C2
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KLMNO COMMUTER
No easy route to faster bus trips Metro looks to ease congestion on busy corridors, saving time and millions
S
ome of the busiest Met- robus routes are also among the slowest. Thousands of riders who leave their cars at home
wind up getting stuck in the same traffic as drivers, and the transit authority winds up throwing more and more buses onto those lines to normalize the schedule.
WHAT TO DO Metro planners have collected
new data to identify the trouble zones for buses. They can use that information to focus atten- tion and resources on easing bot- tlenecks. Using the GPS-based system
that locates Metrobuses along their routes, the transit authority collected data on bus speeds across the D.C. region during No- vember. The planners now have those results plotted on charts and maps, so they know where buses move relatively well and where they run into trouble. The slowest trips are concen-
trated along the District’s heavily used streets. Only in the outer areas of the District, such as East Capitol Street east of the Anacos- tia River, do buses move rela- tively easily. In the central city, many buses average less than 15 mph, and there are plenty of segments where the average speed doesn’t rise above 5 mph. The suburbs also have their share of trouble spots, such as downtown Silver Spring, East- West Highway and Columbia Pike in Arlington County. Nat Bottigheimer, Metro’s as- sistant general manager of plan- ning and joint development, said the new data will enable Metro and planners from all jurisdic- tions to zoom in on specific, solv- able problems.
FORMING SOLUTIONS Speeding up a bus route isn’t just about painting a solid white line down a road and declaring the creation of a bus-only lane. Conditions for buses on a road-
way such as Georgia Avenue can change from block to block, Bot- tigheimer said. And sometimes solutions have to be formulated the same way. They might in- volve extending the green light on a traffic signal for a few more seconds, allowing buses to jump the queue at another bottleneck or getting parked vehicles out of a rush-hour lane.
Such steps can make service faster and more reliable for rid- ers and save money for the tran- sit authority, Metro transporta- tion planner Sean Kennedy said. Metro has to buy buses just to deal with the effects of con- gestion. Buses get put onto slow routes just to maintain the cur- rent level of service as travel times deteriorate. The transit au- thority could save at least $40 million a year if changes on the streets could make bus serv- ice faster and more reliable, offi- cials said.
SETTING PRIORITIES Metro can’t do many of these things on its own. It can’t enforce parking restrictions along rush- hour routes, redesign intersec-
JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST
Metro has new data identifying the trouble zones for buses so it can focus attention and resources on easing bottlenecks.
Closed corridors
Metro says these are the top 10 bus corridors in Maryland, Virginia and the District where improvements to roadways would have the greatest positive impact on riders and on the transit authority budget. To create the list, Metro collected data on average bus speeds in November. Planners then looked at the corridors with the lowest average speeds and at the number of Metrobuses passing through each corridor to develop a weighted ranking.
During weekday transit, the following segments of Metrobus corridors In the District
RANK
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10. CORRIDOR
I St. NW 11th St. NW 13th St. NW H St. NW Conn. Ave. NW N.H. Ave. NW 14th St. NW 14th St. NW 7th St. NW K St. NW
Maryland RANK
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10. CORRIDOR
Georgia Ave. East-West Hwy. East-West Hwy. Route 1 University Blvd. Veirs Mill Rd. Wisconsin Ave. University Blvd. Campus Dr. Georgia Ave.
Northern Virginia RANK
CORRIDOR
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10.
Columbia Pike Joyce St. Army Navy Dr. N. Barton St. Leesburg Pike Washington St. Columbia Pike Washington St. Columbia Pike Arlington Blvd.
SOURCE: WMATA TRAVEL START
W N N E S S N S S E
TRAVEL
N W W N W E N E
W S
TRAVEL
W N W S
W N E S
W S
13th St. NW Pennsylvania Ave. NW H St. NW 17 St. NW
Dupont Circle NW Georgia Ave. NW I St. NW Monroe St. NW P St. NW 20th St. NW
START
Eastern Ave. Georgia Ave. Colesville Rd. Queensbury Rd. New Hampshire Ave. Randolph Rd. Norfolk Ave. Colesville Rd. Adelphi Rd. Veirs Mill Rd.
START
Walter Reed Dr. Army Navy Dr. Fern St. Clarendon Blvd. Patrick Henry Dr. Duke St. Walter Reed Dr. Duke St. George Mason Dr. Queen St.
END
19th St. NW H St. NW K St. NW 13th St. NW K St. NW
Sherman Ave. NW Monroe St. NW I St. NW K St. NW 13th St. NW
END
Spring St. Colesville Rd. Connecticut Ave. Campus Dr. Riggs Rd. Georgia Ave. Wood Rd. Piney Branch Rd. Baltimore Ave. Capital Beltway
END
George Mason Dr. Columbia Pike Joyce St. Pershing St. Arlington Blvd. Pendleton St. Joyce St.
Capital Beltway Jefferson St. N. Pershing Dr.
LENGTH, IN MILES
0.7 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 2.1 2.1 0.5 0.7
LENGTH, IN MILES
1.1 0.5 2.7 1.8 0.6 2.3 0.5 1.8 1.3 1.6
LENGTH, IN MILES
0.8 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.4 0.6 1.1 0.8
AVERAGE SPEED
6.0 mph 2.5 mph 6.0 mph 6.1 mph 4.7 mph 3.5 mph 6.4 mph 6.3 mph 7.4 mph 7.2 mph
AVERAGE SPEED
7.7 mph 9.5 mph 7.0 mph 3.6 mph
10.7 mph 11.8 mph 9.9 mph 11.8 mph 12.1 mph 12.7 mph
AVERAGE SPEED
9.1 mph 10.4 mph 9.7 mph 2.3 mph 10.6 mph 11.6 mph 12.1 mph 9.9 mph 12.1 mph 10.7 mph
THE WASHINGTON POST
tions, reset traffic signals or dedi- cate lanes to buses. So Metro planners are working with the re- gion’s transportation agencies and the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a bus priority corridor system, made up of 246 miles of roads. To illustrate the impact of a
relative handful of changes, Met- ro used the speed data to create top 10 lists of the bus corridors in the District, Maryland and Vir- ginia that could benefit the most from road improvements. The lists look at the average bus speed in those road segments and reflect the number of Met- robuses that pass through the segments each day. For example, the top segment for the entire region is on I Street NW between 13th and 19th streets. Buses move at an average of 6 mph. That’s faster than, say, the buses moving along North Barton Street between Claren- don Boulevard and Pershing Street, at an average of 2.3mph. But 443 buses per day travel on the I Street segment and 64 on North Barton.
—Robert Thomson DR. G’S TIPS
14TH STREET BRIDGE Commuters on the northbound
14th Street bridge should find a new traffic pattern this week as the bridge rehabilitation project moves into its next phase. Drivers heading north on I-395 will see the lane blockage move into the third lane from the right. For about the past month, a
section of the second lane from the right has been closed. There still will be four lanes open dur- ing peak periods, but the project now involves periodic closings of different lane sections.
KENILWORTH AVENUE Watch for overnight lane clos- ings through Friday on Kenil- worth Avenue (DC-295) where the District Department of Transpor- tation is rebuilding the Eastern
THE DAILY QUIZ
According to Katherine Shaver’s article “The Rough Road” in today’s Washington Post Magazine, what is the name of the highway that will connect Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties?
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.
Avenue Bridge. Two lanes will be closed from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., so finding an alternative route would be best. Through traffic will be directed to use the service roads. Workers will be installing the new, pre-cast bridge structure above Kenilworth Avenue.
DULLES METRORAIL This is an especially active time for the Metrorail construction project. Here are some highlights. Route 123: The southbound lanes at the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) overpass are be- ing shifted to the right by one lane for about three months. This will establish a work zone in the median for railway pier construc- tion. Once this lane shift is com- plete and the pier construction begins, watch for daytime left-
lane closings on southbound Route 123 around this work area. The nearby ramp from south- bound Route 123 to the east- bound Dulles Connector Road will remain closed through Octo- ber. That’s beyond the original schedule, which had the ramp re- opening this summer. The rail project managers and the Vir- ginia Department of Transporta- tion agreed to keep it closed lon- ger. Otherwise, the ramp would have to be closed periodically for additional work on the railway piers. Route 7: Workers will resume overnight paving this week along both directions of Leesburg Pike between the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) and Route 123, as well as on adjacent roads and service roads.
POINTS EVENTS Try the Bonus Quiz
The Bonus Quiz is continuing through July! PostPoints members who are signed up for a weekly email tip from our editors can answer a bonus quiz question for 5 extra points. The question will be about an editor’s tip. Not signed up? Here’s how: Whether you’re passionate about Sports, Travel, Parents & Kids, Food & Wine, Home & Garden, Electronics & Gadgets, or another special area, you can get a tip of the week just by checking your preferences at My Account Profile,
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The two-year-long utility relo-
cation program along the pike is nearly done. Next up: Widening the road for the two Metro sta- tions and the railway piers. Dulles Access Road: Drivers heading to Dulles International Airport will encounter lane shifts near Wiehle Avenue. The shifts expand the work zone for the sta- tion construction.
BW PARKWAY/RIDGE ROAD The Maryland State Highway Administration plans to activate temporary traffic signals at the Ridge Road bridge over the Balti- more Washington Parkway, prob- ably on Monday. The signals at each end of the bridge, which is near Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, will alternate traffic across one
lane during the bridge recon- struction. The deck replacements are part of a $1.2 million project to reha- bilitate the two bridge spans. The highway administration points out that there could be more than 350 road work zones in Maryland during the summer. Many of the work zones are small, and some- times mobile. Drivers come up on them quickly. Watch out for the workers.
ROCKVILLE PIKE INTERCHANGE
Two weeks of overnight work on the ramp from southbound Rockville Pike to Hoya Street is scheduled to include lane clos- ings in the ramp area starting July 25. The closings will occur from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays
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through Thursdays and continue for two weeks. The Maryland State Highway Administration is building an in- terchange that will put Randolph Road and Montrose Parkway be- neath Rockville Pike, loosening some of the traffic knots. The project is scheduled to be done at the end of the year.
BALTIMORE AVENUE Expect to see single lane clos- ings along Baltimore Avenue (Route 1) between East-West Highway (Route 410) and Albion Road, near Prince George’s Plaza, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday nights.
For more traffic information, go to
www.washingtonpost.com/traffic.
A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at
washingtonpost.com/postpoints.
T
DR. GRIDLOCK Robert Thomson
Riders down on Metro’s escalator repair problems
wo writers pose frequently asked questions about Metro’s escalators.
Dear Dr. Gridlock: Monday evening around 5:30, when I attempted to descend into the Dupont Circle Metro station via Q Street NW, one up escalator was working but both down escalators were not, and I wasn’t about to take the hot elevator, which takes several minutes, not to mention the wait. (I carry a rolling bag, am no spring chicken and cannot walk down.) So I walked to the south
entrance, where the down escalator was working but the up one wasn’t. That was my good luck, though it was annoying to have to walk the few blocks between entrances. But there were several people attempting to walk up who were having difficulty, stopping for long periods and looking pained. At least two were older and limping. The crowds behind them were very patient. Something has to be done! —Alice Markham, Reston
Dear Dr. Gridlock: Let me start by saying that I
have been a daily Metro rider since the Red Line opened and am committed to public transit. The last year has challenged that resolve. I read your column on the Bethesda escalator repairs and the frustrations exhibited there are right on the mark. [Dr. Gridlock, May 13.] The single escalator to the platform has been a first-class mess. The riders just don’t trust anything Metro says. There is a sign at the top of the blocked escalator that says repairs to be complete June, which a rider crossed out and wrote “whenever.” One of Metro’s major problems is its inability to communicate in ameaningful manner. I go down that escalator about 10 times a week, and there were not more than a couple of times anyone was working on it.
If there was a communication
saying “waiting for parts” or “we can’t afford overtime,” at least people would have some understanding, but as it is, everyone thinks Metro should be able to do this in a week if the work was round-the-clock. Metro riders are generally
intelligent folks and understand that the system faces massive problems, many of which result from design flaws at the inception, such as over-reliance on escalators. But the Metro administration should work with us to instill confidence that when new, permanent leadership is in place, it will have a plan to restore the system to its former stature.
—Grant Callery, Bethesda
If one escalator in a bank is turned off for use as a stairway while another is under repair,
then generally speaking, Metro wants the remaining working one headed up, rather than down. Sometimes, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said, there’s a mechanical problem with an escalator and it can’t be directed up. Taubenkibel said the directionally challenged escalators are just one more thing mechanics have to fix. Although riders agree that up is the positive direction, they would rather just have everything fixed. In this great country of ours, they dare to ask, can’t we have escalators that go up and escalators that go down? Riders thought the problem with the two escalators between the mezzanine and platform at Bethesda was already getting old when we discussed it in May. One escalator was out for long-term rehabilitation, and the other was turned off so people could walk either up or down. Bethesda is a really popular
station. Many people want to walk up. Many want to walk down. It’s very difficult for them do that on one escalator at one time. The rush-hour lines at the
escalator have been horrendous. And these riders almost always add that they rarely saw evidence that anyone had worked on the escalator under long-term care. When mechanics pull apart these aged escalators, Taubenkibel said, they often find surprises and must craft a solution for the individual escalator that could include creating new parts. Okay, no point in assigning a mechanic to stand there, just so riders have someone to glare at. Metro has long recognized that the equipment problem is huge. But the people problem is pretty big, too. The repair program seems completely focused on the equipment, rather than the people who use it.
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
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010
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