by Marlene Berlin
When Metro closes the eastern entrance to the Van Ness Metro station to replace the escalators, it could create hardship for some pedestrians, particularly seniors who might need a little more time to cross Connecticut Avenue.
I talked with Ann Chisholm in the Office of Government Relations at WMATA Tuesday, October 22nd. She has the unenviable job of reaching out to our community to prepare us for this challenging event. She had called me because of my role as head of Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action. She wanted to know what I thought about lengthening the crossing time on Connecticut at Veazey during the five months the eastern escalators are taken offline. I thought this was a great idea.
However, she was concerned because DDOT mentioned the need for a traffic study, which would hold up the project. Metro risks losing money if it doesn’t allow its contractor and start work on November 4th. But this should have been coordinated with DDOT long ago. WMATA dropped the ball on this one.
I had other suggestions as we continued to talk. Pedestrians have a hard time with turning cars. No right turns on red signs would help, given more residents will be crossing Connecticut during rush hour. A heightened police presence could prevent motorists from blocking crosswalks when traffic gets bogged down. This is a frequent problem during this busy time.
I learned that Metro will keep technicians on site to keep the elevator in working order. This is not a fool-proof plan, so regular shuttle service to another station could be an ongoing option during rush hour. Ms. Chisholm committed to following up on this suggestion, as well as others. We ended the conversation with her agreeing to contact Adam Tope, chairman of ANC 3F, about getting on the agenda for the next ANC meeting. I also told her I would put the word out to my contacts.
How else can Metro help us during the five-month process? Could photo enforcement help? We welcome your ideas.
George says
Everything you said about Veazey should apply to Windom as well
Logan Jordan says
Post crossing guards at Connecticut and Albemarle and at Connecticut and Yuma. Metro’s job of working with the community is only unenviable because they don’t work with the community ahead of a project. They seem to do very little community based planning.
Marcia says
Now that we cannot walk in front of Van Ness Center, the crossing of Connecticut Avenue on the south side of Albemarle is painful in the morning rush hour. The cars that have been lined up on Albemarle to make a left onto Connecticut are impatient and often rude whether it is to allow the crossing of the families with children, seniors or the rest of us. Longer time to cross in the morning or crossing guards should be considered.
Lois says
I have contacted Mary Cheh’s office twice about the dangerous situation at the intersection of Connecticut Ave and Veazey Terrace. I have seen as many as 40 people crossing during rush hour where once 5 was a mob. It takes much longer for the higher numbers to cross…and the drivers trying to make the turn north get very impatient. That you only have 25 seconds or so at such a big intersection is just insane. I noticed recently that the time for making the crossing north/south is more than double! I hope that adjustments will be made to the timing before someone is hurt or killed.
Deb C. says
Thank OGR staff for reaching out to the community. Many of the pedestrian lights are twisted around and not adequately visible to begin with. Please ask that they check the position of the pedestrian crossing lights at these and other intersections. Winds, rain, and other harsh/strange weather has whipped the lights around in some places – Veasey and Van Ness Streets, so that if you are standing on the corner, you cannot always see the flashing white walker/numbers. I have opted to walk down to Cleveland Park so I do not have to cross Connecticut Ave.
I fear that crossing guards to be at risk of getting hit. The lights on CT Ave and side streets in the VN/UDC area should be checked for timing AND visibility.
Thanks!