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From UnsuckMetro Blog- Happy Bike to Work Day from MetroFrom Joseph: I was riding my bike home on May 17 at 5:50 p.m. I was on M St. going straight near the Key Bridge. The D5 bus #2387 merged left and almost hit me. The driver then looked out his window and began yelling. He used a lot of profanity. He stated that bikes belong on the sidewalk and that I better get out of the road and on the sidewalk or he wa […]
- An Open Letter to Dr. GridlockWashington Post reporters talk with Metro GM Richard Sarles during a Google+ Hangout. Via: The Washington Post From Fake Dr. Gridlock: Greetings, I am writing as a reader and a daily Metro commuter who is fed up on two fronts. I'm fed up with the lousy deteriorating service provided by WMATA, and I'm even more fed up with the lousy coverage provide […]
- Silver Line Sticker Shock?Photo via: wfyurakso From Timothy: Residents of Reston anticipating the opening of the Silver Line late this year, may be in for a surprise as the cost of the daily commute will jump significantly. The first phase of the Silver Line will start at Wiehle Avenue. At present, Reston residents can travel from this area with free parking, a net bus fare of $1.10 […]
- Happy Bike to Work Day from Metro
- Greater Washington
- Long-term closures: A solution to single-tracking?by Matt Johnson Yesterday morning, the Chicago Transit Authority closed the southern end of the Red Line for 5 months of reconstruction. Should WMATA consider a similar approach? There are advantages, but also big dangers as well. Photo by cta web on Flickr.WMATA's rebuilding problem, which it dubs Metro Forward, has been going on for over 2 years with […]
- Montgomery residents debate bus lanes at BRT hearingby Dan Reed Over 50 speakers packed the Planning Board auditorium in Silver Spring Thursday night to offer comments on Montgomery County's proposed Bus Rapid Transit network. Over more than 3 hours, residents debated the merits of the 10-route, 79-mile system county planners envision. Photo by dan reed! on Flickr.A slight majority of speakers spoke in f […]
- Metro policy for refunds after delays falls short, riders sayby Michael Perkins Many major transit systems offer a "service guarantee" policy where riders get a free trip or a refund if there are severe delays, but WMATA's policy is much more limited. After repeated rail delays, some riders are demanding a better deal. Photo by Make Lemons on Flickr.Rockville resident Dave Tucker recently complained to […]
- Long-term closures: A solution to single-tracking?
Tag Archives: Safety hazard
Two Year Anniversary of the deaths of Jeff Garrard & Sung Oh
[I meant to post this on January 26. Somehow it was left as a "draft" and not posted.]: Today, January 26, 2012, is the two year anniversary of the completely avoidable and incredibly tragic accident that killed my former coworkers … Continue reading
Posted in Management Follies, Safety Incidents, The Metro Hall of Shame
Tagged Safety hazard, The 51st State
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Metro Admits Liability for June 22, 2009 Wreck
I’m glad to see that after over 2 1/2 years Metro has finally done the right thing and admitted liability for the June 22, 2009 wreck — even if it was for legal expediency. It is unclear to me why … Continue reading
Posted in Inadequate Training, Malfunctions, Management Follies, Public Opinion, Safety Incidents, The Metro Hall of Shame
Tagged automatic train control, backup alarm, gross negligence, metro employees, ntsb accident reports, rail trucks, Reliability, Safety hazard, The 51st State, Waste of money
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Overtime Limits Part of Contract Negotiations?
Fatigue due to excessive overtime (OT) is in the news again. I found it interesting that WMATA sees this serious safety issue as a ‘bargaining chip’: “Metro officials have said they plan to rely on a study released last week … Continue reading
Excessive Overtime Causes Fatigue
I’ve written about the very serious problems caused by employees working too much overtime (OT) several times before — here, here, here, and most recently here. In the news lately is a story that suggests the Tri-State Oversight Committee (TOC) … Continue reading
Forced Overtime
The Washington Post recently published a “Doctor Gridlock” column about forced overtime at Metro. The issue of forced overtime (OT) was one of many things that bothered me while I was an active employee. WMATA would (and apparently still does) … Continue reading
Broken Rail
One of the most common problems automatic train control (ATC) techs face is a ‘down track circuit(s)’. That is, a track circuit that is showing false occupancy — it looks like there is a train in that section of track … Continue reading
Sleepy
“Sleepy” was our nickname for a guy who was on Midnight shift at Shady Grove Yard (A99). You could hear sleepy approach before you ever saw him. He was so tired he couldn’t lift his feet to walk. He would … Continue reading
Three (3) red signals passed in one day, in one train yard
[The following is an email exchange I had with a coworker last year. Names have been changed. "A99" is Shady Grove Yard]: The tower called this afternoon and reported switches 63 and 77 out of correspondence. Sam went to the … Continue reading
Two more Metro train operators ran through red signals
Well, what do you know – two more operators ran red signals recently. As I said in my previous post about this topic — contrary to the statement by Metro’s chief safety officer (“…red signal overruns [are] a “very rare” … Continue reading
Metro workers and Overtime
Metro employee overtime (OT) is in the news again. Greater Greater Washington (GGW) mentioned this last Monday which led to this reply from ATU Local 689 president Jackie Jeter. I’ve written about this issue before — here and here: Quote: … Continue reading
