L OCAL LIVING
District
23 DC
DR. GRIDLOCK
Metro’s new fares confuse tourists and regular users
When Metro posted new signs announcing higher fares, riders weren’t as much upset as they were confused. The transit authority had spent weeks trying to get the signs right. Meanwhile, transit managers found that they needed to phase in the 20 cent peak-of-the-peak surcharge, which riders now pay in full. This writer thinks Metro still hasn’t come up with the signs needed to explain that latest changes in Metro’s fare structure.
Dear Dr. Gridlock: I am not a frequent rider of
Metro, simply because it’s not feasible for my commute to Reston. But I do ride Metro a fair bit whenever I go into the District, and I can’t believe how confusing the new fare-related signage is. First, the previous fare
structure had two fares, “regular” (rush-hour) fares and “reduced” fares. With that in mind, why doesn’t Metro simply call the new higher fare a “peak” fare instead of
“peak-of-the-peak?” Metro would then have reduced, regular and peak fares. “Peak-of-the-peak” sounds really cheesy. BRIAN GANNON Fairfax
DG: Perhaps for consistency with the rest of the U.S. transportation system, we should call the new fares regular, plus and premium. In the long run, the fare signs in the stations are most useful to infrequent riders and tourists. Many frequent riders pile money onto a SmarTrip card and then use it to pay for trips between the same two stations every day. Rarely will you see large groups of people clustered around the fare signs during rush hours. The rush-hour crowds are either at the vending machines at the start of the month, when people are lined up to add SmartBenefits to their SmarTrip cards, or at the fare gates, which open more slowly now because of the extra programming needed to accommodate the peak-of-the-peak fares and other changes coming to the
ROBERT THOMSON
fare system. But even a regular rider should have a sense of the fare structure, if only to be able to explain it to a confused tourist. And Gannon is right in highlighting the difficulties of explaining what has become a three-tiered system. Many riders had trouble with the two tiers of “reduced” and “regular” fares. It didn’t sound right to those who figured they were paying extra to ride at rush hours because Metro was providing extra service. How is that “regular”? Some riders are very
focused on the extra cost of a “regular” ride: They count the minutes between train arrivals, and if the trains have fallen off their rush-hour schedule — a phenomenon that really is “regular” — these riders then ask why they’re not entitled to a discount. Then comes the peak of the peak, the third tier of the fare structure, to muddle our arguments. The concept of charging even more for rides at the height of rush hour arrived on the scene over the winter and spring, as the Metro board was figuring out how to close a huge gap in its new budget. With relatively little
discussion, considering what a big change was involved in adding a new level to the fare system, the board tacked on the increase. Why does it strike many people as such an odd fit with the rest of the fare structure? Because the peak-of-the-peak surcharge was not part of an overall review of the fare structure, conducted over a lengthy period with plenty of opportunity for riders to get involved. It was an add-on to a
revenue plan so the board could adopt a balanced budget.
events from 22
LOCOS POR JUANA CONCERT, performance of cumbia, reggae and rock. 6 p.m., Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. 202-467-4600. CARLOS RODRIGUEZ PIANO RECITAL, works by Latin American composers. 6:30 p.m., National Gallery of Art, West Building Garden Court, 600 Constitution Ave. NW. Free. 202-842-6941. OPERA GALA, Malaika Alvaro, Lee Folia Brunt, Maria Cantelli and others perform arias, duets and trios from major operas such as “Aida,” “Madama Butterfly” and “Don Giovannni,” in their original languages with English subtitles. 6:30 p.m., Tifereth Israel, 7701 16th St. NW. $25. 202-723-1659. J.S. BACH CHAMBER WORKS, Jacques Ogg, harpsichord, and Kenneth Slowik, viola de gambe and harpsichord, perform three sonatas and the Concerto in C for two harpsichords. 7:30 p.m., National Museum of American History, Hall of Musical Instruments, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. $28. 202-633-3030.
I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII MONDAY, SEPT. 27
JASMINE CHOI, CLASSICAL FLUTE RECITAL, works by J.S. Bach, Telemann and others. 12:10 and 2 p.m., National Gallery of Art, West Building, Gallery G37, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. 202-842-6941. NIMA SARKECHIK, CLASSICAL PIANIST, 6 p.m., Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. 202-467-4600. “TOXI,” Robert A. Stemmle’s 1952 film about a 5-year-old whose father was part of the World War II occupation forces and is taken in by her grandparents, in German with English subtitles. 6:30 p.m., Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh St. NW. $7; seniors and students, $4. 202-289-1200. “TWO MEN OF FLORENCE” STAGED READING, Richard Goodwin’s play about the intertwined lives of Galileo and Pope Urban VIII in 17th-century Florence and the conflict between discovery and faith. 7:30 p.m., Georgetown University, Davis Performing Arts Center, Gonda Theatre, 37th and O streets NW. Free. 202-687-2787.
I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII TUESDAY, SEPT. 28
“BROKEN: MY STORY OF ADDICTION AND REDEMPTION,” William Cope Moyers discusses his book. Noon, Library of Congress, Madison Building, Montpelier Room, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Free. 202-707-1207 or 202-707-6389. VEGAN COOKING DEMONSTRATION, chef A. Thu Hoang shows how to make two organic, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate treats: raw almond fudge and a 10-minute chocolate cake. Noon, U.S. Botanic Garden, Conservatory Classroom, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. $10, registration
required. 202-225-1116 or
www.usbg. gov. LATHE DEMONSTRATION, members of the Capital Area, Chesapeake and Montgomery County woodturning groups demonstrate their art-making process. Noon, Renwick Gallery, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Free. 202-633-1000. CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT, contralto Marguerite Toscano and organist and pianist Christian M. Clough perform Edward Elgar’s “Sea Pictures.” 12:10 p.m., Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Suggested donation, $5. 202-347-2635, Ext. 18. BREATHE OWL BREATHE CONCERT, the Michigan trio plays pop, folk and country music. 6 p.m., Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. 202-467-4600. CATHEDRAL NAVE LABYRINTH WALK, with live music to accompany meditation Labyrinth walk, 6-8:45 p.m.; Evelyn Torton Beck teaches sacred circle dancing, 7:30 p.m., Washington National Cathedral, Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues NW. Free. 202-537-6200. ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS TALK, art historian Judy Scott Feldman discusses monk artists. 6:45 p.m., Smithsonian, S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW. $35. 202-633-3030. DUMBARTON CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT, Friday Morning Music Club members perform works by J.S. Bach and Haydn. 7:30 p.m., Dumbarton House, 2715 Q St. NW. Free. 202-333-2075.
I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 29
“ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: FIRST LADY OF THE WORLD,” discussed by a National Park Service ranger. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Ohio Drive NW. Free. Call Niki Williams, 202-233-3520. BIRD WALK, a National Park Service ranger leads a tour around the tidal basin to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, binoculars welcome. 5-7
p.m., Thomas Jefferson Memorial, 900 Ohio Dr. SW. Free. Call Kristel Nelson, 202- 497-1357. VIBRA PERU PERFORMANCE, traditional Peruvian music with bossa nova, flamenco, jazz and rumba. 6 p.m., Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. 202-467-4600.
JEWELS AND GOWNS TALK AT HILLWOOD, curators discuss the combination of dress and jewelry that made Marjorie Merriweather Post an icon of elegance for decades. 6:30 p.m., Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. $15; students, $10. 202-686-5807. “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE USS INDIANAPOLIS?,” a National Park Service ranger discusses its sinking by a Japanese submarine torpedo and loss of 883 lives at sea. 8 p.m., National World War II Memorial, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. Call Paul O’Brian, 202-438-7066.
I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII THURSDAY, SEPT. 30
“IS A ‘GREEN’ ROOF IN YOUR FUTURE?,” Edmund Snodgrass and Linda McIntyre, co-authors of “The Green Roof Manual,” discuss green roofs. Noon, U.S. Botanic Garden, Conservatory Classroom, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Free, registration required. 202-225-1116 or
www.usbg. gov.
—Compiled by Gerri Marmer
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districtlocalliving@washpost.com (to the attention of Gerri Marmer) Mail: Community Events, District Local Living, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 Details: Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number.
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THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
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