Hard to believe, but one of the biggest transit agencies in the U.S. -- WMATA -- is moving to eliminate eight hours of late-night Metro service per week. The whole system will simply not be available for those eight hours, and people in D.C. are livid.
How would those cuts affect transit riders? At a recent public meeting on the service cuts, people spoke about how they rely on late-night Metro service. Greater Greater Washington shares this synopsis from contributor Nicole Cacozza:
One man came to testify on behalf of his former coworkers in the service industry who worked long shifts and needed Metro to get home.
A woman from WMATA's accessibility committee spoke about just not being able to travel on weekends if Metro cut its morning service, because she cannot get around without public transportation.
One woman who immigrated to Maryland as a child said that she used Metro to travel to Virginia after school in order to spend time with other people from her home country, and she currently knows people who use it to attend GED classes after work.
One person brought up that there have already been reports of workers sleeping in their offices because they could not get home.
GGW's Jonathan Neeley adds that WMATA has not done a thorough job justifying these cuts, which the agency says are necessary to allow more time for maintenance. Rather than shrinking service hours for the whole system forever, Neeley suggests WMATA could tackle repairs one line at a time, using temporary closures. Otherwise, the agency will have to expand late-night bus service dramatically to keep the city moving.
Elsewhere on the Network today: The Dirt says it's time to stop using nebulous terms like "renewal" and "revival" to describe urban changes that may harm current residents. And Seattle Transit Blog looks at how Sound Transit is trying make better use of its park-and-ride facilities.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Car Crashes by City Workers Cost NYC Taxpayers $180M in Payouts Last Year: Report
A record number of victims of crashes involving city employees in city-owned cars filed claims in fiscal year 2023 — and settlements with victims have jumped 23 percent, a new report shows.
Tuesday’s Headlines Are Driving Inflation
Driving — specifically, the cost of car ownership — is one of the main factors behind inflation, according to the Eno Center for Transportation.
SEE IT: How Much (Or How Little) Driving is Going on in America’s Top Metros
Check it out: The lowest-mileage region isn't the one you'd think.
Monday’s Headlines Bring Another Setback
The Biden administration's new rule requiring states to report their greenhouse gas emissions from transportation was dealt another blow when the Senate voted to repeal it.
‘The Bike Is the Cure’: Meet New Congressional Bike Caucus Chair Mike Thompson
Meet the incoming co-chair of the congressional bike caucus — and learn more about how he's getting other legislators riding.
