Riding... or Taken for a Ride?

Post #39

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has recently been the subject of two big news stories.   First, the board named an interim General Manager in light of John Catoe’s impending departure next month and is actively interviewing for his replacement.  Second, another fare hike of ten cents per ride went into effect.  A dime might not seem like very much to some of us, but commuters will face an annualized $50 increase, even before considering weekend jaunts into town.

For many, this may seem completely affordable.  Metro generally provides safe, quick, and convenient transportation.  That is… except when it does not.

Montgomery County’s own Peter Benjamin is the new Chair of the Metro Board.  He has rightly put a laser-like focus on safety since the series of crashes and fatalities in the past year.  The lengthy investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board after the June 2009 crash that killed nine resulted in many months of slow train rides at all hours of the day.  When the trip takes twice as long; costs more (especially once adding on parking at a WMATA or private lot); and feels less safe than driving (though the statistics obviously wouldn’t bear that out), it’s no wonder that ridership hasn’t continued growing to mirror the area’s population.  Despite our best intentions of “going green,” our schedules and the “green” in our wallet are also valid considerations!

Many of us (me included) believe that our former County Executive, Doug Duncan, would be a remarkable next General Manager.  His decisive management style and ability to recruit and retain effective leaders would help Metro address its many challenges.

Regardless of whether the search process concludes with Duncan or someone else, the new General Manager must regain the trust of riders-- and the U.S. Congress. Being taken over by Congress (as some have suggested) would not be a good outcome.  If ridership falls, we will be faced with worse traffic problems than we have now.

I hope that each extra dime will help with infrastructure improvements, staff training, and recruitment of the best transit experts possible.  We must ensure that this lifeline in our region is financially stable, safe, and well-run.  We’re all counting on it!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  How often do you take Metro?  Have you become more worried about safety since last June’s crash?  What do you think about the recent fare increases?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#39) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.