C2


S


KLMNO COMMUTER


For quarter-hoarders, change ahead A


fter the District in- creased its rates for street parking at the start of the year, many drivers focused on how


Duncan Solutions also is oper-


ating its own pay-by-space sys- tem on several streets in Friend- ship Heights.


to keep enough quarters in their cars. I prefer a yogurt container full of change. It fits into the cup holder slot next to the seat. But old film canisters are quite handy, too.


But the District Department of


Transportation has launched parking payment experiments that could end my dependence on yogurt and film. These experi- ments are called pay by space, pay by plate and pay by phone. Here’s a look at how they work.


VARIED EXPERIENCES A driver who visits different areas — say, Georgetown, the U Street corridor and the Smithso- nian museums — may encounter several of these pilot programs. Don’t assume that because you know how one type of multi- space machine works, you know them all. And while figuring out whether to use cash, a credit card or a cellphone to make a pay- ment, don’t forget to read all the street signs that spell out the parking regulations and hours. On Independence Avenue SW, for example, a stack of five signs de- tails the avenue’s parking rules and payment methods. Here’s one universal truth: It’s


the D.C. government that sets the street parking rules and fees, not the private vendors operating the payment systems.


PAY BY PLATE Cale Parking Systems USA op-


erates a pay-by-license-plate pilot system in the 1300 block of U Street NW. Some drivers ap- proach the payment kiosks think- ing they are the same as the older multi-space parking kiosks around the city. It takes them a while to figure out that the ma- chine wants them to enter their plate numbers before making a payment. Parking enforcement officers can tell who has paid when they electronically read the plate numbers. But some drivers aren’t so sure. Many place their receipts on their dashboards, just as they would with the older style of multi-space meter.


PAY BY SPACE Parkeon, another parking


management company, is operat- ing the pay-by-space system in the 900 through 1200 blocks of Independence Avenue SW. Here again, there’s a twist on the older style of multi-space kiosk. Look on the old parking meter stands for a space number, and for the words, “Pay at Pay Station, Remember Your Space #.” One driver at the pay station said he found the system easy to use and the instructions clear. He knew the difference be-


tween this system and the older multi-space system, the one re- quiring the driver to place the re- ceipt on the dashboard. In this experimental system, as with the pay-by-plate model, the driver can walk away with the receipt. The parking enforcement officer will know which spaces have


PAY BY PHONE Parkmobile and Verrus Mobile


Technologies are operating sys- tems in which subscribers use their cellphones to generate a parking payment. Here again, parking enforcement officers use electronic readers to rec- ognize that a payment has been made. The Verrus system began


operating in April at 700 spaces around Dupont Circle, Union Station, K Street, I Street and New York Avenue NW. Drivers can sign up at paybyphone.com or call 888-510-PARK (7275). Last month, Parkmobile began a program that covers about a thousand metered spaces in Fog- gy Bottom, on Reservoir Road in Georgetown and around Nation- als Park. Users can sign up at www.parkmobile.com, where they can download mobile appli- cations for popular devices. The companies want credit card information and license plate numbers for the accounts. While Washingtonians are used to creating accounts to buy a book or a sweater, it’s a new step to do this just to park on a street. Still, DDOT spokesman John Lisle said that Verrus has more than 5,400 registered users. Park- mobile, the newer operation here, has about 580 users so far.


Drivers in the District face a mix of experimental systems, allowing payment by cash, credit card or cellphone on meters that vary from neighborhood to neighborhood been paid for.


DR. GRIDLOCK Robert Thomson


To arrive on time and safely, former Metro rider takes the car


Dear Dr. Gridlock: O


ne of the reasons I moved into my new home was the convenient 10-minute walk


to the Rockville Station on the Red Line. But I’m back in the car now, even though my ’98 Acura has more than 200,000 miles on it.


Metro has become a slow-motion disaster: Crazy fare increases, broken escalators, broken elevators, slow moving, erratically driven trains, crowding, poor security, and most disconcerting, the fatal accidents. I was trying to do the right thing environmentally by taking Metro. But I have a job that I have to get to, safely and in a timely manner. So in spite of the added expense, and the wear and tear and the extra mileage on my 12-year-old car, I’m hitting the road. It’s hard to believe, given how


FEEDBACK DDOT invites feedback by e-mail at ddot@dc.gov or by phone at 202-673-6813. I’d like to hear from you, too, either here in the comments area or by e-mail to drgridlock@washpost.com.


— Robert Thomson


T e District’s new parking challenge T e District Department of Transportation is testing systems that could spare drivers the burden of depositing a fi stful of quarters in single-space meters. T e experiments will continue into October.


VENDOR Parkeon


FEATURES


● Pay by space ● Pay by cellphone ● Accepts paper money


Duncan Solutions


● Pay by space LOCATIONS ● 900 through 1200 blocks of Independence Avenue SW


bad traffic congestion has become in this area, but driving to work is far safer and more reliable than the Russian roulette that taking Metro has become. Meanwhile, the politicos and talking heads keep chattering away, and nothing gets done. So look for me on Rockville Pike from now on.


—Thomas Ressler, Rockville


On last Sunday’s Commuter


Friendship Heights ● 5300 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW ● 4300 block of Jenifer Street NW ● 4200 block of Jenifer Street NW ● 5200 block of 44th Street NW (north side)


Cale Parking Systems USA


Parkmobile


Verrus Mobile Technologies


TYPES OF PARKING METERS


Pay by space Motorists look for a number on a sidewalk marker by their parking space, then enter the number into a central kiosk and receive a receipt. Parking offi cers can determine if payment was made for an occupied space.


SOURCE: DDOT


Pay by license plate Drivers enter their plate numbers in multi-space meters, and parking enforcement offi cers can determine who has paid by reading the plate numbers with handheld or car-mounted devices.


Pay by cellphone Drivers can sign up to use the systems at www.parkmobile.com or paybyphone.com. Aſt er that, they call in their parking location to the vendors and authorize a parking payment, which is deducted from the credit cards they have registered with vendors.


● Pay by license plate ● Pay by cellphone ● Enforcement using license-plate recognition


● Pay by cellphone ● Pay by cellphone ● 1300 block of U Street NW


● Foggy Bottom ● Reservoir Road NW (near Georgetown University Hospital) ● Nationals Park area


● Dupont Circle ● Union Station ● Downtown on K and I Streets, New York Avenue NW


page, I noted with satisfaction that Nicholas Ramfos of Commuter Connections takes a non-ideological approach to helping workers find the best way to get where they’re going in the D.C. area. “It’s all about time and money,” he said. When I asked my online readers to comment on driving vs. Metro, many confirmed that time and money are important, but they also said that safety and quality of life were important considerations in their choices. Several noted that their jobs give them access to a transit subsidy, yet they chose to pay for parking, gas and other auto expenses because it meant traveling in comfort and security. They weren’t arguing that driving was stress-free. But as one said in defining the quality-of-life issue, driving was better than riding in overheated, packed, unreliable and unsafe trains.


One traveler acknowledged


NOTE: T e pilot systems will be evaluated based on factors including user satisfaction with multiple payment options, ease of use, reduced frustration with broken meters and operational effi ciency.


BILL WEBSTER AND M.K. CANNISTRA/THE WASHINGTON POST


that it costs more to drive, but said that an air-conditioned car trip, with an audiobook in the dashboard, was better than crowding aboard Metrorail. Many who told me they prefer driving don’t do it exclusively, and they were not guessing about what it’s like to ride Metro. One commuter said that


Metrorail is packed because there aren’t enough eight-car trains and the rush-hour headways can stretch to eight or nine minutes. Delays make arrival times as uncertain as they would be for a driver. Meanwhile,


DR. G’S TIPS


LEESBURG DELAYS On Sunday, Dominion Virginia


Power crews will continue pull- ing wires across Leesburg road- ways for a new long-distance power line. This will require stopping traffic for up to 15 min- utes at a time on South King Street (Route 15) near the Route 7 Bypass interchange and just east of the interchange on the Route 7 Bypass. The work is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Trans- portation will monitor traffic and could temporarily suspend the road closings to relieve traffic delays. The workers are building a 12- mile, high-voltage power line from a new substation northwest of Hamilton, near the Berlin


THE DAILY QUIZ


Who is featured on the cover of today’s Washington Post Magazine?


EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.


Turnpike and Route 7, to a sub- station off Cochran Mill Road east of Leesburg. There are going to be periodic traffic stops along state roads in the area through mid-September, VDOT says.


NEW YORK AVENUE The District Department of


Transportation plans to create a traffic pattern on New York Av- enue NE near the Ninth Street Bridge beginning Monday. The long-standing work zone will shift from the inbound curb lane to the second inbound lane. The second lane will be closed at all times during this phase of the bridge rebuilding project. The curb lane will be open only dur- ing the morning rush. Watch for the traffic signs guiding drivers through the zone.


The second inbound lane should reopen by mid-Septem- ber. Then, the work zone will be shifted to the third inbound lane. The new bridge is scheduled to open in late January. When it’s done, the old bridge will be de- molished. The entire project should be done by May.


HOT LANES The Oak Street Bridge over the Capital Beltway is reopening, and the nearby Idylwood Road Bridge is closing. Oak Street will reopen before Idylwood is closed, which could happen as early as Monday. The two-lane Idylwood Road Bridge will be de- molished and rebuilt, a project scheduled to end late this year or early 2011. Idylwood Road traffic will be directed to use either


POINTS EVENTS


Attention Espionage Lovers! Do you like scavenger hunts? Signature Theatre is hosting an intriguing hunt for Cold War espionage sites in DC, in celebration of the theatre’s season opener, the legendary rock musical, Chess. The scavenger hunt is Saturday, August 28 from 10 a.m. − 1 p.m. To register, email checkmate@signature-theatre.org with your contact information. Be sure to mention PostPoints! PostPoints members can get a 35% discount on tickets to Chess, with double points for attendance. See signature-theatre.org for details.


Leesburg Pike (Route 7) or Lee Highway (Route 29) to Gallows Road. For the next two weeks, Belt-


way drivers should watch for weeknight and weekend lane closings near the Idylwood Road overpass south of Tysons Corner from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. The bridges along a 14-mile


stretch of the western side of the Beltway in Virginia are being widened to accommodate the four extra Beltway lanes needed for the High Occupancy Toll lane project.


DULLES METRORAIL EXTENSION


Workers are assembling the second huge truss that will be used to construct the aerial guideway on one of the piers at


the Capital Beltway/Route 123. The first truss is in the median of the Dulles Connector Road. They take pre-fabricated sections of steel and concrete and hoist it into place along the route of the Metrorail extension. Starting Monday, two ramps at the Beltway/Route 123 inter- change will close between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night through Saturday for the assembly work. Later this month, overnight closings are scheduled to begin on westbound Interstate 66 at the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) split. The closings, between mid- night and 5 a.m., will occur over a five-week period, but the exact dates haven’t been set. All lanes will reopen in time for the morn- ing rush, but during the closing


POINTS & REWARDS DARCARS


hours, there will be extensive traffic detours.


REVERSIBLE LANES REMINDER


Several readers, bound for


late-summer getaways, have asked for a reminder about when the Interstate 95/395 reversible lanes are open and in which di- rection. The lanes are open to northbound traffic from 2 to 6 a.m. and 9 to 10 a.m. on week- days; and from 4 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday. They’re open to southbound traffic from noon to 3:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to midnight on weekdays; and from 6 p.m. Friday until 2 p.m. Saturday.


For more traffic information, go to www.washingtonpost.com/traffic.


A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at washingtonpost.com/postpoints.


If you’re tired of auto repairs, visit your nearest DARCARS location for a great deal on a new car. See darcars.com.


Kettler Apartments, condos, planned communities−explore them all at kettler.com.


the rail cars may feel hotter than the outside air, so the riders are soaked with sweat when they arrive at work. The commuters who expressed concerns about security did so during a week in which the Metro board met with the National Transportation Safety Board members to review a long list of recommendations stemming from last year’s Red Line crash. Also, the big brawl at the L’Enfant Plaza Station was getting a lot of attention. The late-night fight in the


station resonated with many riders who are troubled by their encounters with boisterous — and sometimes, aggressive — young people before and after school. Defenders of Metro note that high-profile incidents mask the fact that taking transit is a lot safer than driving. Important as safety issues are,


I think they tend to reinforce a commuter’s decision about how to travel, rather than being the decisive factor in the decision. If riders believed they were likely to crash, they probably wouldn’t get on the train in the first place. No, I think it’s the buildup of


day-to-day annoyances that is usually decisive. The next letter describes one.


Parking with SmarTrip


Dear Dr. Gridlock: I park daily at the Landover


Station, and for the past couple of days, the SmarTrip card readers for exiting the parking lot have been broken. The lot attendants have to have


everyone fill out a form saying they will send in the payment. The line at rush hour is ridiculous! If their equipment is broken, then they should simply let people park for free. —Vinny Perez, Annapolis


Last week, Metro riders who park reported similar SmarTrip card reader problems at New Carrollton, Rockville, White Flint, West Falls Church and Vienna.


Dr. Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living. Comments and questions are welcome and may be used in a column, along with the writer’s name and home community. Personal responses are not always possible.


To contact Dr. Gridlock: By mail: Write to Dr. Gridlock at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. By e-mail: drgridlock@washpost.com. On the Dr. Gridlock blog: blog.washingtonpost. com/dr-gridlock. On Twitter: drgridlock.


on washingtonpost.com Taken for a ride?


Want to share your traffic advice? Join Dr. Gridlock in his new forum at washingtonpost.com/ takenforaride.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010


washingtonpost.com/postpoints


Not a PostPoints member yet? Log onto washingtonpost.com/postpoints for more information about this exciting free program.


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