This week marks the official kickoff of the national Click It or Ticket campaign. Law enforcement around the region will set up checkpoints to make sure that drivers and passengers are wearing their seat belts. As we have noted previously, police will be using a variety of tactics to check up on you, so the best advice is to make sure you and your passengers are properly secured before you start off.
We finally got a positive e-mail regarding Metro’s new messages on the trains. It comes from Greg, who writes: “I enjoy your column a great deal, but I’m very tired of reading all the complaints regarding the new Metro voice and announcement. Metro should be commended for accomplishing their goal; in an earlier column Metro stated that they felt people were ignoring the message and that the new voice and announcement were an attempt to get people to pay attention. It seems that they succeeded, and I personally like the new voice and announcement. Nobody complained when they had to listen to the door closing announcement a split second after the door had closed and the train was moving, or when the door opened and closed three or four times and you heard the message after the door shut each time. If people want to use this as an excuse to buy an iPod, so what? These are probably the same people who after a month of the new have gone back to their old ways of standing in front of the doorway even though they will not be getting off the train for five or six more stops, in the process making it difficult for the rest of us, who moved out of the way when we got on, to get off the train. I guess in the end people have come to realize that they were being rude and inconsiderate of others by their actions so naturally they want to blame Metro for pointing out their transgressions rather than actually modify their actions.”
While we’re being positive, let’s hear from Andy, who says: “I really enjoy your columns and the forum that it provides for the thousands of commuters in this region. I wanted to write you with a compliment for Metro. Metro recently installed four total ticket intake machines [two on each side] at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station. This has improved the process of entering and exiting the station, especially when big groups go through the gates. I also noticed more machines being installed at Metro Center and other stations. It’s little things like this that help to improve the daily commute. Thanks, Metro.”
Friday’s dedication ceremony at the Wilson Bridge was certainly a big deal. The crowd of those attending was huge. The thing that a lot of people are buzzing about is how long it took for the span to lower, about six minutes.
But ask yourself this: Do you really want 2,000 tons of concrete and steel slamming into place? I’d rather it take its time and gently join back together.
