Shocker...

I thought Bojangles (Jim Graham) being Chairman of the WMATA board was going to be a good thing for everyone.

Nope - turns out he is out to screw us over again.  That's right -- Bojangles is at it again.

This lovely article (here) quotes him as being vehmently against fare increases, he doesn't even want them discussed.

If you weren't aware Metro still has a $29m shortfall for their upcoming fiscal budget.  The news this week is that they want to use Federal Stimulus money to operate (exactly what it shouldn't be used for).  Which is unreal.  Bojangles would rather cut service than raise fares -- which is ridiculous.

You can not be cutting service.  No way.  No how.  No Graham.

Do what is right ... raise fares.

OMG! iPhone in metro??!

Heyyyy!  I come bearing great news ... from WMATA!

No longer are Verizon and Sprint a part of the exclusive club that can use their cell phones on Metro ... everyone is joining the party.  And we are going to get upgraded service, so you can actually browse the internet and such in the system.

Additionally Metro is scoring a new public safety and communications network.

This will all be in place by the end of 2012, but twenty of the busiest underground stations will have the service by the end of this year!!

Metro is also making big bucks off of this - which is good during the budget shortfall!

The press release is here.

Now I wonder when we talk about Quiet Cars... Because that will be necessary - ASAP.

Metro. Metro. Metro.

Hey ... In case someone who reads this blog isn't my Facebook friend - Metro is on Facebook.

Yea ... I am really excited.

They are here.

And yes you should add them as a friend.

Additionally - as you don't know.  I've been meaning to write a post about all this garbage with Metro considering service cuts due to the budget shortfall.  I am being extremely lazy and have not been able to get around to writing it (sorry), but I'm sure you've read it on every other DC blog.  Though no one is advocating for fare increases as much as I am.

Anyway ... WaPo ran a story over the weekend about Metro's fan page, and decided to quote me (though they didn't inform me that they were doing so) ... needless to say I am quite flattered/excited.  The article is here - you should go check it out and give WaPo some hits.  I'm not sure if it was published in the actual paper, but I doubt it - after all who reading a physical paper knows what social networking is.  And I took a little excerpt from the article, so you should enjoy:

Metro could certainly use friends like one poster named Tim.

"I really think that Metro needs to stop talking service cuts and start talking fare increases," he wrote. "I understand that we raised fares only a year or two ago -- but I would much rather be paying an additional 50 cents per trip than I would have to deal with trains/buses coming less frequently (they already don't come frequently enough)."

A few quick things

Okay ... A few quick things.

1. Sort of in line with Corrupt's post this morning - WMATA needs to do something when there are delays across the region.  This morning, I did not have to arrive until 11, so I got on the bus around 10:30 knowing that they wouldn't be running with rush hour frequency - but figuring that they would still be crowded since a lot of people were delayed.  Well sure enough the bus was packed, so much so that we started skipping stops 2 after mine.  This is a normal operating proceedure (and perfectly fine), but when it is not rush hour and the next bus is probably 5-10 minutes behind - it becomes a problem for those people who have to wait.  Now I'm not saying that WMATA wasn't aware of these delays, but they should be able to do something - and I'm sure they would if they could.  But their hands are tied by Union contracts.  UGH.

You know how I feel about unions and the such, but I won't really go into that ... my gripe is more with an out-of-date employment structure for mass transit.  When transit companies were first made into public-private entities around the 1920's, the employment structure remained the same ... and as they shifted to completely public entities - still nothing changed.  Unfortunately, this is hurting us.  We all know that clearly you are going to need more bus/train drivers during the morning and evening rush hours - but unfortunately the hiring of true part-time employees to work during these shifts is basically unheard of ... thanks to unions.  I'm sorry unions, I realize you are looking out for everyones best interests - but you are screwing us.

2. Obama is right (again).  I really hope I don't make a habit of saying this -- it is getting kind of scary.  This morning Obama took time out of talking about the economic stimulus package to ask reporters "WTF is wrong with DC" (not exactly in those terms).  But he is right.  He was complaining about how his daughter's school - Sidwell Friends - has decided to close due to some snow and ice.  He said (per WaPo), "We're going to have to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to this town, I'm saying that when it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things."  And he is compeltely right.  The DC Metro area has no idea how to deal with weather of any kind.  I have said this all four years I have been here, and I am glad to see Obama noticed it too.

3.  This is the thing that really inspired me to write this post this very second.  Google took a huge step in favor of Net Nuetrality today, ironically in the same day that Comcast and AT&T took a step backwards by doing the RIAA's dirty work for them (here).  Google annouced this afternoon via their blog - here - the introduction of a project called the Measurement Lab.  Basically Google is also tired of ISPs trying to regulate what you can and cannot do with your connection (which you know Comcast loves to do), and wants people to know when they are being f---ed with.  To quote from Google's blog, "Researchers are already developing tools that allow users to, among other things, measure the speed of their connection, run diagnostics, and attempt to discern if their ISP is blocking or throttling particular applications."  And Google is giving them the ability to run these tools on Google servers around the globe.  Thank you Google :)

You can access the Measurement Lab by clicking here.

And here is just a great quote from Google:

At Google, we care deeply about sustaining the Internet as an open platform for consumer choice and innovation. No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that Internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they're getting when they sign up for broadband, and good data is the bedrock of sound policy. Transparency has always been crucial to the success of the Internet, and, by advancing network research in this area, M-Lab aims to help sustain a healthy, innovative Internet.

4. Oh one last thing ... The House voted down the DTV Delay Act.  While I previously posted that I was in favor of a delay, the Obama Administration failed to outline any real plan aside from delaying the date and throwing money at the problem.  The vote roll can be viewed here.

Out.

Streetcars in DC: The Solution

Via the transport politic, here, Bombardier introduced their PRIMOVE streetcar system. This system is catenary-free, meaning there are no overhead wires. There are systems currently in place - such as third rails, but that makes it impossible for them to be actual streetcars - due to dangers associated with that. Apparently Alstom, a Bombardier competitor, has a system with a buried-ish third rail that only supplies power when a train is directly overhead - which is the best technology in place for cities that don't want overhead wires.

Anyway ... to talk about PRIMOVE, it is basically a buried wire that has some kind of electromagnetic field running through it. The streetcar then has a device that converts the field into electricity which can run the car. Aka, no wires or visible third rail is necessary.

This is perfect for any city which does not want streetcars due to overhead wires, but especially good for DC. By an act of Congress (and for obvious historical reasons), overhead wires are prohibited throughout the District. Thank you Bombardier :)

The Bombardier press release is here.

Good Morning

Two quick things:

1. Metro!  Metro smashed it's previous rail ridership record, recording about 1.12 million trips on Inauguration Day.  I say about because at several station they locked faregates in the open position to allow for easier movement.  Adding in the 423,000 bus trips and 1,721 MetroAccess trips, Metro carried approximately 1.54 million people.  YAY Metro!  Press Release, here.

2. Oscar nominations are out this morning - you can view them here.  Neither the Dark Knight, nor WALL-E made it into the Best Picture category, which I found strange - but Slumdog Millionaire did.  WALL-E will definitely win Best Animated Feature Film, but still, I think its a contender for Best Picture.

My picks, for the ones which I know:

Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk) ... maybe Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button)

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (Dark Knight)

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt)

Best Animated Feature: WALL-E

Cinematography: Slumbdog Millionaire

Directing: This category is full of tough choices, all are deserving

Music (Score): Slumdog Millionaire or WALL-E

Music (Song): Jai-Ho (Slumdog), or O Saya (Slumdog)

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire, though Milk is definitely very deserving.

Writing (Adapted): Slumdog Millionaire

Writing (Original): Milk, or maybe WALL-E

Metro!

First off - MPD Chief Cathy Lainer is bringing back All Hands on Deck at least eight times in 2009, according to the Examiner, here.  I think this is a great initiative, especially with crime on the rise. Keep up the good work Chief Lainer.

WaPo reports that the DHS Project at Saint Elizabeth's has passed another hurdle - getting approval from the NCPC.  I'm all about this.  Read the article here.

Now onto WMATA, I have a few things to discuss ... the first being their budget.

Metro's budget is a mess ... just like transit agencies and governments around the country.  They need to find $176 million in order to operate a balanced budget.  Yesterday, Catoe and his team of fools proposed two cuts - $103 million in operating expenses (operational/admin), and $73 million in service cuts.  They are going to cut about 8% of their workforce - totally 891 positions, which kind of sucks.  But the service cuts are what have me more angry ... I understand the economy is hurting, but that is exactly not the time to propose service cuts - we need more/better service.  The last time the Board voted to increase the Fare (in 2007), they vowed not to do it again until 2010 - who cares.  

While I think the service you get for your $1.35 is lackluster - I propose increasing fares, to a base fare of about $1.50.  I also propose the introduction of Unlimited Monthly passes - available to SmarTrip users only.  Now of course, I haven't done any calculations in regarding these numbers - I think raising the fares is the only option, as I personally don't consider service cuts to be a smart idea.  Cutting service, in any economy is stupid - in a bad economy, it's really stupid.  People need public transportation now more than ever.

Onto the next topic ... which Imagine, DC got me thinking about this morning - another failure (budget cut) during Metro's planning phase ... only two tracks per line.  While putting a second set of tracks (or even just one extra track) on each line would have been extremely costly - I think it would have been better for everyone in the long run.  Imagine DC asks why we can't keep Metro open 24/7 and just single-track around scheduled maintenance - and a commenter responds very smartly, that running the trains just slows everything down to the point where it is basically not worth it.  I really do wish Metro had express tracks ... wouldn't that be lovely.

And finally ... TSARchitect came up with a new Metro map (you can view the map here), that is truly amazing.  I don't want to steal his hard work without sending you over to his site for the ad revenue, and for his much more in dept analysis.   My favorite part is that he has added in a 'brown' line - which runs on a circuitous route around the city.  Also the Blue line is not routed along its long proposed M Street run, with TSAR putting it:

this plan does not run the new Blue Line down M street and back into its current configuration. Instead, it runs the Blue Line north, through Adams Morgan, Shaw, Gallaudet, and Trinidad to create a new corridor mostly on Florida Avenue.

I'm not going to steal his thunder ... go read his whole thing.  It really is another great improvement on our ever-lackluster Metro system.

WMATA's $$$$$$$$

I saw this in a WMATA Press Releases (here) and from Michael over at Infosnack (here) ... which is WMATA asking for funding out of Obama's stimulus package.  The problem that Michael (and I) have with the list, is that the Board did not prioritize which of these should get funded first, and which are of lower priority.  All in all, they are requesting around $530million - all of which could be implemented within 90 days - which is what is best needed for an economic stimulus.

Copying right from Metro's website, here is a list of their needs:

• Purchase buses, paratransit vehicles, maintenance vehicles and components for rail cars; 
• Replace, repair and expand maintenance facilities such as bus garages and rail car storage facilities; 
• Repair and improve passenger facilities such as station platforms, escalator canopies, stairs, elevator access and credit card readers; 
• Expand security systems and purchase additional emergency tunnel evacuation carts; 
• Procure maintenance and repair equipment for Metrorail track and rail cars; 
• Replace deteriorating operating equipment like fare collection equipment and signage; and 
• Procure hardware and software to improve maintenance efficiencies, monitor network traffic and protect WMATA systems for disaster recovery.

Michael over at Infosnack did a much better rundown - with costs per each section.  You can check them out at his site, here.

Do you have any thoughts on this ... what do you think is a priority?

* Personally I think the purchase of buses and rail parts is of very high priority (does Metro really need new maintenance trucks?).  

* We definitely need to repair and expand maintenance and storage depots - especially the bus ones, many of which are outdated and falling apart.  

* I would definitely like to see passenger facilities improved.  

* I would also like to see the installation of more SmarTrip fare machines (why only two per station) and actual SmarTrip vending machines at downtown stations.  

* Tunnel evacuation carts? ... are you kidding me.

* Security systems ... that sounds okay

* Repair equipment for Metrorail track/cars -- all good

* Fare Collection Equipment - doesn't look that bad to me, but I'll take their word for it.

* IT stuff - probably necessary

Ooops

A few things I forgot this morning

* Apple news:

1. Steve Jobs is not dying, he's just a little sick.  Via Engadget, here.  NYT, here.

2. Macworld Keynote tomorrow - Noon EST.

2a. TUAW has keynote predictions, here.

3. TUAW says that Apple's market share is 10%, and Windows' is the lowest ever.  Here.  

* I'm sure you heard, but Bill Richardson won't be our next Minister of Commerce, apparently he is just as corrupt as Corr.

* An entire website is gone ... lessons in why to backup.  Some journaling website, JournalSpace, disappeared over the weekend because it only had a single back-up, running a RAID 1 configuration.  Meaning that the data on the backup was just a mirror of the first drive - so when the first drive was for some reason overwritten, the second drive followed suit.  Via TechCrunch, here.

* The Paper of Record is poor :( - starting this morning they have begun to sell adspace on the front page of the paper.  This is a controversial move in the newspaper publishing business, but one that has become increasingly necessary due to declining revenue.  Article here.

* Daily Intel ran a story over the weekend about a bunch of drunk people who had the worst NYE ever.  A Metro-North train broke down just after leaving Bridgeport around 4am, sitting there without electricity (or heat) until a rescue train arrived around 6:30am.  Ugh, that would suck.  Here.

* Do you use iTunes?  Do you rate songs?  You should do both, rating songs really helps you pick out the ones you like.  Anyway - a simple hack (Mac only) allows you to enable half-star ratings.    Via LifeHacker, here.

* GGW has an idea for a new Brown Line ... a shoot off of the Red Line at NY Ave that would rejoin at Silver Spring.  It would serve Bloomingdale/McMillian/AFRH.  Here.

* BrunchDC rounds up the best brunches of 2008.  #1 = Tabard Inn.  Here.

* Rhee!  Rhee!  Rhee!  Rhee has a new plan for teacher professional development.  Here.

* How long will discs be around?  Bluray's future, via The Paper of Record - here.

* Last week I talked about how great Benjamin Button is ... and today Jane Gross over at the NYT has a post about how infancy and old-age are really the same, which is basically what Benjamin Button shows us.  An interesting movie to say the least - here.

* I passed by NextDoor, the new Ben's Chili Bowl place, and it seemed to  be open.  Now I just need to stop in and try it out.

I don't like the name Roundup anymore...

* Via TechCrunch, here, who gets these deets from Glassdoor, we have the best and worst places to work for the year.  I have taken a select few of the Top 20 to work for: Netflix (3), Whole Foods (6), Google (7), Caterpillar (16), and Apple (19).  The number 1 and 2 worst places, respectively to work are DHL Express (USA) [luckily they won't have to worry about that for long :-/] and United Airlines.

* BP is offering free WiFi at gas stations?  USA Today, here, seems to be under that impression, so we don't know if its actually fact or completely made up.  Interesting idea BP, hoping to be the next hangout?

* Rebuilding Place in Urban Space has an interesting take, here, on Washingtonian's article about Arlington and Alexandria possibly becoming the 51st state.  Why doesn't DC join in on the action?  Makes sense to me ... better than retrocession into Maryland.

* Engadget has the scoop on Ford's self-parking car - just something else that lazy Americans really need.  It should be available in two Lincoln models by 2010 ... interesting.

* Lifehacker has the deets on how to learn sign language - here.

* GGW thinks that Apple should stop toying around and design a building that the Georgetown ANC would actually like - something in the federal style.  If they wanted glass, stone, and metal - they can go build in Gallery Place or Logan.  Good point - here.

* The Clintons will be with America's Mayor on NYE assisting him in dropping the ball in Times Square.  Excitement.  Via Perez - here.

* Columbia Heights Streetscape project website is up and running - here.

* New Georgetown blog ... I personally like Vox Populi, but I'll be adding the Georgetown Metropolitan to Reader to check it out.  I'll let you know what I think.  Of particular note is that Mr. GM (as he annoyingly likes to call himself), has found the back door into Nextbus' WMATA page.  Go here and select your route, then select your stop - and you have the next bus information ... nice!

* LOL ... Cite H:

* Got an hour and a half to kill ... or just want to see a really great documentary via Joe.My.God. - The Times of Harvey Milk is up on Hulu.  I embedded it below, but you can feel free to click through because I think it'd be annoying to watch in this window.  The full link is here.  Watch:

The 43!!

So, I'm sure you're all familiar with Tim's scoop about the new 43 bus some weeks ago that was carried on a few other area blogs. Well both yesterday and this morning I had the pleasure of riding the new 'express' route on the 43 and... it was a good experience! I don't really have a usual time that I begin or end my commute. Some mornings I head in early, some I barely make it by 9:30 (I'm supposed to be at work by 9...), and my evening schedule is even less predictable. The one benefit this has is that I get a nice sampling of the bus at different hours.

Yesterday morning I was feeling ambitious and refreshed from my 2 week hiatus from the working world. I decided to go in early and I caught the bus at about 7:50 am. To my surprise, the first bus to come was the new 43! My usual commute time is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20+ minutes, down to Connecticut south of Dupont Circle. I'm pleased to report that my commute was cut in half!

Still, maybe that could be attributed to the early hour and limited traffic. Today I didn't leave until a bit later. When I got on the bus (43!) this morning I decided to time it. I got on at 8:34am and stepped off the bus at 8:50! This is during what I would consider peak rush hour traffic time.

All in all: good job Metro! Though this is a simple and seemingly obvious solution to the Dupont Circle traffic issue, I'm pleasantly surprised that WMATA took the initiative and resolved this issue.

The roundup...

Quick and easy ...

* Merry Christmas Eve!

* Yesterday GM closed its two biggest SUV factories - Janesville, Wisconsin (a plant which has been open for over 90 years) and Moraine, Ohio.  This move follows in the footsteps of Chrysler closing its Newark, Delaware SUV plant last Friday.  Each of the Big Three is now left with only one plant dedicated to producing SUVs - an odd thought in a consumer society that was once so dedicated.  The Paper of Record reports - here.

* Obama promised change, and people expect it, whether or not he mentioned it specifically.  The Paper of Record reports on people around the country hoping/expecting a massive shift in American food policy from the Obama White House.  I join them in that expectation, considering our food/farm policy is based on almost century old concepts and ideas.  Here.

* The Paper of Record and Danger Room both have leads about the changes that lie ahead for the State Department under Hillary Clinton.  In an era where the Pentagon has become so large that most diplomacy is handled through their staff offices - some argue that a Department of State should just be merged into the DoD.  Thankfully Clinton and Obama are reversing that trend, and at a breakneck pace.  The world needs to know the the US is their friend, not just a mighty military power, and the State Department has set out to do that.  Both USAID and the Foreign Service are recruiting and hiring people in record numbers - preparing for the new roads that lie ahead.  [Foreign service hires, here; Clinton expanding DoS role, here; Danger Room on it all, here]

* Via We Love DC, here - which references WaPo, here.  Why do you never see Metro in films?  Because Metro has the most ridiculous rules ever in regards to filming.  No shooting.  No jumping faregates.  No death.  And of course, no eating or drinking.

* The end of Paper Transfers -- January 4th, I can't wait.

* GGW has the new committee assignments for the DC Circus, chosen by Ringleader Gray.  Tommy Wells has been placed on Graham's Public Works & Transportation committee, which GGW says is a great thing as Wells showed up to meetings when not even on the committee and is very pro-smart growth.  Here.  CityPaper has a full rundown of committee assignments, here.

* WaPo, here, has Michael Brown's appointment to the WMATA Board, as an alternate, by Gray.  And our good friend Jim Bojangles Graham was reappointed.  Bojangles currently serves as Vice-Chairman, and his reappointment will hopefully solidify him as Chairman.  If Bojangles does good as WMATA Chairman, I might think about forgiving him.

Good Morning World!

and in case I don't see you Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Good Night. This is going to be a morning roundup of sorts - though it is kind of late and I have to get my day going.

* I am home, home ... I'm not really sure what to call it anymore - because I call DC home, so calling NY home is tricky too. I called it my parents house to someone yesterday and that kind of freaked me out and made me feel like I was 40. So I guess home, home works ... perhaps 'where I grew up' but that is really a mouthful. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this issue.

* Anyway ... at home, home. It's snowing. It's actually sticking. It makes me feel cold. I need to go find my boots.

* People ... John Catoe is losing Cocktail's Moron of the Week vote ... get over there and vote. Link here! Yes I am trying to artificially inflate numbers with a lackluster blog population.

* Ummmm ... so we gave Patchus guest blogger privileges and he is gracing us with some posts. You may notice several spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, but its not his fault - he grew up in the 52nd State ... Ontario, and they don't have proper schooling up there. One day he will learn the English language.

* Stole this link from GGW - cool article in WaPo about public spaces that have been snatched from the public since September 11th. GGW got me thinking about all the barricades that we have put up since September 11th, and if they will ever come down. Anyway the article is interesting - it talks about the West Steps of the Capitol, which I have never been on because they are closed. AND! It talks about a Candlelight tour of the White House, which I have never even heard of. I immediately called my Representative from Home, Home and inquired - the intern had no idea what I was talking about, but I left a voicemail for the Scheduler.

* WMATA approved the prices from Inauguration (rush hour fares, and charging for parking). Interestingly enough SmarTrip will not be used for parking on Inauguration Day - they just don't want to deal with it - and parking will remain its current price of $4.00. According to Metro, they are unable to make it the consumer-friendlier $5.00 because they would be required to hold a public hearing on it. Via WaPo, Dr. Gridlock - here.

* Via DCist, the Fenty Administration has released a holiday picture of the family. The baby, Aerin, is like only three weeks old, but look at all the hair on her head. I don't know much about babies, but I was shocked to see so much hair. Anyway - the family looks good, although if I were Michelle Rhee's boss, I would want her in the Holiday card too ... maybe next year.


Ok I'm hungry ... out!

Metrobus Route 43 to ...

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

There is a new Metrobus route that Metro hasn't announced!

BREAKING NEWS -- YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST

Hmmmm ... Where to start.

On most days, I bus to work - usually taking the 42 (or if I am lucky the H1) because both of them literally stop right outside my door.  Hence why this article is of particular importance to me - and anyone else who rides the 42.  Yesterday, I happened to notice a Metro truck sitting outside one of the 42's stops in Adams Morgan.  Since it was nowhere near an actual Metrorail station, I figured they must be doing something at the stop, perhaps preparing for the installation of a shelter, or something else excited - but I honestly did not think much of it.

Last night, since it was so nice out - I decided to walk home.  Normally on my walk home I don't follow the route of the 42, since it goes slightly out of the way of the convenient way home for me.  But last night was special, I needed to pick up something on 18th Street in AdMo - so for the rest of my walk home I followed the 42 bus route, which runs along Columbia Road.  I was walking on the North side of the street and happened to look up at the Metrobus stop sign ... and noticed something a little off.  The usual suspects were up there - the 42 and the H1, but something new was between them ... the 43.

What -- the 43??  I know!   I immediately wanted to know what it was and what it meant.  I got home and headed right to the *NEW* WMATA website (sidebar: I kind of liked when metroopensdoors.com sent you to the little graphic of the train doors opening and then redirected to wmata.com) to search for the new 43 route.  You know what ... this article is a waste of time, just go read about the bus on the website.   OH WAIT!  You can't!

That's right - the signage is up, the changes have been put in motion - but nothing on Metro's website.  The route isn't mentioned on the maps or in the timetables, and there isn't even a press release about it.  Shocking.  So I made a call to WMATA's Office of Media Relations in order to get the deets ... surprisingly they actually had them, yet had just decided not to let the public know about this upcoming change.

Route 43 will go into effect on Sunday, December 28th.  It will be a weekday rush hour only service, between 750am and 915am (meaning it will only run Southbound).  About 1/2 of the buses currently designated as 42s will henceforth be badged as 43s.  It will run between Mount Pleasant and Farragut Square.  It seems to me that the 43 will just be the 42 buses that currently run between MtP and FSq - so there will be no service increases or reductions.  

So this really wasn't the "extra, extra!" that was advertised ... no real changes - but it is exciting that there is a new bus in the neighborhood.

Tim.