WMATA’s Board meeting on November 9th includes budget items for FY2007 relating to MetroAccess.
DC ParaTransit Info notes with great concern this item in the “blurb” produced for the board:
Revise MetroAccess eligibility process to mainstream riders to transit
We’re back to the concept of tightening eligibility criteria once more to try to reduce the eligible ridership numbers. WMATA once more is making decisions based on their financial needs and not the community’s transportation needs, disenfranchising users from MetroAccess use. Euphemistically referred to by WMATA as “Demand Management”, this is a case of more management to artificially reduce demand. Read more... (208 words, estimated 50 secs reading time)
We have been fortunate enough to wheel all around the new 6000 series rail cars WMATA is bringing into service, and they seem to be an interesting trade-off from the perspective of wheelchair users.
The biggest change is the lack of vertical poles at either end of each car, leaving a very large space capable of easily taking multiple wheelchairs. This also means that a wheelchair user can travel from one end of the car to the other without serious impediment.
Unfortunately, Metro has made the center of each car the designated wheelchair space (at least going by the lack of wheelchair signage at the ends of the cars), with only two bays. Read more... (356 words, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)
It seems that there have been a good number of changes during our hiatus, some good, some bad, and some that the jury remains out on.
Of this latter category is the news of Dan Tangherlini’s impending resignation as the Interim General Manager. He walked right into the firestorm that was MetroAccess at the beginning of his tenure.
If his being at the helm of Metro was responsible for the improvements we saw at the start of the year, then we can only hope that his replacement will prove to be as capable Read more... (1085 words, estimated 4:20 mins reading time)
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Disclaimer DC Paratransit Info is not affiliated with, or officially sanctioned by, any of the transit authorities or organizations discussed. Comments posted are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Paratransit Info.
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