Dr. Gridlock,
Is it worth going to the hearing if I don't necessarily want to make a statement?
Can you explain more about how the hearing works and what will actually be accomplished?

I would add to this list that Canal Road and the other DC streets that normally change direction at different times of day will remain two-way on Monday. I understand from colleagues who live in Maryland that Canal Road in particular tends to see a lot of near-misses on Columbus Day and Veterans Day because of commuters who aren't paying attention to the fact that the holiday rules differ.

You need to add to the list the ICC finally starting full steam ahead!

Totally unrelated to the post above, but...isn't it time for the politicians to send their minions out to pick up their litter along the roads now that the elections are over? I'm tired of looking at it, bring back the WE BUY ANY HOME. CASH!!!! ads.

This disturbs me...

"Next Bus Hiatus
Metro has stopped using the Next Bus system until it can get it right. The electronic system was designed to provide up to the minute information to riders about their bus schedules, but it wasn't right often enough, Metro said. It may take as long as a year and a half to upgrade the technology."

So what you're telling me is they spent all this money on a system that works well other places, that's already in use in other cities, and it won't work here. To top it, it's going to take upwards of 18 months to fix it??? Why spend all that time and money, scrap it and go with something that works. When will Metro learn?

Within the last month, President Bush awarded the Congressional Metal of Honor to a US Navy Seal who knowingly sacrificed his life in Afganistan to save his 3 teammates.

The untold story, is that even though only 1 of the Navy Seals was ultimately rescued, apparently 1, who was presumed dead had only been mortally wounded. When his body was recovered, his entire face had been shot off -- a procedure reserved for mortally wounded American servicemen.

Waterboarding has absolutely nothing to do with that trademark brutality that was inflicted on that mortally wounded Navy Seal

Waterboarding has everything to do with minimizing such horrendeous brutality, by timely discovering intelligence information to minimize having to place American servicemen and women in harms way.

MAY ALL OF MY BROTHER AND SISTER VETERANS CELEBRATE THE SACRIFICES MADE BY OUR FALLEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN VETERANS THIS 25TH CELEBRATION WEEKEND OF THE VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON, DC AND THRUOUT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

GOD BLESS AMERICA !!!

Dear Red Line,

Is it worth going to the hearing if I don't necessarily want to make a statement?

I encourage all riders to attend these public hearings. If you don't want to speak, at least consider submitting testimony to public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com. This is an opportunity to see our representative government in action. If you don't show up, who will? I don't know how many times I've heard ... Someone should do something about yada, yada Metro this ... or yada, yada Metro that.

We on the Riders' Advisory Council (RAC) have volunteered our time to support the interests of the riders. Without your input, our voices are only representative of the few who have volunteered to serve. We on the RAC will be listening to what you say. The WMATA Board Members at the meetings will be listening to what you say. The Metro staff and management at the meetings will be listening to what you say.

Silence is tacit agreement with what has been proposed by Metro management and a few vocal members of the Board. This is the highest fare increase in Metro's 30 year history. The rail fares proposed will be the highest in the nation. If that's ok with you ... then shouldn't you say it's ok, as well?

Following the six public hearings, Metro staff will be composing a report to the Metro Board of what has been heard. Likewise, the RAC will be preparing a recommendation based on what they heard.

It will then be up to the WMATA Board of Directors to determine what fare increase is acceptable; when it should be implemented (January or July); what the jurisdiction (taxpayer) subsidies should be; and what other steps Metro should take to reduce expenses, raise non-fare revenue, and otherwise try to balance the fiscal 2009 budget.

Please don't stand by and allow others to speak for you.

Speaking of the HOV ramps on I-66...

...When will VDOT realize that keeping the HOV exits open 24/7 (either for exiting traffic or alternating traffic a la the HOV lanes on 395/95) so that they can be used as an alternate means of access/egress to/from I-66?

I continue to find it ridiculous that we have an access point to I-66 less than a mile from our house, yet we have to drive four miles out of the way to get onto 66 either via the Parkway or Route 28.

"...When will VDOT realize that keeping the HOV exits open 24/7 (either for exiting traffic or alternating traffic a la the HOV lanes on 395/95) so that they can be used as an alternate means of access/egress to/from I-66?"

Most likely, never. FHWA design standards prohibit left exits and left entrances unless the states can prove that there was absolutely no other practical alternative. One of the very few exceptions to this rule is dedicated entrance/exit ramps to/from HOV lanes. The rationale is that since HOV lanes are usually on the left, it is very often not practical to place them on the right side of the HOV lanes. Given the choice of putting in a left exit/entrance to the HOV lane and putting the exit/entrance on the right side of the road forcing those wishing to access the HOV lane to cross over several lanes of traffic, the left exit/entrance is the lesser of two evils.

So during rush hours, when the left lane is an HOV lane, the HOV exemption applies. During non-rush hours, there is no HOV lane, since the left lane is not an HOV lane anymore but just another general purpose lane (and not just any general purpose lane but the one with the highest speed traffic in it). Therefore, the exemption does not apply and the ramps should be closed.

Another issue is that only one direction of the Monument and Stringfellow ramps can be open at one time. The Monument exit has two-lanes (one for each direction), but having two ramps seperated by a double yellow line is another one of those things thats not permitted by design standards. The Stringfellow ramp is physically not wide enough for two lanes.

Part of the reason that access points to I-66 are spread so far apart is access control. The fewer interchanges, the less traffic on the road. Having more access points would only encourage more local trips, which do not belong on the interstate, to waste space on the highway.

those minions are better than you, Captain Planet, clean it up yourself, the governments need to get back to telling you how to live and taking your money

maybe some day they can show train arrival times on the train arrival time boards instead of endlessly repeating out of service elevators