Survey

Remembering the Washington Metro

Submitted February 6, 2006, 2:25 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Words like 'subway' and 'train' come to mind when I think of Metro. My favorite aspect of the Metro is that I can take it to most places in DC that I would want to go. I also like the fact that it is relatively clean and safe. I do not like how expensive it is to ride the Metro. In order to take the metro into the Washington from Fairfax, I must pay $2.40 each way ($3.60 during peak hours) and $3.75 for parking on weekdays. This means that a trip into DC can cost as much as $10.95! However, this is STILL cheaper than the cost of driving into Washington and parking in a garage. I imagine the high cost can be attributed to three factors 1)The Vienna/Fairfax station is pretty far from Washington; 2) the design of the stations seems rather inefficient, so upkeep must cost a killing, and 3)Metro ridership is not subsidized for young, able-bodied people. There have been times when I have not been able to find parking at the station. I also do not like the fact that none of the stations have restrooms. Aside from these annoyances, I would much rather take the Metro than drive into Washington, or even Clarendon or Rosslyn for that matter. I prefer the New York Subway system because it is cheaper. I am annoyed that there are no Metro stations at Tyson's Corner, Georgetown, Dulles Airport, or George Mason University.

What makes you decide to ride Metro? If you ride it regularly, please describe your routine. Are there particular occasions when you would definitely use Metro, or definitely avoid it? Do you enjoy riding? What were your best and worst rides? How would you describe the etiquette and rituals of riding?

Riding the Metro into DC, Pentagon City, or even Clarendon is much easier than driving. I am saving myself from maddening traffic jams and Northern Virginia drivers who are generally insane and have little or no respect for human life and common decency. I only ride the Metro whenever I go into one of the places mentioned above. I usually go into Washington to go out with friends to a museum, or just to explore the city, or to go something related to a class, such as research at the Smithsonian. I also take the metro to Union Station when I ride Amtrack or MARC to a city far far away, such as Baltimore, Boston, or even Newport News. My worst metro experience was when I took the Metro home from Union Station after returning from Boston. I hadn't had a cigarette in 78 hours and there was this really annoying group of teenage girls sitting across from me. They were talking so loud that my iPod could not block them out. After that, I had to walk to my apartment from the Metro station, which was half a mile away. That wouldn't have been so bad if I was carrying a heavy bag of luggage with me. Another situation on the Metro that annoyed me was a group of tourists that were standing in front of the door on the Metro and would not move out of the way, no matter what I said or did. I enjoy riding the Metro, because I can completely zone out while riding it, especially if I bring a book or CD player. I have noticed certain ettiquette on the Metro. For example, on the escalators STAND RIGHT, WALK LEFT become a very important rule. I have noticed that fat people do not even bother with it, if they are too big to stay on one side. Another ritual I have noticed is that noone talks on the train to strangers, even if the stranger is sitting right next to them for 45 minutes.

How has Metro changed your neighborhood, or your workplace? How has Metro changed the region as a whole? Have you ever chosen a place to live or a job based on access to Metro? For non-Washingtonians: how has Metro shaped your experience of visiting the city?

One of the appeals of my apartment was that it is close to the Metro. I'm sure the Metro as eased traffic congestion in the area, especially in DC.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

I would like to learn more about any incidents and controversies that have taken place on the Metro. I would also like to know why there aren't stations in Georgetown. Is this the result of elitism, meaning that residents and bussiness owners did not want poor people who could not afford a car to come into their part of the city.

Name

Alex

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Fairfax Corner/Fairfax

Submitted November 5, 2005, 8:38 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Rider unfriendly. The announcements that are given in
the stations are impossible to hear due to the vaulted ceilings
and the noise of oncoming trains. When in the trains, the
announcements by the drivers are absolutely unintelligible.
It is also impossible to read the signs in the stations because
of a) lighting in the stations and b) the tinting of the train windows. SO, visit the London Tube. They don't make announcements, they post signs upon entry. They don't have drivers announce stations, they have electric message boards in the trains themselves that notify passengers what the next station is. You might also take a lesson from them as to how they post the subway lines. They are not on maps
near the doors of the trains, they are posted again above the heads of the passengers on both sides of the train at several intervals. What may help move people away from the doorways is a train car that makes it easy to know what the next station is; be able to read it in the stations when they get there and not have to worry that they will miss there stop
because they can't hear and/or understand what the driver is trying to tell them.
I am someone who lived in London for three years; I loved to
ride the Tube; I ride the subway in DC very frequently but it
is very frustrating as an english speaking American not to be
able to understand someone who is trying to tell me what the
next station is or to be able to read the signs in the stations as the train pulls in. Imagine the difficulty that a foreign visitor to the the Nation's Capitol has.TAKE advantage of the trial effort to
redesign the cars; DON'T just take out seats and polls; put in
intellgible communications. People will sit down if there are
seats; removing the polls from the doorways may help move the crowd further back into the train BUT they also have to know that they will know when their station is coming up.
Remove the maps from inside the cars; post them in the stations.

I use the Metro on a regular basis. I love trains and I
find it less stressful overall than driving in DC traffic.
I use it anytime there is a station near where I am going
and I chose my living accomodation along a subway line.
In fact I live over the Red Line on Conn Ave.
See my comments above re etiquette.
AS far as riders are concerned they pay pretty good attention
to one of the few announcements that is comprehensible when
the train is stopped and the driver asks people to wait for
passengers to get off before they try to board. People do though tend to congregate inside the doors particularly at
rush hour.

Metro has been under construction since 1969, and planning began well before that. Did you work on Metro? Were you inconvenienced by construction? Did you take part in the planning process, as an official or a citizen? Did you vote for Metro bond issues?

NO/NO/NO/NO

See comments above. Metro's location was a driver as to
where I was going to live. I wanted to ride the train AND
be able to walk safely home morning, noon, or night. Metro has brought development to areas of Washington and the
suburbs.

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

Your neighborhood/city:

Upper North West

Submitted October 4, 2005, 7:37 AM

Between 1973 and 1975 I worked as a constrution inspector for the engineering / architectural firm that was the lead designer for both Metro Center Station and the Le'fant Plaza Station. The name of the firm was Sverdrup & Parcel Associates which at that time was headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri. It was one of my first jobs out of college - North Carolina A&T State University - and the responsibilities still sit at the pinnacle of highlights of my now 32+ year engineering career. During that period, the intersecting area in and around 12th and G Streets was basicly a hole in the ground. I had the very good fortune however, of helping oversee a large underground city take shape in the form of a massive 2-story station. It was a magnificent project unsurpassed by few, and a job well done.

Name

Rob Edwards

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

East Orange, New Jersey

Submitted August 30, 2005, 10:01 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I just returned from a visit to D.C. and had my first experiences riding the METRO. How convenient and reasonably priced. My first ride was from Reagan Airport to Silver Spring, one transfer and the entire trip in about thirty minutes. You could never do that with a car!

I rode it because that was my only way of getting around. My granddaughter and I did a lot of riding in three day's time, mainly to visit certain points of interest and also for the fun of riding. I was amazed at the long esculator at the National Zoo stop! People were very polite, with no elbowing to get on or off, like in London and Paris. My most enjoyable ride was from Silver Spring to the National Zoo stop. And the ease of making the transfers was amazing.

Actually I was little aware of its construction and when it took place. One question that entered my mind while I was riding (I have a bent toward engineering) was what did they do with all of the dirt from the excavations? That was not alluded to in the article accompanying this questionaire.

I was a visitor. My granddaughter and her husband just moved to Silver Spring, she doing graduate studies at Catholic University and he starting a position with Homeland Security. Their selection of an apartment in Silver Spring was determined primaily because of accessability to the METRO with a stop at Catholic University and a stop at the Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Ave. METRO is the best way to get around for the visitor.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

As I mentioned above, I would be interested in knowing what they did with the excavated dirt and rock.

I think the vaulted tunnels are fantastic in appearance. And no graffitti!!!

Name

John Ubels

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Submitted July 11, 2005, 11:28 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Fast, inexpensive, and compared to the Houston Tx. Metro-Light rail, Well@!!!!! Teh Houston Light Rail can't touch that.

Didn't want to rent a car or drive. Since I only rode it a brief time while on vacation, I can't answer the second question. When visiting D.C., I would use it as long as my family is with me. If there is an emergency and family were left at the Hotel, then I probably would not get to them in the time I could If I took a cab or drove., Yes! The blue line was cleaner, the orange line was over crowded at times. Everyone for the most part minds their own buisness unlike in Texas with a bunch of ignorant racists lunatics.

No!

N/A

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

No!

Name

Phillip Adams

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

Yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Baytown, Tx. 77521

Submitted June 20, 2005, 1:00 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

As a non-Washingtonian, I think of a highly efficient, convenient and modern system, even though some of the stylings of the older train cars and stations seem a bit dated. But that's good--retro 70s decor never hurt anybody! My favorite aspect of the Metro system is that it is thoroughly usable--both rail and bus--by anyone, out of towners, the elderly, commuters, the young, the upper class, the working poor, everyone. It is definitely one of the top transit systems in the United States, better than Chicago or Boston in my opinion.

When I come to visit DC for work or pleasure, I use Metro because renting a car seems like a monetary waste, and because it's much easier than driving myself around the area.

No, I was born in 1981 in Atlanta, Ga., so I had really no part in this part of the story.

Metro is the gateway in which I frame my geographical sense of the city. I would be totally lost if I tried to navigate the streets and freeways of the DC metro area. I choose accomodations and restaurants based on their proximity to Metro rail stops.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

Metro, also, as a native of Atlanta, Georgia, serves as an example of what Atlanta's MARTA rail system could have been if race and politics didn't attempt to throttle it in the beginning. Both the DC and Atlanta systems were planned in the 1960s, and both are southern cities with large African-American populations in the central cities with many whites in the suburbs. The rail stock is very similar. But three of the five metro Atlanta counties that were included in the founding of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rejected it--the underlying reason was that they didn't want "those people" (you can read between the lines) coming into their suburbs. So, the rail system was scuttled into two counties and essentially runs two ways: north-south, east-west. Only now with massive congestion and pollution and gentrification of the inner city neighborhoods of Atlanta are people realizing what a mistake Atlanta made when it should have taken the path of Metro instead!

Name

Jeremy S. Craig

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Augusta, Georgia

Submitted May 21, 2005, 10:13 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

VERY CLEAN.NICE RIDE.

I ROAD THE METRO IN 1976.WHEN I WAS 12YRS OLD.ON VACATION WITH MY FAMILY.THE RED LINE WAS THE ONLY ONE RUNNING THEN.I JUST CAME BACK FROM DC THIS WEEK AND ROAD ON EVERY LINE.I REMEMBER EVERYTHING I SAW AS A CHILD.IT WAS A VERY GOOD EXPERINCE.

I REMEMBER ALL THE STREETS WITH BOARDS ALL OVER THEM.AND WATCHED SOME CONSTRUCTION AS A KID.

IT WAS GREAT FOR GETTING AROUND.WHEN I LAST CAME TO DC WE HAD TO TAKE CITY CABS AND BUSES EVERY WHERE WE WENT.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

I WAS SURPRISED OF THE LACK OF SECURITY IN THE METRO.ONE STATION I WENT TO HAD NO ONE THERE.I NOTICED CAMERAS BUT THAT DONT DO TO MUCH IF SOMETHING HAPPENS FAST.ALL THE FED BUILDINGS HAD POLICE EVERY WHERE.AND SO DID ALL THE SMITHSONIANS.

Name

STEPHEN COLLINS

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

YES

Your neighborhood/city:

BRISTOL CT

Submitted May 10, 2005, 2:17 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I've traveled in subway systems in Rome, London, Paris, Boston and San Francisco, and having visited DC three times with students over the past six years I feel I'm finally getting the hang of the Metro. The system's ticketing is sort of confusing to begin with, but eventually, with experience, it makes sense...why aren't there student fares?

The convenience of group travel is what works for us...we have as many as 15 students during our visits to DC and the whole system operates perfectly for us...two years ago one of our students lost her ticket and instead of saying so decided to jump over the barrier at exiting...the station master was forgiving but very forceful to begin with...a good lesson for her

We plan our whole itinerary around the Metro...it's great

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

Why aren't the stations brighter...why so dark, so glum? It's like some damper is put on everything...turn the lights up!!!!

Name

Jim Fitzpatrick

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Santa Barbara, CA

Submitted April 21, 2005, 12:43 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Relaxing, swift and clean are words that come to my mind.

The above 3 words are my favorite aspects. The least favorite is a packed rush hour train. I hear that Metro is much cleaner than other city systems

Convenience makes me ride Metro. I catch a ride to New Carrolton where I generally get a seat on the train. I look out the window until the train goes underground at Stadium Armory. Then I read. Definitely use Metro whern car breaks down. Avoid it when excessive crowds are expected. Riding is enjoyable. Best rides are between Stadium Armory and New Carrolton because there is plenty to see. Worst rides are the packed ones in tunnels. Most people adhere to allowing passengers to exit befoe entering.

I was in the Air Force during the first few years of Metro construction. I avoided construction sites whenevver possible as a motorist when I returned. Biggest regret is not taking one of the tours through the tunnels that were given to ccitizens.

The Benning Road Metro stop gave my neighborhood swift access to downtown areas. Ther Navy Yard stop is right across from the building that I work in which is a very convenient srtup.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

Just a personal obvservation. The is an old frame house betrween the Cheverly and Landover stops that looks as if it had been built almost a century ago, though it was probably built more recently. To me this house looks like an old rustic cabin in the mountains. Sometmes I imagine it being empty with me walking through while listing to the floors and steps creak. My best seat on Metro when I'm commuting home is on the right side of the train where I can get a good look at this house as we speed by. This is just an enjoyable part of my Metro commute that puts a touch to my ride home.

Name

Ralph Jackson

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Lanham,

Submitted November 4, 2004, 8:13 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

The Washington Metro is one of the best systems in America. No, it does not compare to Paris or Madrid, but for an American system, The Metro is great. I love that everything about Metro is round and circular, giving you this "Let's Roll" feeling. What I don't like are the esculators. Thier intentions were good, but they are slow, and they break down constantly, especially in the rain and snow.

Riding the metro is pretty much routine for me; I ride either to go to school, or to go to work, or just to hang out and meet friends. I enjoy riding the metro; it is so quiet, you can fall to sleep. There are almost no ads in their trains, that's a plus. Thier rules are simple, and the employees are friendly.

I was born in 1986, and a lot of the system was already built, but my uncle worked for Metro, and he took part in the planning process.

Name

Kelly Brown

In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)

yes

Your neighborhood/city:

Fort Totten Park

Submitted May 12, 2001, 3:12 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I once heard Carl Condit, the architecural historian, complain that the system was designed by \"a demented neo-platonist looking for a pure form to express the inhumanity of government.\" He\'s right. Its impersonal and intimidating.

Although service is slow, its very fast and goes everywhere that I\'m likely to go (except Friendship and Dulles). I prefer the Boston model of smaller trains and faster service. For esthetics, give me New York--real people and I like the art.

I\'m in D.C. maybe a couple of weeks a year. There are too many clueless tourists who don\'t know wehre to get on and off or block entrances. Once on the train, the courtesy is pretty good. When I was on crutches, everyone gave me a seat.

Name

c.mcshane

Submitted August 28, 2003, 1:19 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Convenient. Annoying. Infuriating. Couldn\'t make it without it.

Favorite: The interconnections between the trains and buses; the information about what\'s located at each depot (found the Warner that way); the super friendly, helpful, responsive staff.

Least favorite: It\'s a combination thing, the dangerously overpacked condition of the platforms when trains are delayed or break down and are unloaded. It can get kind of scary (little old gray haired lady here). So, when the going gets tough, I opt out and go shopping for an hour or two.

Only other real experience is with Boston\'s T. I miss the underground kiosks, but I really like that if I miss my station, I can go to the next stop and do a u-turn without having to pay extra.

Work, school, socializing, getting downtown without having to worry about parking, getting home after going downtown without having to wonder where the heck I left my car (which, actually, I was able to give up thanks to Metro, saving big bucks on insurance), visiting friends in the burbs who are located at Metro stops.

Regularly: M-F, to work, back home (eventually).

Definitely use: To pretty much go everywhere I want to get to.

Definitely not use: July 4! They\'re nuts out there!

Generally: Driving back and forth from home to work left me edgy, angry and exhausted on a daily basis. Now, it\'s a half hour door to door, usually.

Best ride? Occasionally, there are children between, say, five and eight, who are just learning how to socialize and they love practicing on the old lady who apparently reminds them of their grandmothers (surprisingly, color isn\'t any kind of a factor in this, which makes it even nicer). I\'ve had some very lovely conversations about shoes with laces and shoes without laces and which color in the crayon box is the best.

Worst ride? Absolutely, hands down, when the anti-abortion rally was downtown. I had to ride cross town late that morning and as a group, they were strident, in your face, and abusive. All and all, perfect poster children for birth control. (They were all ages.)

Etiquette seems to depend on common courtesy, or lack of same. I\'ve had people shove in front of me and almost knock me down they\'re in such a rush to get on or off first. I\'ve also had people go out of the way to be courteous. This seems to be irrespective of age, race, or gender. Some understand this isn\'t NYC, others think elbows were made for jabbing.

No to everything.

Have you ever chosen a place to live or a job based on access to Metro?
Absolutely. In 1998, I took a job in downtown D.C. while living in Columbia, MD. The commute got longer, and longer, and longer. On bad days (read snow/ice storms), it was 4 hours one way. As school was also in downtown D.C., I made the decision to move. All three locations under serious consideration were on the Metro train lines. After a year, I ended inside the District, two blocks from a Metro station.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

Access to the places I needed to be via Metro was one of the major reasons I chose to move into the District. The main reason was that during the two years I was commuting, I drove in along New York Ave. (Rte 50) and watched the moribund neighborhoods being repaired and rennovated by Mayor Williams\' renewal projects and by individual home owners. I liked what I was seeing.

Name

Kathleen Mogan

Submitted December 31, 2003, 2:13 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I like the metro because it\'s fast and efficient and I don\'t have to worry about parking. Thanks to the WMATA web site I can include busses in my planning to transfer to places in DC not reached by metro.
Least favorite: the neighborhoods NOT covered by metro: Georgetown and Adams Morgan. I work at Howard U. and apparently they opted NOT to have a station on campus, which is a pain. Also, we need another VA suburb line--the rush hour trains on the Orange line are too full!

The DC Metro is great--it needs another line or two to be mentioned with the truly great systems in Paris, Berlin, or NYC.

I usually bike to work from Ballston to Howard U. When the weather is bad I take the metro. Either way it\'s about 45-55 minutes. Thankfully I can shower at work, so biking is a viable option. I love the bike commute and I love the exercise. On Metro I can read or grade papers. Most of my grading is done on the metro, except for the times when I can\'t get a seat . Worst ride would be the snowstorm of 2003 when we got a foot or so. The next day I left my girlfriend\'s place in Dupont to return to Arlington. The station was jammed. Train was late. Metro center was packed. Smoke in the station caused evacuation (papers never explained why). I ended up walking in the snow from Metro Center to Courthouse. Fun in its own way, I guess.

I didn\'t notice the metro until the orange line was extended to Ballston. I was 13 at the time and my parents were vocal supporters. We went to hear a speech by a VA politician at the ceremonial opening. I think it was the governor, but perhaps another state official, either at the Clarendon or Rosslyn station. What I remember is the speaker emphasizing that the trains were powered by coal-fed electricity, causing pollution for other people far away. The contrast between those statements and the general euphoria around me stuck in my mind over the years

I grew up near Clarendon and recently returned after 18 years away. The whole metro corridor of Arl. is dramatically changed. Courthouse and Clarendon have become more cosmopolitan, urban, and hip. The language changed too. You refer to neighborhoods by the metro stops now. I definitely chose to live in a place near a metro.

Name

Kenneth Mayer

Submitted February 9, 2003, 8:50 AM

I did, having moved to DC in 1970 after completing pre-doctoral studies in urban planning, settling in Woodley Park, and becoming involved in community issues. This included \"Bootery\" induced hearings in the community that Metro put on (named after the casse so requiring), which revealed more details of plans for the \"National Zoo\", \"Cleveland Park\" and \"Van Ness\" stations.

Of those original names, only one, Cleveland Park, survives intact and its station design was not changed by the public input much, if at all.

On the other hand, the Van Ness stop was relocated to put the eastern pedestrian portal by Giant and the retail complex then located there (remember \"Scan\"?), simplyfying the station design (escalator at north end instead of middle); it\'s name was changed to add \"UDC\" as well.

The community of Woodley Park sought many changes, obtained few. Sought direct connection to the then Sheraton Park and horizontally by pedestrian tunnel into the zoo. Obtained a two-stage escalator with knock out panels at first landing allowing later direct entrance to Sheraton (now Marriott) Wardman Park property and/or subsurface connection to east side. Sought as well change in name, to which DC and Metro agreed before station was opened (Adams Morgan came along later).

Woodley Parkers also reversed decision to locate a chiller plant serving Cleveland Park and Woodley Park stations from a (still) vacant lot on Cathedral Avenue to the buffer strip at the eastern end of Jewett Street (unmarked, and better known as the driveway into the Kennedy-Warrent apartment building, the buffer being actually Zoological Park property between their driveway and the Kennedy-Warrens\' land (un-usable for zoological functions).

Somewhat earlier than this, suggested to WMATA that they redesign the vaulted sections that form the arch over longer escalator runs, based on adverse reaction to the one at Rosslyn whose seams are perpendicular to the axis of the escaltor, creating a palpable visual \"pitch\" to same. Urged them to create sections with \"faux\" seam on true vertical, masking the mechanical seams. This provides, to this day, passengers with a vertical reference that they might not otherwise have.

Name

Lindsley Williams

Submitted July 7, 2001, 8:20 PM

Having just returned from DC and riding the Metro..the question comes up concerning the accidents/fatalities that must occur. The speed and the congestion are conducive to passenger mishaps. What is the safety record for the Metro? Just curious..

Name

Marlene

Submitted February 18, 2003, 10:54 AM

I was involved in the Fairfax County task force for the Vienna station area of metro, in 1985-86. It was a good example of everything wrong in planning.

1. The then Administrator of UMTA sent a letter to the Fairfax County Board urging the use of transit-oriented development in the station area. This was rejected outright as an infringement on County autonomy.

2. The rail access was just taken as assumed in developer requests for higher/denser development in the surrounding area. This development was however removed from the station site, and incompatible with the low-rise development in which it was set.

3. The exclusive transportation focus of the County was on expanding highway access to the area. As a result, we now have about 7 lanes of arterial separating the station from the development on the north. The major outcome was expansion of I-66 and its interchange in the area, permanently limiting the possibility of true transit-oriented development.

4. There was no official initiative to make use of the air rights over the station for development. What could have been a beneficial proffer for parking in association with such rights was never even mentioned. Rather, Metro has had to construct successive parking structure at their own expense.

5. The regional planners for years afterwards chided residents on resisting transit oriented development at Vienna. They are unaware of what the issues were in detail. Regionally, there was no help or policy on this matter, but plenty of endotrsement for the expanded highway projects.

6. My commuting experience on the Orange line indicates clearly that it is running at capacity. The escalator capacity at Vienna is inadequate. Would that there was a much attention to that as expanding the surrounding I-66.

7. The issue of pedestrian access across Virginia Center Boulevard, Lee Highway, or at the signals on Nutley has never beed satisfactorily addressed. there is rather an unwillingness of police to enforce either speed limit or pedestrian right of way across Virginia Center Blvd. or from turning movements at lights. Pedestrian right of way even across the ramps into the Metro garages is widely disregarded.

8. Transit oriented development demands more attention to pedestrian access and creative use of air rights. These are official deficiencies, not from the citizen opposition to inappropriate off-site development.

Gary Nelson
Vienna, VA

Name

Gary G. Nelson

Submitted December 17, 2002, 11:49 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Least Favorite, three words: Escalators, Escalators, Escalators

I drive my car each morning to the Herndon/Monroe Parking Garage. There this is plenty of parking, especially for someone like myself who is always running late. I board the 950/980 bus by 8:20, arrive West Falls Church 8:42-8:48. Hop on the orange line, seven stops to Farragut West. Walk a block to my office building, only 10-15 minutes late each day! :)

Name

jay

Submitted May 9, 2004, 8:14 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Its a Modern Marvel, Smooth. I just love Metro all around. Can\'t compare never been on any other systems.

I just ride for the fun of it. Sometimes to Ballston-MU to go to the mall or Pentagon City. I really enjoy it, my mother used to take me from Vienna to New Carrollton when I was 2 until about 10 years old. Then I started on my own. I\'m 21 now and I can say it is one of my hobbies. My worst ride was getting stuck on the Yellow line bridge over the Potamc River.

The subway hasn\'t really cahnged my \"hood\" but Metro bus has. I live along Columbia Pike and they made new routes and the buses come alomost every 5 minutes, it wonderful. I work at Giant Food located at Adams Square and its a short 5 to 7 minute ride.

Name

Kevin

Submitted September 29, 2003, 10:44 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Fast, clean, efficient, friendly, dry!
Favorite aspects of Metro are the regular and timely pickup times.
It is too bad it does not service the Dullas Airport. Flying into National (Regan) and catching the Metro always appealed to me.

Being from Seattle, WA which only has buses, there really isn\'t much to compare. The DC Metro is state of the art. My first ride was as an Air Force Reservist making my first trip to DC for my two weeks of active duty. The Metro was easy to use, cheap and it went mostly to everywhere I wanted to go. The Seattle buses go most places but can be stuck in the grid lock of the freeways.

While stationed in the greater Metro area for two week periods I arranged my motel stays to include being close to a Metro stop or one that provide a van to Metro stops. I was able to travel to work at the Pentagon without worrying about rental cars, parking or traffic! On weekends I was able to visit the Mall and see the sights again without the hassle of a car or traffic. The Metro ran during the times I wanted to use it and it went where I wanted to go.
For the most part, I have not had a bad experience on Metro. While riding everyone more or less kept to themselves but I did not experience load or unruly passengers. The cars and stations were always clean and the cars were clean and on time.

No I made my first trip to the Washington DC area in 1976. Metro was well under construction by that time. I do remember large steel plates down the center of some streets. I am sure it was inconvenient for local travelers but it was ok for me as a visitor to the area.

As a visitor, it has made my stay (17 consecutive two week tours)a real joy. As mentioned earlier, I always chose my motel based on availability to the Metro. Getting into and out of the city was never a problem. It allowed me to stay in a less expensive area and still take advantage of all that the area has to offer.

Name

Thomas Bilyeu USAFR retired

Submitted May 12, 2001, 12:44 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

convenient, fast, cheap, safe, clean.....i find few faults with this system.....it is highly superior to all other systems i\'ve experienced, both here and in europe (which would include those of most major cities).

if metro goes there, i go metro. exceptions would include late-night trips when for no known reason i feel somewhat intimidated. i do not ride regularly but i do ride frequently, especially to areas (primarily downtown washington) where traffic congestion is likely and/or parking is difficult. i enjoy riding and make some attempt to avoid the busiest of rush hours so that i can sit and read during the trip. my best ride was from ballston to college park. i have driven between these two points and found the ride better in every way (altho i should mention that i go there to see friends who were able to pick me up at the station). i don\'t remember a worst ride (although in contrast, i remember vividly some wretched instances of being caught in traffic messes). most people seem to know how to act and most are thoughtful and polite, often in spite of hurrying. there is a lot of hurrying. i don\'t like it much when people fail to heed the rules against eating and drinking. while i\'m quick to forgive the occasional water bottle, i don\'t relish the prospect of having a sugary beverage splashed on my shirt (as once happened). i was not at all offended therefore, when the metro police cracked-down on unruly teenagers some months ago. in fact, i was disappointed that the threat to reinforce this policy was rescinded. i\'m not sure how i feel about the much-overlooked written request to reserve seats for elderly and handicapped.

i have come to the area since metro did but am told, and can observe to some extent, that the effect of metro\'s arrival on my neighborhood is dramatic. since i chose it i enjoy the effect and the continuing changes but do have sympathy for those who are resentful because of (to them) unpleasant changes. and yes, i did choose this building (a condominium)because a metreo stop is just out the door. i find it hard to magine how much more unpleasant driving would be if there were no metro. in addition, i have many guests from out-of -town and keep a ready supply of metro tickets for their use. perhaps in part because of my enthusiasm, my guests most often seem to be equallly charmed by this marvelous feature of the area.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

i would be interested to read whatever history of the systtem is available. i once tried to join and organization called metro watch, but did not hear much about it. as you may notice, i\'m a loyal fan.

Name

ann reed

Submitted November 7, 2003, 1:12 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Convenient, Easy, Economic, FUN!!!!

I thought the Metro was so Easy and Economic that I decided to take it to Reagan Airport when I was leaving after a 3 day stay. My wife, who was staying another 2 days on business, thought I should just take a cab but I wanted to ride the metro one last time before I left. It was much more convenient than a cab to the airport. No waiting in traffic and it only cost $1.45 compared to a $12 cab fare.

I\'m from New Mexico and this is the first mass transit system I have ever used. It was a great experience!!

You\'ve gotta be quick...I learned that.... especially in rush hour. I used the trains 3 days and only took one wrong train. (right color wrong direction) I figured it out before the next stop thanks to the large easy to read maps in each car and the notice given by the operator well befor each stop..

See # 1

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT!!!!!!!

Name

Quintin Cox

Submitted December 19, 2002, 11:50 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Orange and blue. I think the Metro is the best transit system ever. I have always been very pleased with the availabity - I only wish there were more seats in the mornings.

I hate traffic and it is an easy, relaxing way to get to work. I take Metro from Ballston to Farragut West every morning and evening. I always take the Metro when going out, especially if i am going to games at the MCI Center - i would never attempt to drive down there. I love riding because that is when i get all my reading done. My best Metro ride was when i was 10 and my dad had brought me to DC for the first time. We were taking the Blue line from King St. and i will always remember being able to see the whole city. Ever since then (all because of that one ride) i have wanted to move to DC - and i did.

The rituals of riding are very interesting. People are amazing to watch on the metro - seats are worth millions (or so it seems). After visiting Japan i was jealous of their metro etiquette. In Tokyo, there are lines where the doors will open every time. People line up (no pushing) and wait patiently for everyone to get off and then walk on in a single file line.

Have not been involved in any of the above issues.

I always chose my homes based on Metro availability. It was also one of the reasons i accepted my current job.

Name

Megan Kinnaird

Submitted May 14, 2001, 10:33 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

clean. airy. I always think the inside of the stations look like a bad 60s sci-fi movie (I mean that in a good way). My favourite thing about the metro is that people actually seem happy to be riding it. My least favourites are how long it took to build the green line, the way that they keep adding names to stations (woodley-zoo-adams morgan springs to mind), and getting on the train at Smithsonian at 5:30 on a weekday. I\'ve ridden a lot of systems (the T, the New York Subway, BART, Tube, Barcelona\'s metro), and I have to say I think Metro is the easiest. Partly its because its a more simple system because the city isn\'t that spread out--the tube is a vast web, and I only ride the NY subway with advance preparation--and partly because the farecard system is really easy, and people are pretty mellow when they\'re in the system.

Although I have a car, if I can take the metro, I do--night or day, weekend, or weekday. I hate parking, and I feel like a better citizen if I take the subway. I commute by subway--fom Eastern Market to the Smithsonian stop. I wish the ride were longer so I could get a seat and actually read something. I first commuted from West Falls Church to Capitol South and I loved riding for that long. As it is, I always stand, I listen to my walkperson, and I watch the people. I try to stand by the door, on the right, since most of the stops are on the left, but the Smithsonian stop\'s doors open on the right. I try to get on so there isn\'t much of a walk to the escalator. My worst ride was coming home from U Street one night, and we got the last train, and when we got to L\'Enfant Plaza, we were going down the escalator and the Orange/Blue line took off. I\'ve been stuck/delayed before, and I\'m pretty zen about that. But you know the driver knew it was the last train, and you know that they look out the window and so could have seen us. So I count this one as the worst because I think the driver was being malicious on purpose. The only other time I would definitely avoid the Metro is on the Pro-Life March day. I don\'t like being squashed up next to people who want to take away my right to choose.

I always choose to live near the Metro. I live on Capitol Hill right now, and I think that the ridiculously rocketing housing prices have atleast something to do with being close to Union Station, Capitol Hill, Eastern Market, and Potomac Avenue stations. We have great access to most of the rest of the city. I also picked work near the Metro because for a long time, I didn\'t have a car. I think Metro made public transportation a thing of civic pride, and its one of the things that we Washingtonians pride ourselves on. Recently, they\'re have been more delays, and more incidents on the Metro (a part of the aging of the system, I\'m sure) and I think that people\'s reactions have reflected the ways that Metro has become part of the fabric of the city. People really want the system to remain as great as its always been, because we get so much negative press (Marion Barry and his crack/woman problem, guns and violence, etc) that its great to be able to say to all the critics, \"Yeah, but our Metro is great.\" Visitors are always impressed and (despite my gripes about running the tourist gauntlet at the smithsonian stop), and they find the system cheap and user friendly.

Name

Janet Davidson

Submitted May 21, 2003, 8:31 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I don\'t live in the Washington DC area, but I visit it 2-3 times a year. I love dumping my car off and riding Metro for my entire stay. It is carefree, relaxing and fun. I never worry about my safety when I am in the stations or on the train. I hope to see Metro continue its expansion in the coming years.

Riding Metro makes a great deal of sense in a congested city like Washington DC and its suburbs. For me, it is one of the hightlights of my visits to the area. I actually made a special trip out to the Wheaton station on the Red Line to view the world\'s 2nd tallest escalator. I even took a few pictures!!!! I have never had a ride that I did not enjoy. During the hot summer months, Metro provides an escape from the heat. In regards to the etiquette and rituals of riding, I have never witnessed people behaving badly in the stations or on the trains. It is an admirable and efficient system.

Although I don\'t live in the area, I do base my hotel selections on how close Metro is. I like to stay withing walking distance of Metro. I would say that my experience of visiting the city has been greatly enhanced by riding Metro. When I was much younger, my family lived in the DC area, but never rode Metro. Instead, we drove into the city for everything. This was stressful compared to riding Metro. Later, when I was older and began traveling to DC again, I learned how Metro made traveling around the city and its suburbs smoother and stress-free.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

Will Metrorail ever look into expansion into Georgetown? This is one area that I think would greatly benefit.

Name

Katie Miller

Submitted May 27, 2001, 2:19 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Clean, elegant, efficient. The Washington Metro may not have the Art Nouveau charm of the Paris Metro but it\'s futuristic and clean and very efficient. And it doesn\'t stink of urine like the NYC subway does.

I live in Balitmore and use the Metro when I visit DC by parking in Silver Spring and taking the Metro in. It\'s very convenient and I enjoy it.

It\'s made visiting DC very easy and accessible. If there wasn\'t a Metro system, driving and parking would be impossible.

Name

Sally Mericle

Submitted February 22, 2003, 5:50 PM

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

My funniest Metro experience was last year, when I jumped on an orange line train to Vienna at the Stadium Armory station. The train took rattled off, and the conductor announced “Welcome, passengers, on the blue line train to Franconia Springfield….” Silence. A couple of seconds later, he came on the loudspeaker again: “Excuse me, passengers, I guess that was the wrong destination, welcome on the blue line train to Addison Road…” Everyone in the car was looking at each other, confused. Then he came on again, at this point giggling hysterically: “Now let me try this again: “Welcome on the orange line train to New Carrollton….” Everyone started laughing. Finally he announced, still giggling: ”Well, wherever this train is going – to Vienna, Bethesda, or the moon – I wish you a pleasant trip!”

I think it would be nice if Metro offered surprise destinations like that every once in a while, when passengers would just get on a train, not knowing where they would go, as some kind of sneak preview for Metro fans. My other suggestion would be that Metro should have caf� cars, just like in real trains. The specialty for the orange train to Vienna would be, of course, Sachertart. Another suggestion would be to set up little libraries on the trains – the DC public library, for example, could have a Metro branch, offering a nice ride to read, or people could bring their used books into the trains, which other people then could read. These minor improvements would make the already pleasant ride much more pleasant, and, I swear, would double Metro’s ridership within a few weeks!

Name

Katja Hering

Submitted January 4, 2003, 11:35 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Best subway in USA but is not too comprehensive.

I have always loved to ride the metro. I try to use it as much as possible when I have to. My best exprience on the Metro was one hot summer day. A friend and I had just gotten back from Home Depot. It was rush hour and we were at the Shady Grove station, so all the people were comming the other way. We got on the train and had a car to ourselves. For the whole 10 mins we had the car (train waited for a few). We jumped up and down, sang out loud, ran up and down the cars and had the best subway exprience ever.

Name

Boomer

Submitted May 16, 2001, 2:28 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

It does what it is supposed to do, I suppose. I find it rather bland. I would take the NYC or Chicago systems any day over the metro. It is easy to build a very successful system when you are starting from scratch with unlimited money.

I lived in the area in the early to mid seventies and remember many streets being completely torn up and the whole place looked like a war zone. Of course, I was young then.

Name

J Lo

Submitted October 9, 2003, 5:00 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

LIVEDat end of silverspring station in silver spring when it was first opened.....

to experiment with the effectivness of it.....

another engineer and myself to ride to downtown and then transferred....this was in late seventies......and then transferred to c. city station and accomplied him on an interview for a navy consulting firm in one of the offices there...worked out pretty well....got a hirer and swl/grc sent us a finders fee for the idea and the systems engineer.

hueyCYBERdevlan
for any freedback.

Name

hueyD

Submitted May 14, 2001, 11:57 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I sent my partial comments earlier today (14May\'01)

I commented on station plans regarding locations of non-airconditioning pylons for purposes of planning signage on them.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

I would be interested in planning and discussion regarding: 1. Selection of routes, 2. Selection of station sites and names (A tall order?)

Name

Harold I. Wright (Hal)

Submitted March 17, 2003, 9:52 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I grew up in Chicago, and I visited London before I moved here, so the Metro\'s not the only subway/elevated train system I\'ve ridden. It\'s cheaper than the Tube, but it\'s cleaner and more comfortable than the El. However, compared to either, the Metro\'s spartan-no snack machines or kiosks, and the architecture\'s ugly. On the other hand, the new LED annunciation system has made it easier for me to estimate my arrival time to work.

I ride because it\'s a lot easier to complete my commute to downtown by the Metro than by driving. I don\'t worry about parking or my car getting stolen. It lets me read books, and I couldn\'t do that while driving. I suppose one of the best rides is what I call the \"cheap monument tour\"-as one exits the tunnel from L\'Enfant Plaza to the Pentagon, if you look to your left at the correct time, you can see many of the Mall monuments.

Name

Craig Levin

Submitted October 15, 2002, 1:18 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

I think the Washigton subway is spectacular and although not quite the New York, London, or Paris subway it is extremely effective and truly helps Washington D.C be a world class city. The few spots it does not reach, Georgetown and Adams Morgan in particular, do detract from it being a get anywhere type of system while also neglecting what could be an important role for the subway: getting drunk drivers out of cars. Extending the hours Metro operates has helped make the subway a viable way to get to and from bars and clubs, but without the system covering these two hot spots the subway falls short of its potential to be a life saver as well as a convience.

I took the subway to high school for three years and what I liked most about it was the feeling that I was participating in something truly urban. I loved the full cars, all the open newspapers, the determined and harried faces on the trains first thing in the morning, and then getting off into a dark station and emerging into daylight and the center of fast moving city. Older now, I still get this feeling but what makes me keep using the subway is convience and a sense of civic duty not to drive cars in traffic clogged city. I would, however, avoid the subway on the Fourth of July, and New Years Eve; city buses are less clogged.

I live in Arlington and the metro corridor has opened a huge prosperous line of development running straight through Arlington. The effects of this are wonderful and should be an example to urban planners. Smart growth, good mass transit: people and business like it. My parents moved to Arlington because of this.

Name

Tristan Swanson

Submitted May 12, 2001, 12:26 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Words and Phrases:

Cool. But sadly, not common enough in the American transportation paradigm.

Favorite/Least Favorite Aspects:

The stations\' architechtural master plan is very successful, befitting the architectural significance of the city. (Thank you, LBJ!). The trains are fast and efficient, and the system has a surprising number of entertaining conductors. Metro has done a very good job incorporating visitors into the ridership mix. What often strikes me is that the system is so safe that \"crime free\" is never mentioned in discussions about Metro.

A more comprehensive system would be wonderful, but given the design restraints the system\'s founders faced, the limitations of the current plan is very understandable. While it\'s nice (and sometimes amusign) to see folks from \"America\'s Heartland\" riding a...perish the thought...subway...the tourist volume on the system can get annoying. While rushing to a meeting, it isn\'t unusual to have to maneuver around someone planted squarely in front of an escalator reading a map. Aging escalators are obviously problematic, too, but part of the aging process of the system. I hope that we find a way to improve them without totally destroying their original open intent. The box being built above Foggy Bottom isn\'t the most scenic fix I could envision.

America\'s subways are doing pretty well these days. Metro is much less aggressive than NYC\'s or Chicago\'s system, and it\'s much cleaner, prettier and polite (although NYC has improved a great deal in the last 20 years). But, DC isn\'t New York. The NYC subway is astonishingly comprehensive, and Metro isn\'t. We don\'t suffer from the rats other systems are plagued with, in part, I suspect, due to the system\'s aggressive enforcement of the no food/no drink policy. I love the quaintness of Boston\'s MBTA, which Metro cannot match, but the Metro station\'s have a great design--the enormous escalators are dramatic and a great addition to the cityscape.

It\'s hard to draw comparisons to SEPTA because, although I have a fondness for Philly, the SEPTA system suffers from bad planning, poor lighting and horrific funding.

I grew up an \"air force brat\" moving frequently. Even as a child, I was fascinated with large cities, but my father was generally stationed in lackluster, mid-size, vanilla suburban cities in the midwest and southwest. I always dreamed of living someplace \"real\" and mass transit was part of the mystique of the eastern seaboard. I attended college in Boston and , where I fell in love with both the city and the subway. Later, at NYU, I even managed a strong fondness for the NYC system, was was just emerging from the dark decades of crime, grafitti, and the pervasive reek of urine.

I enjoy mass transit. I read on the bus (the N2,4,6 line), and I like the interaction with people (I\'ve acquired a pretty large pool of acquaintances from my neighborhood that I\'ve met on my bus route), and I like the energy efficiency of mass transit. I live in the district and no longer own a car, by complete choice. Amtrak has improved a lot over the last few years, so I use that extended transit system to move up and down the eastern seaboard to visit friends. The eastern seaboard really is the only region in the country where it\'s easy to function sans car.

I use metro buses on a daily basis because I live along the Massachusetts Avenue corridor and work in Dupont Circle. At night, because the bus service is infrequent, I sometimes ride the red line to Cleveland Park and walk the mile or so back home. I use the system a lot on the weekends, and during the week to get to meetings closer to the Hill.

I rode the NYC system for 5 years, so I\'m not allergic to crowds, so I don\'t avoid metro (except for the 4th of July!).

The etiquette of the DC system is amazing--I\'ve met some very interesting folks on the trains, both residents and visitors. I\'m a political junkie, so I\'ve done more than my share of eavesdropping on conversations. I\'ve found that the locals in DC are much better than folks in NYC or Boston for helping out bewildered visitors.

I chose to live in the District because I like core cities, and I like access to transportation.

In terms of affecting the landscape, I think Metro has played a major role in the revitalization of the District, and has led to more sensible, higher density development in Arlington and Alexandria and the Maryland burbs, especially Bethesda. You can almost map the red line from the air if you fly out of National (I refuse to call it Reagan) airport and head west. The Maryland suburbs look like higher density versions of the 19th century streetcar suburbs.

The outer reaches of the Orange Line don\'t work--outside of a few condo complexes, the burbs have remained boring and unchanged. Northern Virginia just can\'t seem to get it\'s act together with regard to sane city planning.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

The inaugauration of Bush was a particularly bizarre day for Metro. I\'m a liberal environmentalist, so I spent the day with the Seattle kids, in the rain, holding a sign. The ride back was fascinating. I was stuck on an escalator between two wealthy couples from Texas. They marvelled at the subway, and how clean and efficient and \"good\'lookin\'\" it is, while simultaneously revelling in stories of their hatred for LBJ and Kennedy and, literally, \"all those other liberal that destroyed America.\" The irony was incredible.

I\'m particularly interested in the light that current research may shed on the planning of a major subway system at the apogee of highway construction. As we move towards the day when we\'ll have to confront the inefficiencies of the random route transportation network, I think Metro can serve as a model for newer cities--it *is* possible to build a wildly successful system in the age of the auto.

Name

Michael Agosta

Submitted March 26, 2004, 9:03 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Words or Phrases:Doors Closing Ding-Dong
Favorite Aspects:Nice,clean,modern,efficent.
Least Favorite:People walking near the edge of the platform who look like they are ready to jump.
Metro is much more efficent and clean than any other system I have been on. (BART,Muni,MBTA,NYC)

I ride the Metro when I visit Washington D.C., the nearest Metro station to me is 50 miles away.
I love the way people cram in to packed trains during rush hour, I like the feeling that I am taking part in something urban.

None

I could not visit Washington D.C. if the Metro did not exsist. The traffic in the city is way to bad. The Metro gives the city a good, modern look.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

None

Name

Aaron Maertins

Submitted December 19, 2002, 2:09 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

My town...downtown

Cleaner, perhaps safer, reliable,

I ride Metro to save time, when I need to go down to the League of Women Voters office at 15th and H Sts, or to the National League office at 1730 M St. NW. Once in a great while I drive down, but generally Metro is the best way to go from the point of view of time.

My grandsons, ages 8 and 11, who live in Virginia, think riding Metro down to the Kennedy Center is a great treat. They enjoy putting paper clips on the floor of the car over the center (magnetic rail) and watching them jump as the train accelerates.

My son, who was 12 when Metro opened the red line to Rhode Island Avenue, enjoyed riding from one end of the line to the other with two of his pals. The Metro drivers were friendly and answered their questions. On one occasion, a gang of strange boys accosted the three boys and demanded money, but a Metro Security Officer came along and put an end to that hustle.

The D.C. League of Women Voters strongly supported the building of Metro, and I joined in that support. Being a resident of the District of Columbia, I had no opportunity to vote for bond issues.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

May Metro thrive, expand, and prosper in the region.

Name

Frances C. Gemmill

Submitted March 16, 2003, 12:01 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

See comments way below in the last section.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

What comes first to mind is how much I longed for a subway during the 1930s, \'40s, \'50s, and later, even as construction proceeded in its slow, steady way. If it were convenient to be back there, I would ride every line in both directions twice just to get the feel of it.

Unfortunately, when Metro did get built, they left out the line that would have interested me most, since it would have taken me to a good number of old haunts. This would have been a line that ran from the City Center northbound under 16th St., N.W., and south to \"National\" (still my name for it) Airport. I wonder why such a line got left out, or an analogous one up 14th St. that then joined either the 16th St. or Georgia Ave. line.

Name

David G. Shappirio

Submitted April 16, 2002, 2:43 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Riding Metro used to mean - when the guests, relatives and out of town relatives & visitors came to Washington DC area, we would ride it because parking was so non-existant.

For the last 4+ years it has been my primary means of travel (along with a Metrobus connection); and few (4-5) instances where the Metrorail was late or delayed or otherwise created disappointment or surprise.

It was been a satisfactory level of service for twenty years for our family unit. Thanks!

When I was assigned to a single work location...everyday, unless on travel. No travel from one workplace to another during the day.

This has become a routine over four years.

However, if week-end work is required, by my workplace, unfortunately I have to drive because I have to be at work at 8:00 AM or prior to that time. Metro rail doesn\'t begin early enough for Saturdays. [One of few negatives]

I\'m on a 6:05 AM bus (23A or C) from Tysons to Ballston route.

My return trip in the evening between 4:55 PM from Prince Georges Plaza to Ballston (5:45 PM) has been rather reliable.

The bus trip on 23 Routes westbound in the evening are somewhat less dependable in terms of arrival and departure from Ballston Station.

Did not work on Metro - but did work on the Dulles Toll Road Extenstion (The Dulles Greenway); as well as several other large projects in Northern Virginia.

It has become an underground system - out of sight and out of mind - currently in the Ballston neighborhoods. During the construction though, it was a visible presence.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

Firstly, what are the reserves that are collected and set aside for replacement of capital replacement of engines, cars, track, etc?

Secondly, how much subsidy is being paid (over the tickets sold for passage)?

Name

David J. Wahl, FAIC

Submitted April 22, 2004, 10:31 AM

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

I\'ve heard that when the Red Line was expanded north of Silver Spring, the digging and blasting caused damage to the homes along Georgia Avenue. True? Any more information about this?

Name

Richard Ford

Submitted November 4, 2001, 9:42 AM

My family moved to DC in Sept 1970 because my father was assigned by his engineering firm to provide engineering services during the construction of the first tunnels and underground stations on the Metro system. My father\'s name was Charles Arnold and he was the Resident Engineer for the construction of sections of the Rock Creek Park tunnel and the Dupont Circle Station. His employer was A.A. Mathews, Inc. and the firm was under contract with WMATA to provide inspection and construction management services on various components of the regional system.
My father had many interesting stories to tell about the difficult construction involved with these projects as well as the constant oversight of several different construction programs occuring at the same time. In addition he got to know a lot of the local residents and business owners who had to live with the construction inconveniences for many years.
During excavation of the Dupont Circle access shaft the contractor uncovered an old garbage dump containing turn of the century apothecary bottles which provided good school show and tells for my brother and sisters. The Dupont Circle Station utilized hundreds of rock bolts grouted into place to provide structural support to the overlying burden. I believe at the time the Dupont Circle station was one of the first major underground structures in the U.S. to use this technique.
I remember as a young teenager accompanying my father down the shaft of the Dupont Circle Station and walking along the tunnel alignment with him. He knew every foot of that station and tunnel alignment including geology, planned improvements and areas requiring special construction techniques. I remember being impressed with the depth of the station, this can be appreciated today by the depth and inclination of the access escalator. It seemed to take forever to descend in the construction shaft elevators. This depth also posed several challenges to constructors and engineers for muck removal during construction.
I eventually moved on to college and away from the DC area but occasionally return for family visits. I always schedule a visit to the Dupont Circle Station and admire the architectural and engineering marvel that it is.
My father passed away in 1999 having completed many tunnels across the globe that are serving millions of people.

Name

Howard Arnold

Submitted May 25, 2001, 2:42 PM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Favorite aspects:

(1) Not having to drive, not having to park, when going someplace in downtown D.C. (I only use Metro to get
to the downtown area), and sometimes to get from my office to another place downtown and back.
(2) Metro \"saved\" downtown Washington, D.C. as the major activity center of the Washington region.

Least Favorite aspects of Metro:

(1) Its balooning cost of construction and operation.
(2) WMATA tends to massively over-state the importance of Metro to the region
(I believe its transportation importance to be a distant second behind the Capital Beltway).

I ride Metro to and from my place of employment near Union Station. Infrequently for any other purpose.

I usually park at Glenmont and ride the Red Line. Sometimes, I have parked at Greenbelt and taken the Green
Line, but Glenmont is a zero-transfer ride.

I am indifferent about the ride on Metro, because I am a large person (tall and wide), and the seats and
railcars are NOT particularly comfortable for me.

Best ride? Any ride that gets me to my destination without delays.

Worst ride? A snowstorm in the mid-1980\'s. I had parked my car and taken a Metrobus to Silver Spring
that day. The storm was not expected, and the ride from downtown Washington was interminable (had
to change trains at least once because of mechanical problems). There were NO buses to get people from
Silver Spring anywhere, so I walked three miles to the apartment where my brother lived at the time, and
he drove me home. I have NEVER used Metrobus to get to a Metro station since that day (this was not
the first time that Metrobus failed me, and I realized that it was taking an HOUR to go about ten miles by
Metrobus, even on a good day).

I took part in the planning process only in the sense that I have managed a project which evaluates how well Metro
does in serving passenger trips to the core of the Washington region.

I am too young to have voted for a Metro bond issue.

My neighborhood (Fairland) in eastern Montgomery County is not near any Metro station.

But the land use plan that was in effect from 1981 to 1997 was based on a \"concept of transit serviceability,\"
and assumed that the residents of thousands of new high-density apartments and townhouses would ride
Metrobus to the Silver Spring Metro station. Unfortunately, this is not how things turned out, and we
have been in \"moratorium\" status since the mid-1980\'s because of severe highway traffic congestion.

I have not been able to afford a home in an area acceptable to me that is near a Metro station.

Do you have any comments, questions, or stories that don\'t fit the above categories? What questions about Metro\'s history would you like answered?

What were the year-by-year capital costs of constructing Metro?

What was the cost of construction for the entire (103-mile) Metro system in inflation-adjusted 2001 dollars?

Name

C. Patrick Zilliacus

Submitted February 21, 2003, 11:11 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Each metro line is different depending on its route -- it reflects the diversity and perhaps housing segregation of Metropolitan Washington

Unless I walk, I prefer riding metro to driving. Regular riders know how to respect each other - it gets pretty crazy when it snows and people who never ride metro charge on regardless of others.

In the late 70\'s- early 80\'s I did fieldwork on the building of Metro as part of class on Occupational Folklife at George Washington University. The course was co-taught by Barney Mergen and John Vlach. I interviewed women laborers and presented a woman laborer in an occupational public program featured at the National Museum of the Building Arts. I do believe it was the first public program here.

I have collaborated with the Latin American Youth Center\'s Latino Community Heritage Center in Columbia Heights, a block away from Metro, and have benefited from visitors that use Metro -- this is a larger cultural effort in collaboration with the upcoming DC City Museum and the DC Historical Society.

Name

Olivia Cadaval

Submitted February 7, 2003, 10:35 PM

Metro in Washington is Love at first sight.....I can remember when I was a student at Backus JHS in Northeast DC. I would sit in my classroom and stare out the window at the construction underway at Fort Totten station. The world was coming to my neighborhood. Years later, I met my wife on the Red Line. And five years later, we purchased our first home in Largo near the site of the new Largo Town Center station. Everytime we pass the work zone I always think about love, at first site!

Name

GEORGE WILLIAMS, M.

Submitted August 30, 2001, 11:58 AM

What words or phrases come to mind when you think of Metro? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of Metro? How would you compare Metro to other transit systems you know?

Clean and comfortable! My favorite aspect of the Metro is that it is clean and, generally, a very comfortable ride. I also love the simple, yet graceful, design.