Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The long battle over what Metro’s operating hours should be post-Safetrack is entering the final stages as a committee is scheduled to take an initial vote on the final proposal today.
After receiving over 16,000 public input statements, Metro says a plurality of respondents favor closing the system at 1 am Friday and Saturday nights, two hours earlier than the hours set up before Safetrack. The system would also close at 11:30pm instead of midnight Monday-Thursday.
Representatives from Maryland and Virginia seemed to coalesce around the 1 am option, but District representatives proved to be harder to win over, with more nightlife interests to represent. This week, Metro Board Chairman and D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans said D.C. would sign on to the plan, but only if it was modified to be effective for one year instead of two.
“I don’t know if one year or two years makes a big difference,” Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington President Kathy Hollinger told WMAL. “All of the options that have been put before the community, they pose a problem.”
The D.C. restaurant scene has been enjoying a resurgence of late, Hollinger said, with multiple awards and all kinds of new publicity coming in regularly.
“We fear that reducing Metro hours will slow the strong momentum among our local businesses at a time when we really have the opportunity to thrive,” she said. By her estimates, some D.C. restaurants have seen up to a 20 percent reduction in sales during Safetrack.
They’ve also seen logistical challenges, with reports of some workers sleeping over at restaurants if they can’t find a way home.
“It should not be the restaurant operator’s obligation to go out of their way to get their employees home, which many times ,means taking them home themselves,” Hollinger said.
The D.C. Council sent a resolution to Metro expressing their displeasure with any option that did not close the system at 3 am on weekends. Chairman Phil Mendelson told WMAL his questions about alternatives have still not been answered.
“I don’t understand why the entire system needs to close down early in order for maintenance to occur on discreet segments,” Mendelson said. “The accessibility of public transportation correlates directly with economic development.”
However, Mendelson said Evans’ one-year plan may be advantageous.
“The one year keeps the pressure on WMATA to get things to a state of good repair without committing us to permanent shorter hours.”
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: WMATA/Larry Levine)
