doesn't have much of a history beyond playing host to a variety of freight yards... So, yeah.
by andrew on Oct 13, 2011 3:03 pm • link • report
by andrew on Oct 13, 2011 3:05 pm • link • report
Yes, "Swampoodle" is fun but it's historically incorrect. Back in the old days, people just didn't obsess over neighborhood names to the extent that they do today -- and especially not for indistinguishable areas of warehouses and railyards, which is what NoMa was for its entire built existence. A new neighborhood should get a new name. Any other candidates? "Union Quarter" is all I can think of, and sounds too organized-labor to appeal to corporate types.
by Payton on Oct 14, 2011 1:56 am • link • report
by GWalum on Oct 14, 2011 10:50 am • link • report
How is this relevant? As part of my Honors research project for graduation from Gallaudet, I focused on the history of the university. None of its previous names are "moderately offensive," they were part of history at the time. Of course, we don't use terms like "deaf and dumb" or "deaf-mute" now, but the point is moot because there is no institution with that name currently there anyway.
To use any former names, except "Gallaudet University," would be akin to renaming the westernmost orange line stop in the District "Foggy Bottom-Columbian University," a name GW hasn't had since 1904.
And GWalum is right, the Gallaudet campus is called Kendall Green, but I can't see putting that on the station in lieu of "Gallaudet U".
by Meredith on Oct 14, 2011 11:55 am • link • report
Penn Quarter
Archives-Navy Mem'l
or
Penn Quarter
Chinatown
(PS. Gallery Place was named after the National Portrait Gallery, the guys doing this didn't know the difference between a museum and an art gallery.)
The area had little in it of note at the time WMATA was selecting names. The area has changed and so should the name; like other neighborhoods, it should have the neighborhood's name at the top.
by J.A.N. on Oct 15, 2011 1:09 am • link • report
noma
union station
fort totten
national mall
Chinatown
Metro Center
Dupont
people only use one name when talking about a station, it makes the most sense to have everyone using that same one name.
put the bullshit egos aside and make it simple. additional names and subtitles and clumsy and make our public transit seem petty. Dulles Airport only has one name. kind of elegant that way. and decidedly clear. Just name the station.
by aaaa on Oct 17, 2011 8:02 am • link • report
by HeyGirl on Nov 3, 2011 2:13 pm • link • report
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