Local station maps, customized SmarTrip cards, and markers where trains will stop: great ideas, but not MetroGreater winners

Back in August, we announced that the winning idea of GGWash's MetroGreater competition was to install compass roses at Metro station entrances. A number of other very good suggestions came forward as well, but not all of them could win. Here's our final rundown of ideas that didn't come out on top, and why.

Designing local bus maps for every station would take too much time

Right now, Metro has maps on the mezzanines and platforms of every station that depict the surrounding neighborhood and indicate nearby landmarks and bike routes. Judy L from Bethesda suggested adding another layer to these maps that would indicate bus routes that passed within four blocks of a station's entrance, which would make rail-to-bus transfers easier for unfamiliar riders.

Additionally, if a passenger was stranded at the station due to a service disruption, they would know which nearby bus routes could provide an alternate way to reach their destination, and where they should exit the station to catch them.

Updating Metro's maps like this could be a real boon for anyone who'd benefit from using the bus, but according to the Metro official I spoke with, the idea couldn't win the MetroGreater contest because it would cost too much (the winning idea needed to be doable for under $100,000 and within six months. Metro said designing, installing, and maintaining new maps at all 91 stations in the system would likely cost too much and take too long.

Customized SmarTrip cards? Metro already offers those.

Robert H from DC asked whether a university or sports team could “sponsor” a unique SmarTrip card design, allowing passengers to pay extra for the special card and splitting the revenue between WMATA and the card's sponsor. Robert took inspiration from branded license plates that drivers can buy in most states, such as those offered by the Nationals.

Why didn't this idea advance to the final round? The short answer is that Metro already does this in some capacity. WMATA has been issuing SmarTrip cards to commemorate major events for years.

SmarTrip cards have been issued to commemorate DC events as diverse as the opening of Nationals Park, the inauguration of President Obama, the opening of the Silver Line, and the birth of baby pandas at the National Zoo. Most recently, Metro released farecards featuring images of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass to commemorate the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Metro official I spoke with said that WMATA has a program to print special SmarTrip cards at the corporate level for groups who wish to buy them. Anyone interested should contact WMATA's marketing department for more information.

Why can't we have platform signs showing where the last car will stop?

Stephen H from Arlington submitted an idea for Metro to install overhead signs in stations that show where the last car of a 6-car train will stop, which would expand upon Metro's pilot program of “6-car train ends here” stickers at key stations. As Stephen points out, passengers who are unfamiliar with the system often have to run forward to board a 6-car train because they waited too far back on the platform.

This idea was rejected primarily because it would cost far more than $100,000 to design and install signs at all 91 Metro stations. But there are several other obstacles that would make it difficult beyond just costs. For instance, installing the overhead signs might require shutting down track segments (similar to painting display signs to include more information).

In addition to cost and safety concerns, the representative I spoke with also stressed that if these kinds of signs were to hang from ceilings, they'd be a real problem. Because Harry Weese's underground station vaults are so iconic, Metro has to go through a strict historic preservation review process to approve any changes to station interiors. That would take much longer than the allotted six months, and would put severe limitations on what kind of signs could go up.

Metro sees floor stickers as the solution here, thanks largely to positive feedback from riders. The agency will be expanding that program to more stations in the near future. The stickers cost far less than overhead signs would, and could be easily removed if Metro were to ever reach its goal of running 100% 8-car trains at rush hour or return to stopping trains in the center of the platform.