Venturing into the white abyss...
Some random observations and links, since we’re all stuck inside:
Snowball fights – the new kickball?
Travel by train – “as God intended.” Heh heh.
Some photos I snapped today:
Tree down at Meridian Hill, took out the streetlight on the way down.
Dirfting on steps - U St.
U st.
Been a while since I've seen X-C skis on the Metro...
Potomac Ave station pylon
Thanks for the ride, dad.
….and other assorted links
Board games: Greater Greater Washington notes that the Feds have filled two of their four slots on the WMATA board, naming Mort Downey and Marcel Acosta to the positions.
Downey is a former executive for the US DOT under the Clinton Administration and is currently a transportation consultant. Acosta is the Executive Director of the NCPC, and formerly worked for the Chicago Transit Authority. Personally speaking, Downey is a regular commuter and rider on Metro, and Acosta lives car-free in DC.
DCist has some good quotables.
Downey, a consultant who previously served in the Clinton administration and as executive director of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority — and a Vienna native who has ridden Metro for 20 years — has fairly modest aspirations as he takes his seat on the board on Thursday: “The federal government would like its employees to arrive at work on time, fundamentally alive.”
Can’t argue with focusing on your core mission.
Never mind the bollards: Second Ave. Sagas up in New York takes a look at some really horrendous security ‘bollards’ (using that term loosely) surrounding the new Atlantic Ave. LIRR Terminal in Brooklyn. Read up on the new terminal here (City Room, MTA press release).
When the new terminal building at Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn, critics and columnists praised the light and airy nature of the building. Featuring a seemless integration of art and architecture, the new terminal building is representative of the MTA’s current approach toward offering its customers a convenient and mostly state-of-the-art facilities when it opens new structures. Outside, though, the security bollards tell a different story, one of overreaction and blocked sidewalks to a public structure that needs to be able to handle heavy pedestrian flow.
When the new building first opened, attention was focused on the inside, but the security bollards, shown above, drew some warranted criticisms. Gersh Kuntzman in The Brooklyn Paper was particular critical of their appearance and size. He noted the bunker-like mentality of the security measures and called the giant bollards “14 mammoth concrete coffins that give the beautiful new facility the look of an outpost in the Green Zone.”
Atlantic Ave station bollards - CC image from Ben Kabak on flickr.
Yikes. SAS continues:
The specter of terrorism and counterterrorist measures make for uncomfortable subjects. New York City’s subways are notoriously porous, and New Yorkers try not to dwell on the ways our city has become a target for America’s enemies. Still, these bollards do nothing to make a new train terminal accessible or user-friendly. They exacerbate fears about our safety while blocking the city’s sidewalks and its transit access points. There are tasteful ways to guard against terrorism, and then there are these granite blocks, seemingly dropped from a quarry onto Flatbush Ave. with no regard for purpose or appearance.
Here in DC, we have to deal with all of the same terrorism concerns. Clearly, some bollards are better than others in terms of their design and day to day function. We have some well-designed examples here in DC (the paths/retaining walls around the Washington Monument come to mind), some bad ones (the doors at the Capitol Visitors Center that are too heavy to open), and plenty of ‘temporary’ barriers scattered across town.
Fifty Nifty United States: Matt Yglesias links to a James Fallows bit on an idea from Fakeisthenewreal.com to re-draw state lines every so often as a means of ensuring a relatively equal population distribution amongst all 50 states.
Two thoughts – if this seems odd, perhaps it shouldn’t. Each state will be going through this process in the next few years after the collection of the 2010 Census data. Even in DC, we’ll re-evaluate the ward boundaries to ensure that each one has a roughly similar number of people within it.
Also, the proposal reminds me of the 70s era proposal for the 38 states of America.
Political realities would likely stop anything like this from ever happening, but it certainly is an interesting thought experiment. Furthermore, when looking at the political implications, it’s worthwhile to note how the arbitrary political boundaries have real political consequences in Congress.
Streetcars, eh? Planning Pool has a nice audio slideshow (complete with narration in a lovely Canadian accent) of Vancouver’s demonstration streetcar line. The line is using borrowed cars from Brussels, and will be evaluated during the upcoming Olympics for future, permanent installation.
“Olympic Line” Streetcar Demonstration in Vancouver, Canada from Planning Pool on Vimeo.
Perhaps some foreshadowing for DC?
I had a chance to stop though Judiciary Sq’s north mezzanine today, the one with the new lighting scheme. My concern from the initial photos was that the lighting along the escalators, where the coffered vault has less headroom, requiring direct overhead light rather than the indirect lighting in the rest of the system, was too much of a departure from one of Metro’s distinct design elements.
New mezzanine lighting. Note the difference between the indirect fixtures in the middle and the direct ones over the escalators. CC image from flickr.
The white lines from those lights take away from the pattern of the coffers, despite the increased lighting in the area (which is substantial).
Direct light fixture detail. Photo of the author.
Increased light near escalators. Note the brightness of the walls. Photo of the author.
The increased illumination does indeed make a big difference, particularly in seeing where to walk. However, might there be another solution to illuminate the walkways without some of the awkward, direct light fixtures. Several of the new and newly renovated stations make use of LED lights embedded in stairway handrails. These lights, directed downward, illuminate the floor to ease navigation without the need for overhead fixtures.
LED handrail lights, Navy Yard station. Photo of the author.
In anticipation of the baseball crowds for Nationals Park, Metro expanded the Navy Yard station’s Half Street entrance to include an elevator and a new staircase from the mezzanine to the platform, which uses the LED handrail lights to illuminate the stairs.
Might this type of fixture be integrated into the brass handrails in Metro mezzanines? While these lights might not have much range, they wouldn’t need much – the new, hanging indirect lights in the Judiciary Sq mezzanine work just fine with enough overhead clearance.
Several sources have linked to a great photo compilation from design boom on avant garde subway station architecture from around the world. The images come from:
Some of the stations are quite striking – and no, DC did not make the list.
The question it raises for me is the value in having a coherent design language for the system – providing ease of use for passengers – and sparking visual interest and making great spaces. DC’s vaulted stations fit into its federal, monumental role quite nicely, but the uniformity of the system (despite the small differences and details) can also be monotonous and dull.
In the event that more underground Metro stations are added within the District (perhaps with the New Blue line, or other core expansions), it’s interesting to think about new station architecture that would maintain the same design principles of the current system (volume, open train rooms, common materials – concrete, brass, red tile, etc, indirect lighting) while also allowing some variability that could provide unique identification for certain stations without sacrificing design unity.
Stockholm Metro Escalators - CC image from flickr
Stockholm Metro - CC image from flickr
Stockholm Metro - CC image from flickr
Stockholm Metro - CC image from flickr
Stockholm Metro - CC image from flickr
Many of Stockholm’s stations, for example, use the look of exposed rock tunnels (a look considered for DC by Harry Weese, incidentally – to show the differences in construction methods for the stations drilled into the rock, versus those crafted with cut-and-cover methods), providing unity between stations while still allowing for unique designs.
Perhaps future expansions to the Metro could swing more in the direction of unique station designs and public art installations.
We got the illest weatherman in the biz on storm watch… – dilated peoples
What remains to be seen is if DC can have as much fun as Madison, WI did in their recent snowstorm:
The giant snowball
Snowball fight, Braveheart style: (you’ll have to excuse the foul mouths of the Badgers…)
More videos from Madison from their alt weekly, the Isthmus.
Our first streetcars are here. DDOT’s facebook page has the pics.
Ruth Samuelson fears burnout!
Since late summer, the city has been buzzing about streetcar lines coming to Anacostia, H Street NE and possibly numerous other corridors across the city. Some people are thrilled. Others cry waste. But until Saturday, no D.C. streetcars were actually in America—they were in the Czech Republic, of all places.
I don’t know if Ruth has noticed, but the Europeans tend to build these things better than we do (at least right now). Of course, it won’t always be that way – see United Streetcar.
Then today, news broke that the cars were here! Why this was news is kind of peculiar. Do people care when a new, updated version of the METRO car arrives? A press release from the District Department of Transportation noted the length of the streetcars journey–4,200 miles. It detailed what kind of measures were taken—a “wax coating” was applied “over the external surface of the street car”—to prepare the streetcars for their voyage. It featured an enthusiastic quote from DDOT director Gabe Klein, suggesting that D.C. residents were just dying to see the vehicles up close and personal– as if they were the newest presidential pets.
I’ll fully admit that I’m far nerdier about this than most, but I am just dying to see these vehicles up close and personal. And I do like riding in new Metro cars. I’ll even throw in my two cents about their design. I know I’m not the only one, either.
So, is this really newsworthy? I don’t know. But the beauty of this is how DDOT’s managed to use some social media to get the news out to a community that really wants to hear it and see the pictures. Little things like this make a big difference. Metro, for example, could use a little good publicity right now. Positive waves!
Following up on recent discussion of Metro’s lighting, it’s important to understand how much the surface that’s to be illuminated matters in Metro’s indirect lighting scheme. Earlier, I noted that Metro is currently going though a process of deep-cleaning several stations in the system – replacing light bulbs, cleaning the walls, etc. The Washington Post had a great article in March on the process for each station:
Blasts of steam from the hoses they carry scour dust from train brakes and concrete away from the panels. Sensitive equipment, including pylons on the platform, is protected from the spray, but the station is warm and misty.
Once the station is cleaned, the crew will re-bronze rails, paint kiosks and repair tile, among other tasks.
A station gets enhanced about every three and a half years. The crews do two dozen stations a year, focusing on indoor stations during cold weather.
“We’ve got it down to a science,” says Tom Morrison, Metro’s superintendent of contract maintenance and station enhancement. The job begins with a lot of prep work after the Red Line shuts down at midnight. Power to the third rail must be cut and station equipment protected.
The crew must wrap up about 4 a.m. The workers will need to be gone, the equipment stored at the end of the platform or hauled away and the station dry by the time passengers arrive and trains start running at 5 a.m.
It’s not easy adjusting to the schedule — five overnights in a station and two off days trying to have a real life — but workers at least get a direct view of what they’ve accomplished. “We can see the before and after,” says craft supervisor Andre Jordan.
Steam cleaning the walls makes a huge difference. This process is currently underway at my nearest station, Potomac Avenue. Dr. Gridlock noted earlier in the year each of the stations scheduled for a “station enhancement,” as Metro describes the process:
Major Enhancements: Dunn Loring, East Falls Church, Eisenhower Avenue, Forest Glen, Medical Center, Potomac Avenue, Twinbrook, Wheaton, White Flint, U Street, Vienna, West Falls Church.
Mini Enhancements: Ballston, Bethesda, Brookland, Court House, Foggy Bottom, Franconia-Springfield, Friendship Heights, Rockville, Shady Grove, Smithsonian, Virginia Square, Woodley Park.
The majors and the minis involve different types of work. A major takes about three months. A mini takes about 25 percent less time. I watched some of the overnight work for a “major” at Cleveland Park. During the hours the station was closed, crews on lifts power washed the station’s concrete ceiling and walls. I could see the before and after, and the difference was remarkable as they removed the tunnel dust that gathers in the station.
To get an idea of how much dirt and grime accumulates over the years, have a look at the process in action:
Potomac Ave deep cleaning, Dec 2009
Metro initially ‘painted’ several stations in order to lighten them up a bit – but the painted surfaces don’t quite have the same warm feeling that the original concrete does. They also show the dirt and grime more than their concrete counterparts.
Compare, side by side, the clean side of the station to the uncleaned one:
It’s not just the grime accumulating on the lower portions of the vault – there’s a huge difference in the dirt on the bottom edges of the coffers – that’s not just shadow (despite my crappy camera).
Metro’s signature indirect lighting scheme is getting a little brighter. Over at GGW, Matt Johnson notes upgrades to the Judiciary Sq Station mezzanine as a means of better illuminating the darker areas of one of the darker stations.
Judiciary Sq Station
I haven’t yet checked out the new mezzanine lighting in person, but Matt’s photo raises a couple of questions and concerns about Metro’s design legacy. One is a concern that Metro’s new lighting is too cold – meaning, the color temperature of the resulting environment is cold, while Metro’s original design with the concrete, brass, tile, and carpet was very warm.
Conversely, Metro’s most recent design changes seem to get colder and colder. It’s hard to judge these new lights by just a photo, but this isn’t the only case. In my post on Metro’s 7000 series designs (here and at GGW), Laurence Auerbach noted in the comments about Metro’s recent trends towards cooler lighting schemes:
I’ve ridden in the 7000 series design prototype, and it was a truly oppressive experience. A big problem is the color of the walls, partitions, and seat backs. In the old cars it is a warm beige-white that softens the fluorescent lighting. In the new cars the wall color is a cool grey-white that makes the fluorescent lighting even flatter and harsher than it normally is.
…
My favorite Metro car design is the 6000 series (the most recent), even though I prefer the original orange seat colors. The 6000 series has the best combination of efficient layout, comfortable style, quiet operation, and high quality technical/mechanical features. Metro should build on that success; it should only change the floor material to make it easier to maintain.
The change in visual experience from the original, orange color scheme is indeed striking:
The newer cars, with the white walls, are indeed much brighter. However, when compared to cars without the red carpet flooring, the color experience is much more harsh:
Wondering out loud – could Metro do hard flooring in a red-ish color that’s true to the original train design?
Brands matter
A common theme amongst the streetcar commentariat – Hey! That thing looks like the Circulator!
No doubt. Obviously, this spurred JD Hammond’s post. One commenter on one of those sites (I can’t keep track) noted that the stripped down base paint job for the livery, missing the graphics and text, looks awfully similar to a Jesus fish.
Commute flows matter
Matt Johnson (at GGW and Track Twenty-Nine) has a fascinating graphic looking at Metro’s commute flows, also determing which segments of the system are the busiest during the AM rush hour.
Very interesting to look at. Well done. Also, an excellent case for more investment in the core. Discussions in GGW’s comments thread hints at the impacts of the Silver Line on current Orange Line crowds – and the inescapable conclusion is that more core capacity will be needed – sooner rather than later.
All in the game, yo.
Apropos of nothing in particular, this video of The Wire‘s 100 greatest quotes is fantastic. Those with virgin eyes/ears or those that haven’t seen all 5 seasons (there are spoilers) might not want to watch.
Lester Freamon’s last quote is the one that hits home for me when thinking about cities and the series – “all the pieces matter.”
Lots of open windows in my Firefox browser, so here’s a link dump:
Beeee-autiful. Dr. Gridlock reports that lots of Metro stations will be getting a nice cleaning over the next couple of months. He also links to a Post story about the process of cleaning a station from March of this year. The following stations will be spruced up:
Major Enhancements: Dunn Loring, East Falls Church, Eisenhower Avenue, Forest Glen, Medical Center, Potomac Avenue, Twinbrook, Wheaton, White Flint, U Street, Vienna, West Falls Church.
Mini Enhancements: Ballston, Bethesda, Brookland, Court House, Foggy Bottom, Franconia-Springfield, Friendship Heights, Rockville, Shady Grove, Smithsonian, Virginia Square, Woodley Park.
The enhancements really make a huge difference. The stations seem lighter and more welcoming.
Freakonomics had a nice post with some links to a few old studies noting how closing roads sometimes improves traffic flow. This particular case is from Vancouver, but this is precisely the logic behind the pedestrianization of Times Square in New York. In certain situations, this kind of action can be a win-win-win – you improve traffic flow by simplifying the turning movements and signals, you increase pedestrian space and safety, and you maintain the urban design that makes Times Square an actual square.
The New York Times paints a portrait of the infamous Randal O’Toole. It’s somewhat sympathetic, but does a decent job of letting O’Toole’s constant obfuscation collapse under its own weight.
The Wash Cycle notes of upcoming efforts to add murals to retaining walls and underpasses along the Met Branch trail. The Union Station rail corridor – both connecting to the Metropolitan Branch towards Silver Spring and the Northeast Corridor towards Baltimore – is a vital rail link, but also an undeniable barrier in the area. Public art along some of those underpasses can be a great way to make those links more attractive to cyclists and pedestrians.
With the Metropolitan Branch trail, it’s vital to ensure as many vertical circulation access points as possible – make it easy to shift levels between the trail and the street grid.
Nevertheless, this kind of mural is a great example of an easy public art project that can be a huge asset to the area.
Streetsblog’s DC folks try to document the hierarchy of decision making on the transportation bill. Making a law is always like making sausage, but this particular sausage seems far more complicated than most. The House folks are fighting a two-front war against both the Administration and the Senate. That’s a tough road.