WMATA to Present Possible Solutions for 16th Street Buses
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Buses in need of parking. (Luis Gomez Photos)
In response to residents’ complaints regarding waiting sustained amounts of time for an S2 or S4 bus on 16th Street NW, ANC 2B04 Commissioner Kishan Putta organized a neighborhood meeting for January 28 at the DC Jewish Community Center.
The routes on the 16th Street bus line have the highest ridership in DC, and many commuters are seeing buses pass, due to overcrowding.
Joining Putta at the meeting was Director of Bus Planning for WMATA Jim Hamre, ANC 2B09 Commissioner Noah Smith and about 30 residents. David Erion and Ann Chisholm of WMATA and Steve Strauss of DDOT were also in attendance.
Following the meeting, Putta authored an article in Greater Greater Washington, detailing the discussion’s results.
In the article, Putta writes:
One possibility discussed with Hamre during the meeting is a rush hour route focused on the morning problem strip: Columbia Road to downtown DC. But one obstacle is layover space–a bus route requires a location for the bus drivers to park, pause, and get ready for an on-time departure. My ANC colleague Noah Smith proposed inquiring about space in nearby neighborhoods.
Putta told Borderstan that Hamre will present some of WMATA’s proposed options to remedy the situation to the public by the week of February 22.
“We deeply appreciate how much Metro and DDOT care about helping our community,” Putta said to Borderstan. “They have been receptive and willing to discuss short-term solutions – and proposed another public meeting soon to present their options. As soon as we get the details for that meeting, we will announce them widely so that we get as much community input as possible. And Metro welcomed that opportunity — we really appreciate that.”
Putta, who is also a resident on 16th Street, will reach out to residents as soon as the next meeting is confirmed.
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