WMATA considering station artist performances
Metro is considering launching a Metro Entertainment Program to bring performers to the areas outside of station faregates. The details of the proposal were unveiled at an April 27 meeting of the Riders Advisory Council rail subcommittee.
The program would be modeled after the program in New York, where performers must audition prior to receiving a permit to perform (legally, at least) in the system. I can attest first-hand to the quality of the program there: I saw a great woman who stood perfectly still on top of a small crate, until you gave her money. They she would do a neat little dance before slowly stilling herself again. (What do you call that?) There were also some great breakdancers in Grand Central.
So, in a similar vein, Metro would establish a board of luminaries who would be in charge of auditioning talent. The agency envisions having musical artists, painters, stage performers, orators, and more. At first the program would focus on having performances during off-peak hours in order to generate increased ridership during those times; however, staffers have not ruled out the idea of having performers during peak times.
Staffers have selected a total of twelve stations or so (in classic Metro style, with about equal numbers of stations from DC, Maryland, and Virginia) that might make good initial candidates for performances, based on factors such as the size of the station's unpaid area. The performers will not be on the platforms or even inside the faregates, so there must be a large enough area outside the faregates where they can perform.
Performers will need to obtain licenses from the agency for $40, though fee waivers would be available for students. Artists will be free to collect donations.
The program still requires Board of Directors approval, which staffers will seek at the Board's June 15 meeting. If the Board so approves, staffers hope to have the program launched late this year.
Better SmarTrip
Boy, do people love to talk about SmarTrip. Of course I did so in this space a while back, and it often comes up at RAC meetings. One RAC member, Lillian White of Virginia, has said more than once that she thinks SmarTrip cards should be free. Who would've thought a fare payment card could generate such passion?
The subject surfaced again at April 27's meeting. Joe Powers, a rider from Prince George's County, discussed SmarTrip during the public comment period. He says that Metro should work with universities to get them to embed SmarTrip chips into student IDs.
Doors closing
A rider complained about train doors. I see occasional egregious examples of operators slamming doors on people; on one occasion the operator slammed the doors on people from Woodley Park all the way to Silver Spring--and the train was not even busy. But that's a rare example. Much more commonly, people wedge themselves into closing doors. I don't think there is any solution to the problem of closing doors--it's part of using the subway.
Also, a committee member (Michael Snyder) asked about the elevators at Forest Glen, a suburban Red Line station. It's the deepest station in the system and it has no escalators--just six high-speed elevators. A rider had noted that it seems the elevators are always where they don't need to be--that is, waiting at the platform level in the morning, and at the street level in the evening. A Metro staffer commented that he does not believe that the elevators are programmed to automatically return to the street in the morning and to the platform in the evening. Seems that would be a simple fix that would help ease the flow a bit.
Also:
- GM Tangherlini says bomb proof recycling cans will be placed on platforms.
- Rider Joe Powers suggests that Metro consider storing electricity in huge batteries so that Metro can buy electricity when it's cheap and save it for the afternoon, when it costs the most.
- RAC chairman Dennis Jaffe is working with Metro staff to establish a single, unified calendar that will contain all Metro events, including board meetings, board committee meetings, and RAC meetings.
- The agency is working to add signs, visible from outside the faregates, showing the ETA of trains. (This way riders could stand at the entrance and enjoy those new performers!)
- The full RAC meets on Wednesday and will discuss parking policy changes and the extension of the Yellow Line; see ya there!
Post Author:
massysett | 09:36 PM |
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