December 1, 2005
Morning Roundup: What Type of Tree Is That Edition
So, is that tall, festively-decorated spruce tree you have in that public building a Christmas tree? A seemingly innocuous question has District officials in a tizzy, with some demanding that their trees be recognized as "Christmas" trees while others prefer the PC, non-denominational "holiday" designation. The D.C. National Guard opts for "Christmas," the District Department of Transportation chooses "holiday." So which should it be?
Metro Adds Signs to Escalators: Finally, Metro heard our pleas. According to WJLA, Metro will start testing signs on escalators asking that riders obey a rule so essential that most District residents observe it like they would any of the Ten Commandments: Stand right, walk left. Let's say that together: Stand right, walk left. Metro is also planning to install signs at downtown stations that encourage riders on the platform to step aside so passengers can quickly and painlessly exit the trains.
Williams Expresses Doubts Over Stadium Deal: D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams publicly expressed his concerns that the City Council would reject a lease agreement for a new baseball stadium if MLB officials did not provide more money to the project, reports the Post. Responding to Williams' remarks, council chair Linda Cropp arranged a meeting with chief MLB negotiator Jerry Reinsdorf and the full council to attempt to reach a settlement, set for 8:30 a.m. today. MLB has refused to provide the city with a $24 million line of credit to cover rent payments and $20 million to help with the construction, and members of the council have expressed skepticism over the deal, which is estimated to cost close to $100 million more than originally anticipated. In related news, the Council has demanded that MLB choose a new owner for the Nats, who still remain under the control of baseball's 29 team owners.
One in Four District Children in Poverty: According to numbers by the U.S. Census and reported on by the Examiner, more than one in four children in the District live in poverty. While the percentage of children under 18 living in poverty dropped from 36.8 percent in 1995 to 29.6 percent in 2003, analysts have noted that the decreases may be attributed to poor families being forced out of the District due to the recent economic boom.
Briefly Noted: Eisenhower Memorial planned ... Rosa Parks to be memorialized on Maryland buses ... District ranks last in nation in tobacco prevention programs ... Bush helps Maryland's Lt. Governor raise a quick $500,000 ... Housing boom leaves workers stranded.
Picture snapped by mparas.
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Is it beacuse of weak statistics that we have to rely on speculation as to whether the poor are getting more affluent or simply leaving the District? That might have an effect on, say, analyzing the effects of our anti-poverty measures. Of course, I know that that's not really what the census is meant to do, but that's the interesting part. As it stands, all I can say based on the numbers is "Great--the district is more affluent, which is good news. We should continue on the current course." Not a satisfying conclusion, given the oft-raised and potentially valid protest that we're just kicking out poor people. Anyone got more info?
Instead of wasting money installing signs telling people to stand to the right, why doesn't Metro install signs outside the metro letting people know how long until the next train. I appreciate the step up we have on NY by even having signs on the platform, but wouldn't it be great if you knew that the train wasn't coming for 15 mins before you were in the station (Even more so if you're running late).
On the other hand, I'm fine with the signs telling people to move out of the way when I'm getting off the train. It baffles me how many people don't understand this simple concept.
I find it interesting that most people seem to have forgotten that WMATA did have signs asking people to stand to the right up until about 6 years ago.
Metro authorities removed the signs during the initial round of escalator refurbishment due to their claim that 'Metro does not encourage walking up or down the escalators.' (This is principally due to the fact that the step-up height of the escalators is intentionally taller than an average step, so as to make it more difficult to walk up or down them.)
I am a Jewish Democrat. Please feel free to call your Chirstmas tree a Christmas tree. This PC holiday crap has gotten WAAAAAY out of hand.
Where are all the Christian conservatives arguing against a Christmas tree as a pagan ritual and ruining the spirit of Christmas? Apparently they only come out to try and ruin my favorite holiday, Halloween.
You know in the BART system in the Bay Area -- engineered by Bechtel, just like our beloved Metro and with almost identical cars (one less door) -- they have markings on the platform that tell you where the doors are going to be. People even queue up! (So very polite, of course, the platforms are bigger. And more center platforms.) In some of the stations there are markings to indicate that you should queue up to the left and the right of the doors and let the people exit first, like the Embarcadero station, which is often the busiest.
Wouldn't it be nice if we had that here?
I am also a Jew. Please feel free to call it a Christmas tree. I will be patronized to thousands of times in the next three and a half weeks; renaming your goyish foliage isn't necessary.
I think they also don't encourage walking on the escalators because it supposedly shortens their lifespan (which seems to be about 10 months if the Dupont North escalator is typical).
I'm not sure signs telling people to clear the exit will be anymore effective than the train conducter saying the exact same thing. I don't like people who don't let you out, but I also don't like people who wait until people start walking on until they leave the train. I think the biggest problem is the fact that the cars have seats facing forwards and backwards. It would be more effective if they just faced inward and the aisles were therefore made several feet wider (like the NYC subways). As they are, the seats are more comfortable, but make getting on and off the cars difficult.
And when did they stop adding those futuristic canopies? You see them here and there, but most exposed stations still don't have them.
DC1974:
I really appreciate your comments, but is there a chance that you could write a post that doesn't mention your love for the Bay Area? I'd make some snarky comment like "if you love the Bay Area so much why don't you marry it", but I imagine the Bay Area might actually recognize that as a legal marriage.
DC1974: I too, bemoan the lack of BART-style door markers on the platform, but it just isn't practical for DC -- after all, no two trains ever stop in the same location on the platform. (And sometimes they even miss the platform altogether.)
Metro Rider: One of Metro's many claims about walking on the escalators is that it's inherently dangerous (Richard White says so:
and so does the Metro Escalator FAQ:
A: Metro does not encourage customers to Walk Left/Stand Right on our escalators. We recommend all customers
and again:stand while riding our escalators for their safety and for the safety of those around them. and even the Washington Post:
I think it's interesting that they seem to blame the "slow" train turnaround time on the people outside the train. Generally in my experience the people exiting the train take up a lot more time than those entering the train, and it's not because anyone is standing on the platform blocking the door. As anyone can tell you who has heard the "Doors Closing" recording start before even getting near the exit, the crowding and obstruction is much worse on the inside.
Nate: It's because people in DC don't understand that you have to move out of the doorway to let people in and out of the train. It's a freakin' epidemic in this city. Riders think they're ENTITLED to block the door instead of moving in toward the center of the cars.
A designated stopping place for the train, enabling designated standing places to line up, is a fabulous idea. It's so frustrating to be part of an orderly line down the platform, out of the walkway, and then get body-blocked by some latecomer who has to stand closer to the train (in the walkway). Likewise frustrating to have the train fall short of its usual place, causing a rush for the first car.
I think "stand on the right" placards will be ignored, but a painted dividing line, like in some airports, might work.
while I don't know what other holiday they would be hauling a pine tree out for this time of year, I can comfidently say though it sure as shit ain't hanukkah. please call it a christmas tree. oy!
It's about damn time. People standing on the escalators violates rule number 9 of my own set of rules for tourists on the Metro. Now if we could come up with a way to get them to shut up I'd be a happy camper.
As far as people not moving to the center of the cars, taking the seats out won't fix that problem. The Metro should have employees on cars to make people move to the center. If they can arrest kids for eating French Fries they can shove around enough riders to make a lasting impression.
TC
Well, the admins must have eaten my long post that I wrote this morning with lots of official quotes from Metro leaders on the Walk/Stand thing... (I got the "your post must be reviewed" page that generally means you'll never see that 10-15 mins worth of worthwhile thought ever again.
Here's the most important quote, "Standing on the Left? You Must Be on Vacation" May 16, 2004 The Washington Post:
I'm an agnostic, liberal, democrat member of the ACLU. It's a Christmas tree. Call it a Christmas tree.
Stand right walk left makes it really conveniebt to use the undergroung in rush hours. But I hate the "Mind the gap" thing.