MetroNow Dispatch 8.2020
The inaugural MetroNow Dispatch shares a round-up and perspective on top-tier transit news, innovations, and thought leadership from the Washington area and the world.
Why a newsletter?
The MetroNow Coalition is made up of regional leaders from the business, non-profit, and advocacy communities who believe that transit is designed to bring us together —at work, school, and play. Our coalition came together in 2018 to campaign for dedicated funding for Metro. The result was historic action by our elected officials to put Metro on a safe, smart, and sustainable path forward. In 2019, we expanded our commitment to regional mobility and equity by launching our Better Bus Campaign.
In 2020, the coronavirus has delivered unprecedented challenges for public transit, all while demonstrating the essential role public transit plays for the health of individuals and the economy. 2020 has also brought renewed focus on restorative justice, and the creative, systemic changes needed to address the inequities of our built environment and transportation systems. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.
We’ve launched the MetroNow Dispatch to bring residents, leaders, and transit agencies together to think about how we can make better transit today, during the pandemic, and “tomorrow,” as we look beyond recovery to how we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for our region.
Photo by Basil Samuel Lade on Unsplash
…and now for the Dispatch…
Snapshot: Transit is a Lifeline
While Metrorail ridership is down 90% and Metrobus down 60-70% since the start of the pandemic, that means 60,000 rail trips and 135,000 bus trips are still made on the WMATA system on a typical weekday. These are essential workers in health care, building maintenance and construction, transportation, groceries, pharmacies, and government. They rely on the heroic work of transit operators keeping our region connected. With more people returning to work under new safety protocols, WMATA has announced plans to ramp up service in August and reduce crowding.
Read more:
Metro service to significantly increase in August (Washington Post 7.20)
“Metro has tried to decrease crowding by redirecting more buses from routes with few passengers to busier ones, but [WMATA Chairman Paul] Smedberg said he hopes an expanded system will help alleviate some of those conditions.”To Fight Racism, Transit Has a Key Role (Bloomberg 7.20)
“More than 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. called urban public transportation “a genuine civil rights issue.” But as the recent wave of protests against racial inequality illustrates, the U.S. has so far failed to address the implications of racist transportation investment and policies.”
Transit Safety: Wearing Masks
Since the beginning of the pandemic, transit agencies, including WMATA, have been wiping down surfaces with disinfectant, eliminating fare payment, shifting to rear door boarding for buses, and more. Now we know the virus spreads most easily from respiratory droplets. Wearing a mask, keeping physical distance from others, not talking while on transit, and fresh air appear to be the best preventatives. The experience from Tokyo, Paris, Seoul, and other transit systems indicates that virus transmission is not significant on transit if people wear masks, keep physical distance, and don’t talk. Until there is a vaccine, the MetroNow Coalition strongly encourages everyone to wear a mask in public spaces, including on transit.
Photo by frankie cordoba on Unsplash
Read more:
There Is Little Evidence That Mass Transit Poses a Risk of Coronavirus Outbreaks (Scientific American 7.28)
“In Paris, a recent study found that none of the city’s 150 coronavirus clusters from early May to early June originated on the city’s transit systems, Le Parisien newspaper reported.”Subways sparkle, but does cleaning decrease COVID-19 risk? (Washington Post 7.13)
Wearing a face mask “will protect us the most, having that control among ourselves,” Gershon said. “I think the rest of it is really more the illusion, and that’s not a small thing because it plays with our psyches.”
Transit Champion of the Month: Mayor Bowser & DDOT
The District of Columbia will expand its red bus lane pilot with three quick-build bus priority pilot projects as part of DDOT’s COVID-19 response and recovery. The pilot locations are 7th Street NW between Massachusetts Ave NW and Pennsylvania Ave NW, Martin Luther King Ave SE between W Street SE and St. Elizabeth’s East Campus, and M Street SE between Half Street SE and 10th Street SE. The MetroNow Coalition applauds DC’s leadership in prioritizing the bus, helping to reduce passenger crowding, and creating better transit.
Map of DDOT’s Three Proposed Bus Lanes by MetroNow
Read more:
DC on track to build 3 more miles of bus lanes this summer (Washington Post 7.25)
“We know that a lot of people rely on the bus and we want the quality of that service to continue to improve. We’re taking these steps to ensure that happens,” said Jeff Marootian, director of the District Department of Transportation.
Next Stop: Bus Network Redesign
We have the opportunity, right now, to plan for and improve our bus service. DC is leading the way by accelerating the installation of dedicated bus lanes. We also have the opportunity to reenvision our regional and local bus networks. Many bus routes in Washington DC follow the same paths of the old streetcar routes of the first half of the 20th century. In the past six decades neighborhoods and employment centers have changed, skyscrapers have risen in Bethesda and Tysons, patterns of segregation and disinvestment have isolated poor and minority communities from opportunities, and the entire Metrorail system was built.
The MetroNow Coalition believes it is time for our region’s elected leaders, WMATA, and all of the regional transit providers to come together to design a 21st century seamless and interconnected regional bus system that maximizes safe, frequent, and reliable transit, with a strong focus on improving connections for poor and minority communities to areas of opportunity.
We plan to continue to explore the benefits and obstacles to a regional bus network redesign and hope you will join the conversation.
Photo by Scott Szarapka on Unsplash
Read more:
Metro board to consider making bus rides free for low-income residents (Washington Post 7.9)
“Rather than continue to make small adjustments to decade-old bus routes, should we identify neighborhoods that are underserved and restructure routes?” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said.Why New York Buses Are on the Rise in a Subway City (New York Times 7.6)
“Even before the pandemic, M.T.A. officials were overhauling New York’s bus system by redesigning the city’s outdated and inefficient bus network borough by borough.”
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