wait a second. You mean that parking minimums and height laws have nothing to do with the increase in rents? That a good percentage of Americans have such impaired credit rating that they can't buy? Or they don't have jobs? And that rents in Washington have nothing to do with the reality this is one of maybe 3 jobs markets in the US that working for people under 35?

Insanity, I tell you.

by charlie on May 9, 2012 9:52 am • link • report

@charlie

You mean that parking minimums and height laws have nothing to do with the increase in rents?

Um, no. Don't confuse affordability (ability to pay) with the actual price. Those things do indeed drive the actual price up.

That a good percentage of Americans have such impaired credit rating that they can't buy?

Well, this gets back to that actual price thing. Lots of people probably have the ability to pay for something, just not what's on the market right now.

And that rents in Washington have nothing to do with the reality this is one of maybe 3 jobs markets in the US that working for people under 35?

I'm assuming this is sarcasm, and you're implying the rents have everything to do with DC's strong jobs market - yes, that's the source of the demand. You don't think supply fits into the equation somewhere?

by Alex B. on May 9, 2012 10:01 am • link • report

@AlexB; yep, sarcasm.

Who can imagine that financing has anything to do with supply?

by charlie on May 9, 2012 10:07 am • link • report

Who can imagine that financing has anything to do with supply?

Depends if you're asking about supply in the short term, or in the longer term.

by Alex B. on May 9, 2012 10:09 am • link • report

Sorry, WMATA is not the first to do floor to ceiling adds.

See: NYCT History Channel interior wrap.

by Sand Box John on May 9, 2012 10:13 am • link • report

Interesting article on hats and people not wearing them anymore. I "always" wanted a proper hat (a pork-pie is what I learned the style I like is called). A few years back I finally had the money to buy a cheap one - "only" $50. A quality one will run you $200 or more.

So, I started wearing my hat in the winter on the Metro. For the first 2-3 years not a week went by without perfect strangers coming up to me (often several times a week!) to tell me how much they liked my hat. This has declined a little but I also have noticed more men wearing "proper" hats over time.

Now, there is nothing special about this hat - black, conservative pork-pie - so I think there is a "latent demand" for hats. Sadly, given the number of women who have ask me out while wearing the hat (zero), I can't attribute the attention I get to my looks.

by Mad Hatter on May 9, 2012 10:19 am • link • report

@Hatter

Is it a genuine pork pie? I find that a lot of hats that people call pork pies are really Trilbys. I think it has something to do with the mod culture that favored Trilbys but for some reason started calling them Pork Pies.

by TM on May 9, 2012 10:27 am • link • report

Attributing the de-hat fad to cars makes a certain amount of sense. The men I know certainly do NOT follow fashion trends, like imitating what a President does or does not wear.

by goldfish on May 9, 2012 10:27 am • link • report

Hats: I blame cultural shift from the collectivism of the early 20th century to individualism of today; and quality hair products that effectively dealt with lice.

by RJ on May 9, 2012 10:46 am • link • report

If NYC got a combined $47,000,000 for five years in sponsorships, that drives me crazy at the apparent mismanagement of our system. How the heck have we gotten essentially nothing, if they have gotten 47 million. If NYC can get 47 mil, why can we not get $10 million at least, given the smaller population and size of our system.

by Kyle W on May 9, 2012 10:48 am • link • report

I thought everyone knew it was the ubiquity of the car, and thin lapels during the era when cars became ubiquitous, that killed the hat? Kennedy was just the first president young enough to represent the trend. Nixon, who was just a few years older than Kennedy, didn't wear a hat outdoors either.

by dukiebiddle on May 9, 2012 11:04 am • link • report

I believe that CaBi can't sell ads because of conflicts with NCPC, Clear Channel, and the fact that the system spans several jurisdictions.

I kind of like that it's not a huge advertisement...

by andrew on May 9, 2012 11:04 am • link • report

I agree that increasing automobility led to the decline in men's hats, but I wouldn't put all of the blame on Ike. The horse was already out of the barn when he signed the Federal Aid Highway Act in '56. Transit's peak ridership year was sometime around '46. So yes, highways (and a combination of other social trends in the 60s/70s) killed the hat, but it wasn't entirely Ike's fault.

by KG on May 9, 2012 11:07 am • link • report

I blame cultural shift from the collectivism of the early 20th century to individualism of today

Ironically, now that no one wears hats, wearing one is an effective form of "peacocking" and expressing individualism.

But, as they would say on Portlandia, I'm soooo over that.

by Falls Church on May 9, 2012 11:15 am • link • report

WMATA's so-called "on-time statistics" are BS and GGW should know better than to report them as fact. Under these statistics, a train can be up to seven minutes late and still be regarded as "on time."

As I've said before, if you get to work or to a meeting seven minutes late, no boss is going to regard that as being on time.

We the taxpayers are WMATA's bosses; why should we allow such mediocrity to stand?

by Phil on May 9, 2012 11:34 am • link • report

As I've said before, if you get to work or to a meeting seven minutes late, no boss is going to regard that as being on time.

Giggle. There are plenty of bosses that could not care less when you come and go, as long as your work gets done.

Also, 7 minutes of delay when service runs every 7 minutes sounds like a missing train and everything else perfectly on time to me.

That said, I have few complaints about the blue line recently. It's much better than a few years ago. Of course, that will all change as soon at the Rush-Minus degraded service hits stations between L'Enfant and the Pentagon.

by Jasper on May 9, 2012 11:46 am • link • report

"There are plenty of bosses that could not care less when you come and go, as long as your work gets done."

Clearly I am aware of this. Most workers, and most Metro riders, do not enjoy such luxury. In particular, most federal workers are expected to arrive precisely on time.

And even if you are in a job with flexible hours, it's not acceptable in any workplace I know of to show up several minutes late for a scheduled meeting.

by Phil on May 9, 2012 11:54 am • link • report

@Jasper

Giggle. There are plenty of bosses that could not care less when you come and go, as long as your work gets done.

Sure, and there are plenty of bosses at jobs where you punch a clock, and arriving late isn't acceptable.

by Alex B. on May 9, 2012 11:57 am • link • report

@ Phil:Most workers, and most Metro riders, do not enjoy such luxury.
@ Alex B:there are plenty of bosses at jobs where you punch a clock

My beef was just with Phil's absolute statement: no boss is going to ...

Also, if you're on the clock, and 7 minutes is important, leave your home earlier. You should expect delays in your commute, especially in the third most congested city in the US.

Finally, I wish that at my job people'd show up exactly on the minute meetings are supposed to start. No chance of that happening.

by Jasper on May 9, 2012 12:25 pm • link • report

No chance of that happening where I work and anywhere where I've worked.

by Jasper on May 9, 2012 12:26 pm • link • report

No chance of that happening where I work and anywhere where I've worked.

I would suggest that perhaps your experience does not represent a comprehensive overview of employment conditions.

by Alex B. on May 9, 2012 12:28 pm • link • report

@ Alex B:I would suggest that perhaps your experience does not represent a comprehensive overview of employment conditions.

Of course it does not. But that still does not mean that ALL bosses react one way or another.

by Jasper on May 9, 2012 12:32 pm • link • report

@Jasper:
Also, 7 minutes of delay when service runs every 7 minutes sounds like a missing train and everything else perfectly on time to me.

To be fair -- and I am no defender of Metro -- 7 minutes of delay is only the standard for those times on the schedule when the headways are 15 minutes.

---------
Given how much of the Blue Line overlaps with other lines, I wonder what proportion of its delays are spillover delays from Orange Line and Yellow Line problems.

Because of the capacity crowds on the Orange Line and that are just barely managed when the line runs on time, most of us in Arlington find delays on Orange Line to be much more disruptive than those on the Blue. A single missing Orange Line train or 6-minute delay in the mid-am rush hour can cause overcrowded trains and platforms that force riders to wait for 2, 3, or even 4 trains to pass by before they can board. So even if the trains get back to running on time, the ripple effect to riders can be much worse.

by Arl Fan on May 9, 2012 12:38 pm • link • report

Here is the definition of "on time"

Trains are considered on time if they are two minutes later than scheduled during peak service — or up to 50 percent of the wait time during off-peak times. That means if riders are expecting a 15-minute wait on a weekend, Metro considers the train to be on time if it arrives in 22 minutes.

Based on this definition (which is provided in the article), GGW and the Examiner are factually correct in stating that the Blue Line has the worst on-time performance. I would be extremely happy if trains were within 2 minutes of schedule during rush hour. I think what pisses most people off is when there are serious delays caused by unloading a train or a significant congestion at the Rosslyn tunnel.

We should really be measuring the frequency of delays that are at least 5-10 minutes in length during rush hour, not 2 minutes in length. Those are the delays that get people fuming.

As for weekends, I rarely experience delays unless there's track maintenance (which is nearly every weekend, though). Not sure how scheduled track maintenance factors into on-time performance.

by Falls Church on May 9, 2012 1:06 pm • link • report

@TM

I had to google the trilby hat but mine is definitely a pork pie - not too high, flat top, moderate brim. Looks similar to a boater.

@RJ

Just for the record, I don't wear my hat to hide lice, dandruff or baldness. :-)

by Mad Hatter on May 9, 2012 1:06 pm • link • report

The hat is dead, as a style. It's reserved for people trying to cultivate affectations.

Wearing a hat is kind of like wearing a cloak-- it might look fine on someone, compelling you to say, "hey, nice cloak," to the guy wearing one, but you're certainly not going to wear one yourself.

by JustMe on May 9, 2012 1:33 pm • link • report

@just me

You don't hang with Orthodox jews, do ya?

by RebelJew on May 9, 2012 1:35 pm • link • report

BIKE SHARE in many places...will be interesting to see which one (if any) one day turn a profit and maintain their 'rolling stock' to a high degree: http://www.bikechattanooga.com/

by Pelham1861 on May 9, 2012 1:43 pm • link • report

@ Arl Fan:most of us in Arlington find delays on Orange Line to be much more disruptive than those on the Blue.

Boo freaking hoo. Who are "most of us in Arlington"? Does that include me getting on in Rosslyn and Crystal City? What a bunch of false group-forming.

Second, I am very well aware of overcrowding on Arlington platforms. I strongly doubt though the delays work worse on the orange or yellow lines than on the blue. In my evening rush-hour experience, the blue lines are fuller than the orange or yellow ones, especially between Rosslyn and the Pentagon. This will only get worse when the degraded Rush-Minus service kicks in.

[Note, I am not suggesting that the blue line is worse. Just that about the same]

by Jasper on May 9, 2012 1:52 pm • link • report

@Pelham

Bikeshare is a public-private partnership. On the public side, governments don't make "profits". On the private side, there are two major north american operators:

BIXI which operate in Canada is a non-profit, so they will never make a profit. It's difficult to say whether Alta (DC's operator) is profitable since they don't report that info.

by Falls Church on May 9, 2012 1:56 pm • link • report

@JustMe

The hat is dead, as a style. It's reserved for people trying to cultivate affectations.

Wearing a hat is kind of like wearing a cloak-- it might look fine on someone, compelling you to say, "hey, nice cloak," to the guy wearing one, but you're certainly not going to wear one yourself.

In addition to what RebelJew said... you don't hang with too many black people, do you?

by Dizzy on May 9, 2012 2:13 pm • link • report

@Jasper:

In my evening rush-hour experience, the blue lines are fuller than the orange or yellow ones, especially between Rosslyn and the Pentagon.

Interesting, thanks for the info. My travel patterns are such that I end up riding both rush hours on the Orange and Yellow Lines and on the Blue Line at am rush, but almost never at pm rush. Are you headed in the Franconia direction in the pm rush hour, and do you find that pm is worse than am?

by Arl Fan on May 9, 2012 2:15 pm • link • report

@ Arl Fan: Are you headed in the Franconia direction in the pm rush hour, and do you find that pm is worse than am?

I am not sure. Hard to say. I come from F-S, and go to Rosslyn in the am and return in the pm-rush. Getting on at an end station means I can almost always sit. Obviously, this is not the case getting on in Rosslyn. Also, both rush hours vary a lot in business for reasons I get not figure out. It's always busy, but there is busy, crush busy and sardine crush busy.

I do notice in both ways that there trains are fuller between the Pentagon and Rosslyn. In the morning, a lot of people get in at the Pentagon, way more that at other stations. And lot get of at Rosslyn. At night, a lot of people leave at the Pentagon. I used to come from Foggy Bottom, and then (a few years ago), Rosslyn was also a massive amount of extra people.

I interpret this as that there are a lot of inter-Arlington travelers (Vienna to Huntington basically). It is the main reason why I am not looking forward to the Rush-Minus service degradation kicking in soon. I have read the numerical modeling presented here a that predicted Rush-plus would be great, but it conflicts so much with my own observations that I have a hard time believing it.

I am worried that there are things going on that are somehow missed in the numbers.

by Jasper on May 9, 2012 4:02 pm • link • report

@Sand Box John

For the record, WMATA is, in fact, the first system in the country to get these new, CBS Outdoor floor-to-ceiling ads.

by Robert Dyer on May 9, 2012 4:31 pm • link • report

The hat is dead, as a style.

So were boxer shorts in the seventies, and then they were revived during the eighties.

Who knows where fashion will take us in the years ahead.

by Vicente Fox on May 9, 2012 5:21 pm • link • report

Hat can shading also can let you in this summer glamour to multiply, it has the function of the cold winter, can also protect the hair.Happiness always generous person concomitant with, Riches always accompanies with faith, Wisdom always and noble person concomitant, Charm will always be with sunshine person concomitant, Let all the wishes with you always.

by wholesale tisa snapback hats on May 10, 2012 3:24 am • link • report

@Robert Dyer

The may be the first to deploy CBS Outdoor's version of a floor to ceiling ads, however they are not the first to it.

by Sand Box John on May 10, 2012 8:16 am • link • report

@JustMe: The hat is dead, as a style. It's reserved for people trying to cultivate affectations.

Wearing a hat is kind of like wearing a cloak-- it might look fine on someone, compelling you to say, "hey, nice cloak," to the guy wearing one, but you're certainly not going to wear one yourself.

Whoa, that is a pretty strong dismissal. You could say the same thing about any clothing embellishment, such as a tie or a tee shirt that says something-- "bow ties are for affected dandies that have nothing better to do but to dress up." Now would you be so judgmental about the color of the stripes on your tie?

To the contrary, hats are quite practical in when you are outside. I started wearing one after my kids were born, to replace an umbrella, because it freed up one hand. In the sun, you will have more stamina if you wear a hat; just ask a baseball player or a fisherman.

by goldfish on May 10, 2012 10:15 am • link • report

Whoa, that is a pretty strong dismissal.

I'm not making a moral judgment. I'm just making a descriptive statement about contemporary styles.

My grandfather looked great in a hat, but I accept that it's pretty much a dead fashion, like fur coats for men. (bow ties are another good example, though they have a niche appeal in tuxedos or when trying to rock the dandy look)

by JustMe on May 10, 2012 10:59 am • link • report