May 1, 2017
On April 29 tens of thousands of people from all over the U.S. converged on Washington, DC, to protest the Trump Administration’s climate change denial policy. By all accounts the event was a success. While slogans denouncing Trump were everywhere, the defiant crowd never got out of hand, testimony to the professionalism of both the organizers and the DC police.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Metro, which actually stopped trains from running between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle. If the purpose of the service disruption was to prevent protesters from overcrowding the stations, the solution would have been to simply run trains past the stations, not stop running them through the stations.
As it was, thousands of protesters, tourists and Nationals baseball fans were unnecessarily inconvenienced. One wheel chair bound marcher told me he was forced to change trains three times to get to his car parked in Vienna. Not only that but Metro ran trains on a regular Saturday schedule fifteen or twenty minutes apart, even though the stations that remained open were deluged with commuters.
I learned from a DC sports fan that Metro categorically refuses to add trains or extend hours to accommodate major sports events.This is the same Metro that has jacked up fares and announced plans to cut service on dozens of bus lines, even ones that meet its own performance metrics. No wonder Metro has a cash flow problem. Hiking fares while decreasing service and turning a deaf ear to paying customers does not promote ridership. It cripples it.
There’s a plan afloat to provide Metro with a dedicated funding stream by imposing a one percent regional sales tax to pay for its operations. It’s time for elected officials to stop throwing money at Metro and insist that it operate like a regional transit provider instead of a bus shuttle service. Metro should get dedicated funding ONLY if it agrees to extend train service as needed for major sports and other high attendance events.
Metro safety includes more than repairing infrastructure. It means getting commuters to/from their destinations with a minimum of service disruption and platform overcrowding. If elected to County Board, you can be sure I will insist on that. If elected, I also pledge to:
- seek ongoing tax relief for residents and businesses and stop the exodus of federal agencies from Arlington.
- Preserve green space and emphasize basic services like: streets, schools, libraries and public safety.
- Promote transparency by requiring publication of official documents at least 72 hours before board and commission meetings.
- Provide a voice on County Board for all taxpayers