I was taken aback by an email I received this morning, alerting me to a newly-created hoax website that offers T-shirts, coffee mugs, and buttons inscribed with a simple Metro logo and the phrase “Metrobus Kills.” This is not funny, and I will not post a link to the site. However, it puts a very fine point on a problem that has been simmering for a dangerously long time.
This past Saturday, Metrobus claimed its fifth pedestrian victim in just eight months. The news that a young woman was killed by a Metrobus in Congress Heights came just days after two women were struck and killed crossing Pennsylvania Avenue in Penn Quarter. Along with other recent collisions, these accidents have fueled outrage among city residents who do not want to live in fear of what should be a safe and productive part of our transportation system.
The saddest part of this tragic and frightening trend is that no one seems to be surprised. The aggressive and dangerous driving habits of many Metrobus drivers are so well-known and commonplace, the only surprise for many was that accidents have not been more frequent.
Photo uploaded anonymously to the DCist Flickr Pool.
