It seems like the initial thought was that since Inauguration Day is a work holiday for Federal workers in DC, and parts of Virginia and Maryland, Metro would charge the lower off-peak fare.

But I suspect Metro financial troubles has caused Metro officials to rethink (and I believe correctly), to charge peak rates all day on Inauguration Day.   The higher fares are based on a high price it will cost to keep Metro running with lots of overtime being scheduled for Metro employees.

Metro will be charging standard peak rates all day long. But Metro is also offering a one-day unlimited use pass for just $7.80 if purchased in advance at Metro vending machines or sales offices. The passes cost $10 if ordered online and at Metro stations on January 20th.

And check out my published letter regarding Metro fares in the today’s Sunday Washington Post. 

Image – from personal collection – ©2008, Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The new Metro website includes:

• A new interactive subway map that provides a pop-up with the station’s address (great for GPS users), link to Google maps, arrival times for the next few trains and any service alerts for that station.
• Real-time subway and bus status reports.

• Mobile services for WAP-capable cell phone or PDAs – including the Trip Planner, next scheduled departure for bus and subway trains, next train arrival time, and service alerts.
• E-alerts and RSS feeds, with options by subway line and period of day. Options include for trains, elevators and service disruptions.

• Metro subway map for your iPod.
• A much improved, but still not perfect, service finder option, that allows you to enter an address and find Metro service nearby. It still lacks listing the nearest Metro subway station, regardless of distance. So if there is not a subway station near by, people who ride the subway and then prefer to grab a cab, versus a bus, will still need to do some extra work to determine the nearest subway station at a location, especially in the suburbs.
• Links to suburban and commuter bus services that connect with Metro.
• Visitor’s Kit with a downloadable and printable Metro Guide in 11 languages.
• Information about delays, detours, and service during major events, such as the upcoming inauguration or sporting events.

Sadly, Metro did not link some of the more popular old pages to the new pages, so the old Metro links on older The DC Traveler posts will now link to a “page not found” page.  I did speak to a very helpful web designer at Metro, Lance Lucas, and he mentioned that many of the old links (hopefully the one I regularly used on all my earlier posts) would be routed to new pages as time allows.

Image – courtesy of WMATA.

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Post from: The DC Traveler

It’s a perfect intro for first-time drivers to the Washington, DC area.

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  For those who plan to visit our area…

1. All directions start with "The Beltway"…which has no beginning and no end, just one continuous loop that locals believe is somehow clarified by an "inner" and "outer loop" designation, which makes no sense to ANYONE outside the area.
2. The morning rush hour is from 5:00 to 11:00 a.m. The evening rush hour is from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m.  During the summer, Friday’s rush hour starts Thursday morning as residents head to the beach. Construction, lane closures and emergency preparedness drills occur during all other hours.
3. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be either rear-ended or shot at.  If you not to stop for a red light, smile for the $100 red light photo ticket you will receive courtesy of the District’s DMV.
4. Rain causes an immediate 95 point drop of IQ in drivers. Snow causes a 145 point drop… plus a rush to the grocery store for massive amounts of toilet paper, bread and milk.
5. If someone actually has their turn signal on, they are by definition, a tourist.
6. If your map of suburban Maryland is more than a few weeks old, throw it out and buy a new one. It’s obsolete.  If it’s a suburban Northern Virginia map and it’s one day old, it’s already at least two weeks out of code.
7. Many roads in Virginia change their names as you cross intersections.  Every 3 miles, the name “Lee’” must be used, as in Lee Highway, Robert E. Lee Memorial Road, General Lee Street, etc. 
8. There is nothing more normal to local drivers than seven lanes of Beltway traffic cruising bumper-to-bumper at 85 mph. Anything less is considered down right sissy.
9. The far left lane on all area roads are the official cell phone "chat" and “texting” lanes, where drivers are required to drive 15 mph slower than all other traffic.
10. A single driver using the car pool lanes (known as HOV or High Occupancy Vehicle lanes) is not wrong…. unless you get caught.

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Old Town Alexandria has blocks and blocks of unique shops and not your typical chain stores you find in the mall.  There’s countless  specialty boutiques, antiques shops, clothing stores, art galleries and a wide range of places to dine, most that let you leave your car behind and visit on foot or by hopping on the free trolley. 

The King Street Trolley runs up and down King Street, Alexandria’s main street, and runs daily (10 a.m. – 10 p.m.) about every 15 minutes. It starts near the Potomac River waterfront up King Street to the King Street Metro subway station. The ten trolley stops are generally two blocks apart, so you never have to walk far.

You can also walk from one end of the trolley route to the other in about 20 minutes.

Check out Alexandria’s interactive map for attractions, dining, shopping and more.

Trolley stops:

• Riverfront – Union Street
• Lee St.
• Royal St. at Market Square
• St. Asaph St.
• Columbus St.
• Patrick St.
• Fayette St.
• Payton St.
• Harvard St.
• King Street Metro station

Dates and Times – Daily – 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Cost - FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – King Street – Blue and Yellow lines, then hop on the Trolley.

Parking – Metered and free street parking as well as paid garage parking is available.

Images – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler

While I wasn’t able to find the  $1.00 fare she mentioned, I did find several one-way tickets in the $5 – $8 range. 

In order to be more cost-effective in a car driving alone, you would need to get about 112 miles to the gallon. 

Even the top fare I was able to find ($15), requires a single driver to to get at least 60 miles per gallon to be more cost effective. And that doesn’t include tolls and $50 daily parking in the Big Apple.

Read about the fares and features by clicking here.

Image: Megabus

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The study showed that over 16% of licensed drivers across the country (33 million drivers) would probably not pass a typical DMV written driver’s test. 

Drivers from Kansas ranked tops in the country, (average score of 84.0%) with New Jersey’s drivers finishing last, (69.9%).

Washington, DC drivers, came in second to the last, with an embarrassingly low score of only 72.9%.  DC drivers ranked in the bottom 5 for three years in a row. New Jersey and New York rounded out the bottom three this year.

Take the test here and see how you score, or view the national results.

Maryland drivers were ranked 10th from the bottom (down from #25 last year), while Virginia drivers scored slightly better at 12th from the bottom, a slight improvement from last year.

Other interesting test facts:

• Older drivers (over 35 years) on average scored higher.
• Women were more likely to fail the test than men (20% vs. 13%), yet both had similar average scores.
• The Northeast U.S.driver scored lowest on average, while Midwest drivers averaged the highest scores.

Images – DC DMV, police 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Expect traffic tie-ups on the Mall, and lots of noise, but it’s all for a great cause – the American veteran.

Route – Starting point at The Pentagon, proceeds around the National Mall up Constitution Ave to 3rd St. then down Independence Ave. to south of the Lincoln Memorial.

Dates and Times – Sunday, May 24, 2008 – Noon – 3:00 p.m.

• Ride to and around the National Mall – Noon
• Speakers and Musical Tribute on the stage set up overlooking the Reflecting Pool across from The Lincoln Memorial – 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Federal Triangle or Smithsonian – Blue and Orange lines, then a short walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking & Traffic – Expect a few rolling street closures around the Pentagon and the National Mall to be closed from about 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and traffic to be VERY heavy crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge around noon as the riders make the circuit around the National Mall.  Parking will also be difficult with motorcycles and spectators everywhere.

Images – crossing the bridge, saluting, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Sadly, I must agree with the latest AutoVantage Road Rage survey.  A large portion of our area drivers have become overly aggressive, drive as if the speed limit is as fast as you can go until a car blocks your way and assumes that using a turn signal is not an indication of intent, but results in a God-given right to force their way over without looking.

Another trend that seems to be growing exponentially is texting while driving, especially among younger drivers.

The most shocking part of the survey is that 1% of drivers surveyed stated that they had actually deliberately slammed their car into the car in front of them.

Neighboring Baltimore jumped onto the list at #4, while Miami drivers were rated as the worst nationally. And Pittsburgh drivers were considered the most courteous. 

Some additional national stats and trends were also reported, including that 59% of drivers think it would be helpful to require hands-free cell phone usage, and 52% of drivers believing that cell phone use while driving should be made illegal.

To help people understand the new nuances of driving in Washington, DC area, as I posted last year, here are my Ten Rules for DC Drivers:

1. The heavier the traffic, the closer you should tailgate the driver in front of you.  How else will they know you’re running late?
2. The speed limit on the Beltway is…wait, there is no speed limit on the Beltway.
3. Using turn signals telegraphs your next move in your personal road battle — never use them.
4. When driving on any highway, NEVER leave more than one car length (even at high speeds) between you and the car in front of you.  If you do, somebody will fill in the space.  Tailgating is a competitive sport in DC.
5. The overhead electronic traffic information signs are not there to provide useful driver information, just to make the DC region look more progressive.
6. Old Rule – The faster you drive through a red light, the lower your odds of getting hit.  New Rule – The more anti-photo reflective paint you have on your license plates, the lower your odds of getting a ticket from a red light camera.
7. Exiting the highway is properly accomplished by staying in the far left lane until you are just a few feet from your the exit, then violently swerving across 3 lanes to exit.  Points taken away for using turn signals (see Rule #3 above).
8. “Accident Ahead!” warning signs inform you of problems immediately after you pass the last exit before traffic comes to a standstill.
9. If you are late to work and it’s gridlock, feel entitled to use the shoulder on any highway.
10. Metro buses do not need to follow the Rules of the Road.

New Bonus Rule: Using a cell phone is no long a cool thing to do while driving. With all the area hotspots and the growing Wi-Fi availability, it’s much more productive to and in use your laptop while traveling at 85 mph. 

Feel free to add to my list. Just add your comment below.

And as a case in point, just yesterday on I-66, I experienced an all too typical road-raging maniac driver. I suspect if I could do a Vulcan mind-meld with him, his thoughts would be:

• The more I shake my fist at people, on the faster traffic in general will move.
• My immediate de it sire to change lanes without signaling, by forcing my way over is Constitutionally protected.
• If people do not instantly slam on their brakes to let me in when I change lanes, Iron Man or UN peacekeeping troops should be called in.
• Flipping people off is the cheerful nonverbal way to tell people “I love you man.”

Images – Raging driver, gridlock – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The new fare system was established at the beginning of the year and set the initial pull rate at $3.00, with each additional 1/6 mile an extra 25¢.

Starting June 1, DC Police will be instructed to write cabbies tickets, that will result in fines up to $1,000 per incident.

The shift from zones to time/distance was designed to eliminate the possibility of unscrupulous cabbies charging higher fares.  The move was popular with tourist groups since most tourists have no way to determine how many zones they traveled during a ride in Washington, DC. 

Cab drivers have been whining for months about the high cost of installing a meter ($400), and how meters will reduce their earnings and end civilization as we know it.

Several work stoppages have been called by drivers since October, in protest to the new consumer-protecting fare system.

Based on some estimates, less than 25% in the cabs have installed new meters.

If you climb into a cab after June 1st and you don’t see a meter, either get out of the cab or negotiate the full fare before you let the driver start the trip.  You may also file a complaint against any driver that does not have a meter installed after the first, to the DC Taxicab Commission by e-mailing dctc3@dc.gov.

Image - meter 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The limited free parking along the Tidal Basin (at the paddle boat docks) will be closed to parking for the next week, so Metro is your best weekend choice. 

With weather over the next week forecasted to include rain or possible showers every day except tomorrow and Wednesday, traffic will be even heavier tomorrow.

Additionally, not only is Saturday the first major weekend of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, with the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in full bloom, but other events will impact traffic, including:

• The National Marathon (not the Marine Corps Marathon) will be run from 7:00 a.m until around 1:30. Rolling street closures, including on Constitution Ave. around The White House and The Capitol Building (between 7:30 and noon), will seriously impact traffic. 
• The Smithsonian Kite Festival at the Washington Monument, starts at 10:00 a.m. and will reduce already limited Mall area parking.
• In the early evening on Saturday, the first and only preseason baseball game at the new Washington Nationals Park, against the Baltimore Orioles, starts at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday evening (8:05), the Nat’s home opener will add to early evening car and Metro traffic.  But since the game day traffic flows and Metro plans have only tested on paper, traffic heading to the new ballpark and to designated parking around the city could result in additional driving and parking challenges.

Also on Saturday, due to the marathon and kite festival, parking on Constitution Ave. should be virtually nonexistent.

If you do visit the Mall on Saturday, expect long delays, impossible parking, rerouted traffic and no parking along the Tidal Basin.

Bottom line, take Metro and bring along a big cooler of patience. Or if possible, plan for a Sunday or midweek visit when crowds are lighter.

Just don’t miss one of DC’s most impressive sites – the annual cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Images – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti

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Post from: The DC Traveler