Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
One of those longstanding D.C. arguments may be finally coming to a resolution, and you can feel the excitement in the air this morning, Washington. No, it's not the handgun ban, or taxicab meters, or anything to do with voting rights -- but there sure are a lot of longstanding arguments in this town, now that we mention it. Rather, metro riders should keep their eyes peeled for two railcars that will soon be sporting a vinyl floor material instead of carpeting. Metro plans to install the flooring to test it first before considering putting it in every railcar. While it may give the D.C. Metro system an air of elegance, the current carpet is difficult and expensive to clean and maintain, and has been a source of debate among commuters for some time.
PCP Drug Ring Busted: D.C. and Maryland Police made 21 arrests this week in what they say was a major drug ring bust that shut down operations of one of the city's significant sources of the drug PCP. The arrests were the result of a 2-year investigation that began with a traffic stop and eventually included the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and tactics that read like they're right out of the pages of a script for The Wire.
Finance Chief Urges Borrowing Limits: D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi sent a letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty yesterday recommending establishing a limit on how much debt the city can take on, in an effort to ensure it maintains a good credit rating on Wall Street. Gandhi said he is worried at the city government's high rate of borrowing. Such a limit could prevent the District from taking on any new publicly financed projects, such as a new central library.
Briefly Noted: Marion Barry in court today on charges that could lead to jail time ... Overturned truck on U.S. 50 ruins commutes of many in Virginia ... Judge denies Hinckley's request.
This Day in DCist: Last year we looked at upcoming changes to the Georgetown waterfront, and the year before that we speculated what might be done with a patch of land in Foggy Bottom.
Photo by intemporelle
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Any idea what caused all the smoke on the blue/yellow line this morning around Pentagon City?
I applaud Catoe for this move. First, the carpets in the Metro cars SMELL! I hate when I have to put my bag on the floor (to make room for more passengers on a crowded train). Second, I’m hoping that they don’t install some awful color of vinyl akin to the gaudy colors in most Metro cars now. “Hey METRO!!! 1977 called. They want their colors back.”
Yeah, the carpets add real elegance to the Metro, if you discount all the stains, smells, and tears. Please. Get rid of that costly and uneccessary albatross.
"Marion Barry in court today on charges that could lead to jail time"
hahahahahahahaha. stop it, please, one day i'm gonna die laughing
I've already seen a metro rail car w/o carpets...at least a month ago.
Some metro cars on the red line have vinyl on the entrance, in front of the door area. I think it's a huge improvement over the carpet and I am glad they want to do away with carpeting all together.
It seems to me that the Metro cars will be a lot louder without the carpets. Not sure if that's enough of a drawback, but it is worth noting how much quieter Metro cars are than NYC subway cars.
Yes, Reid, I can imagine annoying cellphone conversations will be louder, track and wheel noise will come up from below more easily, and the overall decibel level will increase.
The Metro carpets start to mildew after the first heavy rain. If you can smell mildew, you are probably inhaling mold spores. Rip that ugly carpet out - it's a health issue.
One good thing about the carpet is that it does actually absorb all the spilled liquid that people insist on drinking while riding despite the "no drinks" rule.
Personally, I don't care what it looks like as long as it's functional.
The carpet is disgusting and inefficient, but it does do a great job at muffling the sounds of the passengers and the train itself. Metro runs at pretty high speeds over some sections and I can imagine that without some sound dampening it will get pretty loud in those cars.
I always thought that the carpet should be replaced with something akin to the "astroturf" or "field turf" that is used in sports stadiums. Since that material (unlike carpeting) is made to get heavy outdoor use, it should hold up fine on the trains and would do a better job than a bare floor at muffling the sounds and absorbing the spills.
...two railcars that will soon be sporting a vinyl floor material instead of carpeting.
Finally!
One good thing about the carpet is that it does actually absorb all the spilled liquid that people insist on drinking while riding despite the "no drinks" rule.
Drinks aren't the only people fluid those carpets absorb. I've been on the last car on the last train to Branch Avenue on a Saturday night. I KNOW.
Getting rid of the carpet is crazy. Yet another marginal cost-cutting measure that folks will get on board with, right after draping the cars in hideous advertising. It's amazing to me that people are so positive about these stupid moves. In ten years you won't even recognize the system because it will be the same, generic, ugly, disgusting, sticky floor, noisy, commercialized piece of garbage system that passes for public transporation elsewhere. This is a terrible move.
Yes Krisa, we all love smelly, moldy, 70's-orange carpet.
I agree with Kriss, Lets charge a flat $5/ride and keep the carpet and boot the commercialization. Also we can bring back the old “Doors Closing” lady. Whose with me!?........anyone?
The carpet does a great job of muffling sound, and absobing liquids (whether it is rain from feet or umbrellas, or melting ice cream that someone left on the train), and probably even some amount of dirt. Plus it sets us apart from every other subway I can think of. Vinyl flooring will only make the floors slicker and let any fluids flow more freely, plus they will probably show dirt more, so instead of grimy carpets, we will be dealing with dirty, wet or sticky floors. I say that vinyl flooring sounds to be a bad idea. I do like the "astroturf" idea though.
Your fare will be $5 soon enough, but you can be sure that it will have nothing to do with flooring decisions and small-time advertising revenue, and everything to do with wasteful mismanagement and dedicated funding gaps. These are band-aids, pure and simple.
The Metro carpets start to mildew after the first heavy rain. If you can smell mildew, you are probably inhaling mold spores. Rip that ugly carpet out - it's a health issue.
Agreed. Get rid of the carpets now! If I'm on an extended ride on the Metro sometimes breathing the mold spores in those carpets will make me sick; nothing serious (usually just a splitting headache and mild nausea) but as soon as I get out into the fresh air my symptoms start to disappear.
"Plus it sets us apart from every other subway I can think of."
Joe: Hi, I'm from New York
Bill: Hi, I'm from Boston
Steve: Hi, I'm from San Francisco
Mitchgant: Hi, I'm from D.C.
All: Wow, you have carpets in your subway!
Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, I'm free at last.
-- Marion Barry (June 21, 2007)