WMATA continues its trend of futile campaigns today by announcing it will start warning passengers not to chase fleeing buses. After six pedestrian fatalities in two years, including a 62-year-old man who stumbled and fell underneath the wheel of a bus as he chased it earlier this month, Metro’s looking for the bus version of the stern-motherly voice on the trains to keep people from jumping in the closing doors. Also, we think we heard a panicked city lawyer scream something about limiting liability.

Just as with the tourists who are the target of the “escalefter” signs, we imagine the likely-named “Stay Safe, Don’t Chase” campaign will go in one ear and out the other of every commuter who hit the snooze button too many times. Certainly chasing buses is not only dangerous, but often totally embarrassing. However, maybe a better solution than spending tax dollars on another signage project would be doing something to make sure the buses actually ran on their scheduled times. Let’s see how many people heed the warnings after the first snow and they see the only bus that’s come all day start to pull away.

Metro also plans to install warning sensors on 55 buses that will notify the driver when it is closer than three feet to another vehicle. One imagines these sensors won’t be much help to a ten-ton passenger bus as it speeds down K Street, or if the obstruction happens to be a pedestrian or bicycle, but they’re certainly a step in the right direction.

Photo by Flickr user Dupont Knitter