MetroNow Dispatch 8.2023
This month we look to the future of work, ponder the future of transit, and are encouraged by COG’s leadership bringing the region together to ensure WMATA’s long-term sustainability
Fed Mandate May Boost Transit, Funding Questions Remain
Earlier this month, President Biden publicly urged his Cabinet officials to “aggressively execute” plans for federal employees to return to their offices later this year. A more robust return of the federal workforce would be a much-needed shot in the arm for the nation’s capital and regional transit ridership.
Pre-pandemic, nearly 40 percent of rush-hour Metrorail riders were federal employees. Anticipating the return of more federal workers, contractors, and consultants onsite this fall, we can expect more Metro riders and more patrons for local lunch spots and businesses.
While the President’s announcement is welcome news for the vibrancy and vitality of downtown, WMATA’s long-term funding outlook still remains precarious. According to Brookings’s latest analysis, ridership on Metrorail during the morning and evening commute has yet to reach half of pre-pandemic levels, while non-commute trips have rebounded to more than 90%. Despite the depressed ridership, close to 350,000 trips are being made most weekdays on Metrorail - a number equivalent to more than 5% of the metropolitan region’s population. Three years and counting after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the region is anxious to know whether these changes are permanent, or if the federal return to offices will bring riders back to transit.
The rebound in non-commute trips may also point to the value of repositioning Metrorail and Metrobus as a frequent all-day service beyond being seen as just for commuting, particularly for people seeking to reduce car ownership costs by living car-free or car-lite.
We know that converting underutilized office space into residential, promoting transit-oriented and mixed-use development, and ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our transit networks will contribute to a more resilient and dynamic economy in the long term. But Fiscal Year 2025 budgets will be drafted in the next few months. Time is running out for our leaders to create a transit funding deal (as New York and California have already done) that minimizes harm to residents, businesses, and the larger economy AND ensures good stewardship of our public resources.
The ScuttleBus
ScuttleBus, phone home. Here are MetroNow’s top transit picks this month:
⌛ 306 days until the transit cliff: FY 2025 budget starts July 1, 2024.
🏃♀️ Alexandria buses DASH past records: After a network redesign and going fare-free, Alexandria’s DASH network set a record high of 4.5 million boardings in FY23.
🚗 American Legion Bridge, Beltway express lanes OK’d by Moore admin: Maryland applied for federal funding to replace the American Legion Bridge and widen I-495/I270 with new express lanes, but with promises of more transit and TOD.
🛣️ Making NoVa buses more reliable: A new interactive report from NVTC shows what can be done to move buses more quickly through the region’s infamous traffic.
❌ Metro’s new fare gates cutting evasion: WMATA says the modified gates installed at six Metrorail stations have cut evasion by 70%.
📱 Metro putting riders front and center: Metro’s new customer service leader is looking to improve signage, make fare-paying easier, and upgrade Metro’s website.
🦺 Safety Commission drops new report: Problems during overnight testing raised alarms for the Metro safety oversight group.
🚌 Metro to roll out all-door bus boarding this fall: 450 buses - ⅓ of all Metrobuses - will be getting new back-door fareboxes to speed up boarding and reduce delays.
🍎 Kids Ride Free for the whole year: DC students can pick up free SmarTrip cards for the whole school year.
💰 The Transit Cliff v. Stadium Subsidies: Coalition for Smarter Growth outlined costs to close the WMATA budget gap compared to proposed subsidies for new stadiums.
🏙️ Activity in downtown DC has only reached 76% of pre-pandemic levels: The University of Toronto School of Cities estimates activity in the District is about three quarters of what it was back in 2019.
😨 Midsize cities and the “Urban Doom Loop”: Experts say a commercial real estate “apocalypse” could spell doom for midsize cities’ downtowns.
❓ DC-region competitive decline?: Two George Mason scholars argue that the region needs to regain its competitive edge.
Transit Champion of the Month: Clark Mercer
In last month’s Dispatch, we highlighted the commitment by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to address WMATA’s regional funding challenges. This month, MetroNow recognizes Clark Mercer, MWCOG’s Executive Director, for stepping into his new leadership role and taking on the challenge of tackling the fiscal cliff. Clark and his staff at MWCOG are already hard at work building the table needed to help the region address this historic moment of uncertainty.
The MetroNow Coalition looks forward to working with Clark and the MWCOG team to bring the region’s political, business, and non-profit stakeholders together to discuss the complex challenges faced by both WMATA and the region’s jurisdictions as we stare down an almost billion dollar funding gap for regional transit. By working together with Clark, MWCOG, and elected officials from across the region, we can identify sensible solutions to secure safe, efficient, frequent and reliable transit access in the short-term and the region’s long-term economic competitiveness. Let’s get to work.
HONORABLE MENTION: Beyoncé!
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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. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.
We 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.