FastLane Jane Transportation and Infrastructure Jobs Blog – FastLane Hires

I’ve definitely been conditioned.

For 12 years in the Washington, DC area I was fully accustomed to following the WMATA’s ‘no food or drink on the Metro’ law. No matter how thirsty or hungry I was, I’d sooner pass out from a lack of fluids or sugar than break this fine-able rule.

No more. Back in New York I freely enjoy my latte on the train, as does anyone else who wants to. It took me a while to get here, DC more in my brain than I ever realized (seriously, for about a month I kept wanting to bring a soda on the train but couldn’t bring myself to do it). And the real shock to my system? You can even buy a snack or beverage on the platform of several stations! I knew all this, of course, having grown up in New York, but I’d forgotten the glory – and convenience – of it all.

Everyone said the no eating or drinking rule was the sole reason Metro was so clean (officially compared to whose system, I’m not sure, but New York was always thrown into discussions on the matter). And now that I am back in New York I’ve noticed the trains are…well, not so dirty after all.

I was expecting to agree with the notion that eating and drinking on the trains leads to a filthy commute, but I now think it’s an illusion to think DC trains are visibly cleaner than New York’s. Carpeted floors, rubberized handles and seats covered in…pleather? Vinyl? I’m not sure what exact material they use, but it all looks (mustard-gone-bad color aside) more luxurious than New York’s plastic seats, metal handles and linoleum floors. I’m not convinced it really is cleaner, though. Besides, eventually the carpets on Metro show stains from spills of law violators and the problem is only about to get worse…

WMATA is considering allowing retail kiosks on or near select station platforms and food may be included. No coffee or open containers, but packaged items designed to be enjoyed later…after you exit the entire Metro system.

A friend of mine, on a red line platform, recently overheard a fellow commuter explaining Metro’s food and drink policy to her out-of-town guests. She followed it up with a story of one late night during which she was the only passenger on the platform waiting for a train. Hunger pangs hit – and won. She pulled out a candy bar from her bag, took one bite and before she could take a second nibble she heard a friendly reminder about the no eating policy emitting from the station’s PA system.

I know we’re talking about adults here, but I feel like this is setting up riders for failure – entrapment, if you will (especially for tourists who already struggle with the rules). Imagine it’s the end of a long work day and you’ve got a 30 or 40-minute ride home. You’re hungry and you’ve got a bag of chips and a soda in your hand you just bought within Metro property. I have to admit, temptation might get the better of me and I’d justify it by citing the locale of my purchase.

But get rid of the carpeting and maybe it won’t matter!

Until very recently, I lived and worked in the Washington, DC area. In my 12 years and seven apartments there (I swear I’m not as flaky as I sound) I always found myself residing along the Metro system’s red line.  So when I heard about the horrible crash that took place on Monday – which involved a red line train – it truly hit home for me.

You know you’re a regular on any subway system when you strategically board the specific train car you know will leave you positioned closest to your destination’s station exit. For the last few years in DC, that was the front car for me.

Not once did I board the Metro during these years without thinking about the possible dangers of riding in the front car (or the back car for that matter). I don’t even know how or when it ever entered my head – I’m not paranoid, I’m not a germ-a-phobe, I’m not even big on wearing a seat belt when I’m in the backseat of a New York City cab. I never had a close call on the Metro, nor do I know anyone personally who has ever been in a train accident of any kind. But the fear somewhere somehow snuck into my brain.

So, most days on the Metro I opted for the second car. Or the third if I was running early that morning. Once in a while, though – if I was in a hurry or wearing uncomfortable shoes – I’d take a seat in the front car. Choosing convenience over safety, I sat there feeling just a little bit like a sitting duck. But also feeling just a little bit silly for feeling that way.

Thankfully, what happened on Monday is rare – whatever the cause. I read that Metro employees and riders are reporting more crowding in the center cars since the accident. I’m sure I would have been doing the same thing…but also feeling a tad silly for it. After all (and I’m no statistician), if such an accident is rare, what are the odds of two such accidents the same week? It might even be the safest time of all to ride Metro, what with officials and employees probably taking an understandably hyper-cautious approach to everyone’s daily commute.

I can’t help but think, though…nervous riders have a choice about what car to ride. Rail operators do not. I wonder this week, as they take their respective positions at the fronts of trains and behind proverbial wheels, if they think about Jeanice McMillan, the 42-year-old Metro operator killed on Monday.  Eight passengers died as well but the focus is on McMillan, who reportedly adored her job. Was it her fault? A computer malfunction? A combination thereof? Whatever the case, no one – operators and passengers alike – wants to be next. And yet everyone must be thinking it as they board the trains this week.