Choo Choo Seven: Streetcars, Hashtags, and DC's Best Situation Comedy

Yesterday the Mayor announced that the long awaited DC Streetcar would begin operation next Saturday, February 27. After years of delays, millions in cost overruns, four mayoral administrations, and loss of much public goodwill, the 2-mile long section of track will finally open for passenger service in Northeast DC.

That's all well and good and you can skip to the end of this post for some details of the operation and whatnot. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't address how the Mayor announced the news.

The flyer created to advertise the opening was simple enough. OK, it did feature a mishmash of font styles, font sizes, and incongruent graphical elements. But, the point was made. Be at 13th St and H NE next Saturday morning.

It also made a discombobulated attempt at a clever hashtag, "#Choo/Choo!7" #Choo/Choo!7 is everything. Mostly due to the fact that it can't technically function as a hashtag, I didn't realize it was a play on words until hours after the announcement. Choo Choo = 22 and that shape next to the streetcar is, in fact, the number seven. Choo choo seven. Two two seven. 2/27. February 27. Opening day. OK, finally, it makes sense.

But, 227 also has another meaning for DC. It was the title of one of the great American sitcoms in the 1980s. 227 was a television adaptation of a 1970s play set in Chicago. But the TV version was set at "227 Lexington Place," in Washington DC. The show centered on the everyday life stories of residents in the 227 building, but mostly Marla Gibb's character, Mary Jenkins. You'd probably also recognize Jackée Harry's character Sandra, and Helen Martin as Pearl.

I got nostalgic and started watching 227 episodes last night. An episode from season 3 is apropos to DC's sometimes cruel real estate landscape. "There Goes the Building" (embedded below) touches on the very timely conflicts around tenant-landlord relations, homelessness, rising rents, and displacement of the poor. 227 was a sitcom, but like a lot of the good ones from the 1970s and 80s, it managed to directly confront real life inner city issues in a competent, adult manner. Enjoy.

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As for the streetcar, the initial rides will be free! For how long...? Unknown. I'm guessing for the first year or so. The hours of operation will be 6:00 AM - 12:00 AM on Mon-Thu, 6:00 AM - 2:00 AM on Fridays, 8:00 AM - 2:00 AM on Saturdays and 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM on holidays. Shockingly, there will be no Sunday service at the outset. That's a decision I don't understand at all. Just... why.

The trains will run along H Street NE and Benning Rd NE from Union Station to Oklahoma Ave. It's quite a short route at 8 stops, it runs in mixed traffic, and the route is redundant with the X series buses. All that being said, I'll see you on the 27th! For all the cynicism and nay-saying, I'll be excited to ride and, I don't know, I feel like I'll be riding it more than I anticipated in the past. Of course I'll give a full report and photos from day one. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Sad State of DC Streetcar

I'm seriously wondering if the DC Streetcar system will ever open for revenue service. Putting it mildly, the system --and its administering agency, District Department of Transportation-- have been embattled. And despite years, then months, then weeks, then days, of broken deadlines, the streetcar system has no current target opening date and continues to be evaluated and tested. Recently, the agency head left open the slim possibility that streetcars may never run revenue service. This despite the facts that the city has purchased enough cars, trained enough drivers, hired enough support personnel, and laid enough track to operate the first segment.

It's super frustrating -- not just that it hasn't opened, but to me, the whole project seems more and more ill-conceived and managed as each day goes by. Why H Street NE first? Why does the streetcar run in mixed traffic, on this segment specifically? Why the crippling and constant delays? Who actually has the last call regarding safety certification? How did we get this far still feeling like we are at constant peril of landing back square one? These are all questions that a lot of of have had or still have. 

All this after such a promising and exciting debut of the idea. The original vision was a citywide network eventually consisting of 37 miles of streetcar tracks touching all eight political wards. The system would have connected Takoma DC to Downtown, Anacostia to Southwest + Northeast, Georgetown to Union Station, and more. Unfortunately, the only built section runs only about 2 miles miles, from a station on H Street NE north of Union Station, to Oklahoma Ave NE. When it does open, it'll serve who exactly? If you're in the city already, the route is more easily traversed by taking the X2 bus -- it covers a lot more ground. And if you're coming in via Metro, the awkard connection at Union Station makes for somewhat of a useful trip extender, but the work it takes to transfer to the streetcar is nearly equivalent to transferring to the X2 bus.

The streetcars themselves were really exciting, too. They're narrower than a Metrobus, a Circulator bus, or a Metrorail car, but have a higher passenger capacity than each. Despite being built by two different manufacturers, the existing trains are all similar as far as how many passengers can ride and will be outfitted with the same interior decor and fare payments systems, etc. 

Ultimately DDOT, its agency leader Leif Dormsjo and Mayor Muriel Bowser will make the final call of when (if) the first leg ever opens. I want to see it open, and not just the H Street line. I'd like to see the Anacostia MLK line and extension lines built, and then the K Street east-west line, eventually hooking up with the existing H Street line. Then let's look at best options for north-south lines, more mid-town and uptown lines, and lastly, connections to future MD And VA projects. 

Idea #2: My Transit Wishlist

I'm constantly hearing great ideas about how to make DC a more livable, fair, and vibrant city. And of course I have a few of my own. Some are complex, other simple, most are common sense. Occasionally I'll feature one on the blog.

More rail to Richmond, please.

I have A TON of transit wishes. The list never really shortens; it only grows. Some seem to be within the realm of inevitability, such as the extension of the DC Streetcar network. Others are feasible, but aren't planned at the moment or perhaps have been ruled out of existence for various reasons. Here are a few of mine:

Rail to Annapolis from DC: Actually, I'd accept rail to Annapolis from anywhere. Maryland has a great commuter rail system, MARC, which primarily serves the Maryland suburbs of DC, DC itself, Baltimore, and its suburbs as well. There's even a line that terminates in West Virginia. They've added weekend trains between DC and Baltimore to much success. But, the rail line doesn't connect the Maryland state capital city to either DC or Baltimore. A commuter bus travels from the New Carrollton Metro station to Annapolis during weekdays, but I would love a MARC or Amtrak option with multiple weekday and even some weekend schedules.

Virginia Railway Express Extension to Richmond, Charlottesville: Driving on Intestate 95 from Washington, DC to Fredericksburg, VA is one of the most nervy, patience-testing experiences for East Coast travelers. Along with I-395, it's both consistently congested and unpredictably navigable at the same time. Luckily for Virginians, VRE will whisk you from Fredericksburg, Manassas, and other Nova communities to DC each weekday for a decent fare. While Charlottesville and Richmond are served by Amtrak (Richmond several times per day), I think they should be on the state-controlled VRE with commuter trips each day. The two cities are cultural, political, educational, and economic centers for the state. I'm not suggesting that Charlottesville be connected to DC via VRE, but I am suggesting a rail link to Richmond. And commuters from Richmond would appreciate a non-car alternative to Henrico's west end, Charlottesville, Ashland, Doswell, Fredericksburg, the Pentagon, and beyond. 

Metro Rail Infill Station at Grant Circle: Infill stations are expensive, potentially costing $100-$200 million. However, I believe that one of the ways to build transit capacity within the city is to make it easier for people in dense neighborhoods to move around while not overcrowding current stations. That could mean adding a few infill stations on Metro. It has worked very well for the Red Line's NoMa-Gallaudet station. Another candidate is a new station under Grant Circle in Petworth via New Hampshire Ave. The stop would be on the Green and Yellow Lines. This would shorten the gap between Fort Totten and Georgia Ave-Petworth stations, serving a very dense residential area of Northwest.

Idea #1: Universal Farecards

I'm constantly hearing great ideas about how to make DC a more livable, fair, and vibrant city. And of course I have a few of my own. Some are complex, other simple, most are common sense. Occasionally I'll feature one on the blog.

Idea #1: Universal Fare Cards

Either scrap the reliable, but costly and not-available-everywhere SmarTrip Card OR scrap the magnetic-strip based paper farecard. Or better, replace both with a rechargeable RFID capable paper card. It would be dispensed in all Metro farecard machines and would be universal, used by tourists and residents. And the card would be free. Riders would only need to load fare onto it.

Montreal's STM system has a similar card, the "Occasional Card." It isn't rechargeable, but holds different fares and passes. It would still be used by tapping the card on a special reader, similar to SmarTrip.

Montreal's system offers a three day pass on the Occasional Card for unlimited rides on all buses and subway lines. It's $18. WMATA's one-day unlimited, rail-only pass is $14.50. WMATA could switch to the new paper cards, potentially save money on production (vs SmarTrip), and pass the savings along to riders.

Will car2go Make Me Drive More?

OK, so car2go can't make me do anything. But, will I end up driving more out of convenience since I've become a member? The short answer is probably not.

Since registering for car2go and receiving my keycard about a month ago, I have rented a car 4 times. I took one round trip and two one-way trips. The cost totals were $16.72 ($8.36 + $8.36), $7.22 and $7.60. The trips lasted between 19 and 22 minutes each. That's nearly $32 in just four weeks. Is that more than I would have spent on taxi cabs during the same period? Maybe. Unlike dealing with taxis though, I was able to reserve and access a car instantly, could not be passed up because a taxi was occupied --or for whatever other reason-- and was able to take the routes I knew to be the fastest and most efficient.

I compared the exact routes under normal traffic conditions using the Washington Post's taxi fare calculator. These estimates are under the new formula and rate structure for taximeters. The $7.22 car2go trip would have been $8.50 by taxi. The $16.72 round trip (really just two one way rentals) would have been $23.70. And the $7.60 trip would have been $11.25 by taxi. car2go total: $31.54. Estimated taxi total: $43.45. And that's without tip.

Two disclaimers: One, I rarely take cabs for trips like these. I almost always plan for and use public transportation or biking. And two, although I had the good fortune of finding car2go cars within two blocks my origin address, they aren't always available within such proximity. (There's an "unofficial/official" phone app which displays nearby cars and can also hold a car momentarily while you walk to unlock it. You can also just walk up to a car and swipe your card without "reserving.") 

I consider car2go as an emergency back up to public transit that's not a cab. I have issues with taxi service in DC (another post, another time) and really try not to take a cab unless absolutely necessary. For example, when the H bus I needed pulled a no-show leaving me at risk of being late for a dinner in Glover Park, car2go came in handy. That car2go trip ($7.60) was spontaneous and I was able to catch the regularly scheduled buses for the return trip home. Could I have tried to flag down a taxi? Sure, but idly waiting for an empty taxi to pass though Mount Pleasant isn't always the best idea for a person late to a social engagement. I found a car2go car about a block and a half from the bus stop: problem solved.

Will I continue taking these trips for convenience sake? I'd like to think not. In a perfect world I like to minimize my dependence on cars and continue planning to take transit/bikes/walking to 99% of the places I regularly visit. Don't want to sweat in you suit on the way to a meeting? Next bus comes in 40 minutes? Procrastinated and late for that party? Those are all tough calls. Sure, I could hop in a car2go and remedy some of those issues. But in reality, I'd like to keep that option as a back up and save those $$$ for emergencies, social or otherwise.

Streetcars Advance With $200 Million Plan

Running the on the streets by 2012(?)

The District's Department of Transportation has submitted a plan to City Council outlining the roll out of the long planned and overdue streetcar system. The all important ETA: spring of 2012. At the outset there will be sections of two separate lines, the H Street NE line and the Anacostia line. 

The H Street line will run form a planned maintenance facility at 1st and H, NE to Oklahoma Ave and Benning Rd NE; almost exactly two miles. These cars will serve the H St corridor-Atlas District and Union Station, but will not cross the Anacostia River or connect with the Anacostia streetcar. Both are just portions of what the $200 million will attempt to accomplish; two fully functioning lines linking Union Station and Benning Road Metro station as well as 11th Street Bridge to the Naval Annex on South Capitol Street SE.

The Anacostia line will initially be very short; less than a mile long. It will run from the Anacostia Metro station down Firth Sterling then turn south along South Capitol Street. The southern terminus will be the 2750 South Capitol Street SE.

These two segments will be powered by electrified overhead wires, but additions to the system will be powered by another source; likely to be in-car batteries or an electrically powered underground wire system.

The hours of operation of the streetcars will be 6:00AM-12:00AM on Monday through Thursday, 6:00AM-2:00AM Friday, 8:00AM-2:00AM Saturday and Sunday 8:00AM-10:00PM. The fare has been set at $1.00, identical to Circulator! Free transfers with a SmarTrip card. Pretty amazing.

This is for real! These first two "mini-segments" are all but assured to be completed. Council has set aside the $34 million to kick off construction and was awaiting this report (full PDF) before disbursing the funds to DDOT. As for the rest of the system, including another 40 miles or so of track, touching all wards; there is a plan to assemble the money. The city will re-purpose some existing revenue streams, apply for federal grants and collect revenue from passenger fares.

Great, great news!

Friday Fun Post: Renaming Columbia Heights Station

Five days out of the average week, I use Metro rail to get to and from work. The station I use is Columbia Heights. Every morning I make the trip there and every afternoon, I make the trip from Columbia Heights station back to Mount Pleasant. I see dozens of you doing the same daily (some on an identical schedule down to the minute!).

Whether you cross over on Irving, Park, Monroe or Newton, the quick walk over to 14th Street and the Metro are truly a great reason to live in Mount Pleasant. We get the quaint quirkiness of our neighborhood without the coming and going of traffic on busy 16th or 14th Streets. At the same time, we're within walking distance of the second largest rail system in the United States. Not too shabby.

Since it's our Metro of choice, would you support renaming the station "Columbia Heights-Mount Pleasant?" Greater Greater Washington mentioned this as a possible aid to the neighborhood businesses. We'd literally be put on the map for DC area residents and visitors who had never been here. On the other hand, it is not actually in the neighborhood and could possibly cause confusion for some who don't know this part of the city well. What do you think? Vote on the poll and leave a reason for or against in the comments.

poll by twiigs.com

Circulator on Mt Pleasant Street

The pictured Circulator bus passed me on a walk down Mount Pleasant Street, at about 8:00pm. It was empty, but running the much discussed new route through Woodley Park, Adams Morgan, Mt Pleasant, Columbia Heights, U Street, Logan and McPherson Sq. Pretty crucial! Heck of a route there. Three buses passed me, with one going traveling the opposite direction, towards Woodley. Still trying to figure out how this bus can benefit me. A slightly faster way to Woodley Park seems to be it. How will you use it?

Props to DC for footing the bill for this route and another new Circulator route, replacing the N22 bus (Union Station to Navy Yard).

MTA Raises Fares, Metro Will Not

Yikes. The MTA, which manages the New York City subway and bus systems, recently decided to raise fares and cut services across the board. The base subway and bus fare will rise from $2.00 to $2.50, a 25% increase. An equivalent increase for Metro would have the $1.35 base fare jump to $1.69. A rush hour trip from King Street to Metro Center now costs $2.85. It would increase to $3.56. However, it does appear that Metro will not raise fares this year.

The cuts in New York are striking. Two subway lines will be completely eliminated, the W and Z lines. The W line traveled from Astoria, Queens to South Ferry in Manhattan. The Z traveled form Jamaica, Queens to Broad Street in Manhattan. MTA is covering the eliminated subway routes with modified routes from other lines. In addition more than 30 bus routes are being eliminated including overnight, weekend and weekday services. Some routes are loosing portions of the route, or are losing overnight service. Millions of dollars will be "saved," or not spent in other words.

Metro has announced some potential service cuts, mostly on suburban bus routes. They've eliminated or frozen jobs in the central office and are attempting to use Federal stimulus money to close other budget gaps, on capital costs mostly (PDF). While will not see a fare hike this year on rail, Metro is considering converting some bus routes from local to express, and charging the higher express fare. I wouldn't be surprised if Metro raised fares across the board next year, if there is a similar budget gap. Count your stars we aren't in for MTA like cuts and fare increases this time around.

Mt Pleasant Transportation Study Meeting

This may be the last chance to see and ask about the recommendations and improvements included in the Mount Pleasant Transportation Study.

Generally, the purpose of the DDOT study, in it's own words are:

"...to examine the existing and future traffic conditions in Mount Pleasant, and to identify transportation-related improvements needed to enhance efficiency of all modes of transportation, promote safety of all road users (vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians), enhance streetscape. and to address transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation needs."

The details:

Public Meeting

Sacred Heart 1625 Park Rd. NW,
Washington, DC 20010

Saturday, November 15, 2008
9 a.m. to Noon
9:00 to 10:30 a.m. — Presentation
10:30 a.m. to Noon — Open House

More information on the web at: http://www.dci-projects.com/Pleasant/

I'm guessing Ward One council person Jim Graham will be there, as well as some significant staff from the Department of Transportation.

No Poll Needed: MD Drivers are the Worst

Last week the Washington Post decided to have a little fun and installed a poll on their website's new "Friday Follies" column. The question was simple: "Which region has the worst drivers?"

I immediately thought of an experience I wrote about more than a year ago! It was the second post ever on this blog. Its all anecdotal, but face it, Maryland drivers are the worst. They are most often those who take up the entire crosswalk at a light, speed through Mount Pleasant streets, intimidate pedestrians on 16th Street and generally disregard common courtesy, if not the law.

Sorry to pile on MD driver, but I have to say the poll sort of validates all the worst things I had been thinking. Don't take it personal, just resolve to drive better.

If you want to weigh in, here you go. The poll is still open on twiigs.com.

Which region has the worst drivers?

• The District
• Maryland
• Virginia

Created on Aug 14, 2008

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

omg, plz. Meters. Just Do It.

For the love of all things measured on a time and distance standard: please let's switch cabs to meters. Like, today please. Yesterday, Mayor Fenty (sort of) clarified the meaning of a recent court ruling that confirmed his power to dictate rules to the Taxicab Commission. I previously assumed he had those powers because he is THE MAYOR. But the city was sued by a group of drivers in order to delay or prevent the imposition of time and distance meters onto all cabs operating in DC. The original deadline of April 6, 2008 has come and gone and since the court ruling was just released, the new deadline could have slipped into the summer and even, as some speculated, October.

However, the mayor is sticking to his guns by demanding that taxi drivers in DC have time and distance meters installed in their vehicles by May 1, 2008, less than a month after the original date. There will be a grace period. While city enforcers can charge $1,000 for each offense (not having a working meter in the cab), they won't assess fines until June 1. Not surprisingly, some drivers are calling for a court appeal and, of course, a strike. Ugh. The driver's have had strikes several times regarding the meters and NO ONE CARES. As I've said before, its a regulated business, so expect to be regulated to a reasonable extent. This is reasonable. The people want the change, no matter how hard the cab drivers try to convince us otherwise. Also, every other city and its mother uses the meters and only the smaller cities with smaller taxi fleets use the zone system. I'll be so happy when this ordeal is over, can you tell?

Transportation Study Meeting Tonight

The District Department of Transportation will be holding a public meeting tonight at the Mount Pleasant Branch Library. The meeting will summarize the input of residents about the Mount Pleasant Transportation Study, which is ongoing. Currently the Final Report will be released in February or March of 2008 with actual work beginning sometime after that. I'll be happy if DDOT reduces double parking on Mt Pleasant Street (maybe more of an enforcement issue) and makes the roads safer for bikers (dedicated lanes please!). The Library is located at 3160 16th St NW and the meeting begins at 6:30PM. Ward One City Councilmember Jim Graham will be present.