Posts tagged Peter Benjamin
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O’Malley to replace WMATA Board members, wants rules limiting qualifications
This morning, Peter Benjamin shocked his colleagues on the WMATA Board by announcing his imminent departure. Governor O’Malley will be replacing both of Maryland’s voting members on the board. His colleague, Elizabeth Hewlett, had previously revealed her intention not to continue serving. Update: O’Malley has announced former Congressman Mike Barnes as Benjamin’s… Keep reading…
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WMATA Board won’t stop bag searches
WMATA CEO Richard Sarles and Chief Michael Taborn retain the authority to keep randomly checking riders’ bags, after only Tommy Wells and Kathy Porter stood up clearly opposed to the program during a Board discussion today. Others either cited a belief that the bag searches were just, or an unwillingness to stop even an unjust program against the bugaboo of security. Tom… Keep reading…
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Metro workers afraid to report hazards, Board unfazed
Some 30% of Metro employees don’t report safety hazards for fear of retaliation. That’s according to testimony from Metro General Manager Sarles at the most recent Metro Board meeting, which included the results of an employee survey of Metro’s safety culture. If that isn’t alarming enough, the response of the Chair of the Metro Board will… Keep reading…
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Communication is everything on “Blue Line Realignment,” a.k.a. the “Yellow and Orange Line Service Increase”
Metro plans a relatively minor service change that will significantly increase overall system capacity. The way it’s framed will either help the change see widespread adoption or else derail the idea, cause enormous customer confusion, or force changes to the Metro map that cause other confusion. Metro has often called this the “Blue Line Split” or “Blue… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Thumbs up
Bike bits; Metro morsels; More pipes breaking in the future?; Gated alleys?; SeePostFix; And…; Thanks, Mike!; Bike and charge. Keep reading…
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Arlington formally offers Fair Share for Metro; Maryland delinquency continues
Arlington County has finalized their budget including more money for WMATA, the Post reported this weekend. County Board member Chris Zimmerman, who is also Arlington’s representative on the WMATA Board, specifically talked about transit funding: “Arlington is saying if the other jurisdictions will step up to the plate, we will be willing to ensure that… Keep reading…
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We can’t let Governor O’Malley sabotage Metro
The press has been thoroughly covering the impact of interim WMATA GM Richard Sarles’ proposed modified FY2011 operating budget, which has significant and immediate impacts on riders, but the much more important story from yesterday’s Board meeting is how the O’Malley Administration kneecapped prospects for repairing Metro’s aging infrastructure. To… Keep reading…
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Tune in to Kojo
I’ll be on the Kojo Nnamdi Show’s Politics Hour starting at noon. Keep reading…
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Advocates say fares, jurisdictional contributions both too low
Tonight at 5:30 pm is the budget hearing at WMATA HQ, 600 5th St NW. Please sign up to speak if you can attend, or submit written comments, at public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com. Transit First! issued a statement opposing the service cuts in Option 1 and recommending a mix of fare increases and preventative maintenance to close the FY2010 budget gap. MetroRiders.Org and… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Cutting, stopping and slowing
Board members talk Catoe, budget; Where to cut instead of Ride On; Stop in Burke, stop on the highway; Smart rhetoric, dumb behavior; Barnesville no longer speedsville; Sulu on the subway; Factors that drive not driving. Keep reading…