Posts by Ken Archer — Contributor
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Lessons not learned: The Tenleytown escalator failure
On November 16 at 4:11 pm, a worker at the Tenleytown Metro station moved a barricade from an escalator that was out of service for brake repairs. 16 passengers subsequently walked up the escalator only to find 3 removed steps. After safely traversing the 4-foot hole, another passenger placed an orange cone found nearby in front of the escalator at 4:15 pm. At 4:19 pm the barricade… Keep reading…
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DDOT director job description tilts toward highway veterans
Mayor Gray has engaged an executive search firm to recruit a new DDOT Director. While Gray and his transportation chairs have expressed a desire for world-class candidates, the job description recently posted seems to slant toward long-time, more conventional transportation administrators. It may just be that the job description doesn’t fully reflect what Gray is… Keep reading…
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Lessons not learned: WMATA misinterprets FTA safety program and blames workers
In December, WMATA began issuing new circulars to employees called Lessons Learned. The purpose of Lessons Learned is to describe safety issues that have occurred as well as the steps being taken to prevent future occurrence. Three have been issued thus far, and GGW received copies from one of the recipients. While well-intentioned, the Lessons Learned program… Keep reading…
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Metro’s escalator repairs are unlikely to work, part 2: The news cycle is driving maintenance
Metro doesn’t know the root causes of its problems with escalators and elevators. Not only does that prevent fixing the problems, but it leads Metro to prioritize maintenance based on whatever problem most recently hit the media. Metro is not in control of the news cycle because it is not in control of its information. When concerning details leak out about Metro’s… Keep reading…
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Metro escalator repairs are unlikely to work, part 1: We still don’t know why they’re breaking
Metro has recently begun implementing a plan to reduce escalator and elevator downtime, based on the recommendations of a report commissioned by GM Sarles. Sarles is to be commended for bringing in experts to provide outside advice. Unfortunately, after reading through the 300-page report, reading the TOC Audit of escalators and elevators, and talking with former… Keep reading…
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Can job training work?
One of Mayor-elect Gray’s top priorities is improving job training to reduce unemployment that has reached crisis levels in Wards 7 and 8. Gray will hold a Jobs Summit on Dec 13 to gather ideas on training. Momentum appears to be building for greater investments in training. Councilmember Marion Barry’s proposal to cut off TANF benefits after 5 years… Keep reading…
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Georgetown ANC debates additional CaBi stations tonight
Georgetown’s 4 Capital Bikeshare stations surround the neighborhood, but avoid the residential area and its 8,500 residents entirely. Tonight, the ANC will discuss the possibility of expanding CaBi into the neighborhood. If you want to see more CaBi stations in the Georgetown neighborhood, it’s important for you to show up and tell the ANC why you want… Keep reading…
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C100, OP debate zoning update in Georgetown tonight
Tonight, Nancy MacWood of the Committee of 100 and Travis Parker of the Office of Planning will debate the zoning update’s effects on Georgetown this evening at 7:30 pm. Parker heads up the OP’s zoning rewrite effort, and MacWood is both an ANC commissioner in Cleveland Park and a zoning activist in the Committee of 100 on the Federal City. The Citizens’… Keep reading…
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Streetcars aren’t toys, buses aren’t about respect
On Wednesday, 22 residents and business owners testified before the DC Council about DDOT’s citywide streetcar plan and the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line. This is my testimony. Good afternoon, my name is Ken Archer. I live in Georgetown with my wife and 2-year-old son. I am here to express my strong support for the comprehensive plan prepared for the Streetcar Project. I… Keep reading…
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DC slow to distribute cash-for-appliances
A popular feature of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act is the rebate program for purchases of energy-efficient appliances. I was particularly excited about the program when my kitchen suffered serious water damage from Snowmageddon this past January. “What a great time to replace our appliances,” I said to my wife and son, “since we can… Keep reading…