FEBRUARY PCA GENERAL MEETING NOTES

March, 2000 -- Concerns about bus service and traffic problems bought out strong attendance even on the iciest of nights.
PCA board member John Finney, acting as moderator, kept the meeting interactive and lively.
Representing Metrobus, David Erion, explained the options:
On the M-4 bus: Why can’t the M-4, which goes from Sibley Hospital to the Tenleytown Metro, be extended to the MacArthur Boulevard Safeway and then make a U-turn back to its normal route? This would require one more bus from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in order to maintain a reasonable pick-up schedule. An extra bus would cost $250,000, paid by the District.
What if the bus made a U-turn at Arizona and then went back to its route? That would also require an extra bus.
What if it turned left at Arizona and on to Tenleytown? No extra bus.
On the D-6 bus:
Why not split the D-6 bus route into shorter and longer routes? More people would then have to transfer. Also, smaller buses won’t work on this route because of the substantial increase in ridership as the bus reaches downtown.
Mr. Erion said that an additional D-6 bus has been recently added and so wait times should lessen.
On the D-5: This route carries 400 riders a day, with 100 of them getting on and off in Georgetown. If this route was split, waits would expand to 40-60 minutes.
A suggestion was made to investigate the Maryland segment of this route, which goes down Massachusetts Avenue to Sangamore Road. It appears very underutilized. Why not serve DC better? Isn’t it our bus system?
The Sense of the Crowd: We want a bus that goes as far as the Safeway, including on weekends. Many riders would appear if there were such a service.
Schedules should reflect reality. Both riders and drivers are stressed because that is not true now. Reliability is more important than frequency. Buses are more reliable in the morning than in the evening.
All agree that the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue and the repair of the “Q” Street Bridge hurt service.
Mr. Erion noted that new “smart” fare boxes are coming that will add flexibility to the pricing of fares and transfers.
As for traffic:
Lt. Angela Cousins said that 400 speeding tickets were issued in January on MacArthur Boulevard and 29 on Arizona Avenue. Unfortunately, although speeding is a known problem on Foxhall Road, there is no safe place to pull over the speeders.
Lt. Cousins also said that there will be a new police focus on the morning gridlock at MacArthur and Reservoir Road. She astounded us with the fact that there is mandatory arrest in the District of drivers clocked going 30 m.p.h. above the posted limit. That’s something to reflect on since certain Palisades street have a speed limit of 15 m.p.h.
Chief Transportation Engineer Gary Burch of the Department of Public Works dealt with snow removal and traffic lights.
He was questioned about the bad driving conditions on Sherier Place after the recent snow storms. Burch said that the DPW must deal first with main arteries. If, in the meantime, secondary roads ice up, there is a problem. Plowing over ice just doesn’t work. Putting down salt won’t work on Sherier because there is not enough traffic to work it into the snow. Sand, after it works, is only swept by the melting snow into our cache basins. Then the sand ends up at our Blue Plains water treatment plant.
Burch was questioned about the new, somewhat bizarre, traffic light on MacArthur, just beyond the Reservoir Rd. intersection.
Apparently, the Lab School helped to pay for this light in order to facilitate traffic around the school. The island to the left of the light was meant to be modified. Either it will be, or that light will be removed, he stated.
Many questions were posed about proposed lights on Foxhall.
The DPW is strongly in favor of new lights at both Foxhall and Whitehaven Parkway and at Foxhall and W Street.
DPW believes that this is the best way to control the anticipated traffic from GW at Mount Vernon, St. Patrick’s, and the Field School.
Those present felt equally strongly that there should be a new light only at Whitehaven. It was suggested to just try that at first.
Burch conceded that it might be possible to put the light at Whitehaven with just a cable to W Street for a possible future light. But DPW will make the final decision.
A pitch was made for the second light to be instead at MacArthur and U Street. Burch responded that that intersection does not yet fulfill the federal “warrant” for a light (at a cost of $125,000). Although, he noted, that the intersection is periodically tested because of continuing community pressure.
A resolution introduced by PCA board member Bill Smith was passed unanimously:
Resolved that: The Palisades Citizens Association urges Mayor Williams and the City Council to modernize our Fire Department by acquiring a modern fire fighting fleet, bringing the buildings up to highest standards, increasing fire fighting force to safe level, and providing essential equipment and supplies to make our fire fighting force the best.
—P. McG.

New faces are always welcome at the Palisades general meetings where discussion on issues vital to the community is open, lively and, in most cases, stimulating.