Anonymous wrote:Re Singapore--is it super clean because they can cain and jail you if they catch you chewing gum in public or littering?

Sort of. You can chew gum, but don't spit it out on the sidewalk. In DC they only bust you if you eat on Metro, which is why we have fewer rats than NYC's subway.

Re Singapore--is it super clean because they can cain and jail you if they catch you chewing gum in public or littering?

OP here. I definitely see the points some of you are making, and I'm curious about the safety violations. I will do some research on that because I take my kids on the Metro all the time.

I have never traveled to Europe. I'm thinking of the Metro compared to other US cities. I guess I feel that other countries are sort of a different playing field.

We mostly travel on the orange line. But since we are new here, we have been all over the area for sight seeing and traveled all the lines. The only one that felt bad to me was the red line. Kind of rickity or something.

Many other countries are a different playing field, in that they are now first world and we are 2nd world. Americans can't and won't believe this, and they don't have the money to go see for themselves. Asian public transit (esp Korea, Singapore) is spotless. I would compare many major U.S. airports and subway systems to eastern europe.

It's hard to accept, but we are waaaay down the list on most indicators among developed countries, and our infrastructure reflects this. We are living through the sunset of an empire, it's kind of interesting actually, although tragic. I am sad we did not set a better example to the rest of the world, and that we cannot hand a better, cleaner, safer, more peaceful world down to our children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ahhh DC metro workers... Reverse discrimination at its finest!

Do you think if you keep posting this unverifiable cr@p, people will start to believe it? Cause it's not working.

You obviously have never worked in a majority AA organization.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb people here.
We live in a high cost of living area and even metro workers are entitled, yes entitled, to a living wage.
Too bad the north had the civil war to end slavery

When the skill level and educational requirements of a job is less than those of HIGHER skilled but the salaries of the lower skilled are equal are more than that of the higher, then there is a problem.

This.

Do you also complain that garbage collectors get paid well? Yet I bet you're one of the posters who argues that teachers, who are highly educated, are paid too much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb people here.
We live in a high cost of living area and even metro workers are entitled, yes entitled, to a living wage.
Too bad the north had the civil war to end slavery

When the skill level and educational requirements of a job is less than those of HIGHER skilled but the salaries of the lower skilled are equal are more than that of the higher, then there is a problem.

This.

I take the Metro about 4 days a week, and occasionally on weekends. I also take the bus maybe once a week when I want to go out without taking my car. (I cab back.) I've lived in the area for 20+ years and have generally had a Metro commute, by choice.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with metro. About once a week, I have an annoying commute that takes longer than it should. Every so often I have a *really* annoying commute, but that's pretty rare. I could drive to work, though, and I continue to take Metro because it's nice to be able to zone out and read. That said, the tourists irritate the ever-living sh*t out of me this time of year.

Anonymous wrote:

Not the extent in the video but just about every single day I take metro there is a crazy on board trying to attract attention.

Where do you live, then?!! I commute from Maryland to Capitol Hill via Metro Center, and I almost never see crazies. Also, I don't understand how the crazies are Metro's fault.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what bothers me most about metro is the inexplicably bad parts - like escalators out of service for months, meaning that the only way to get in and out is a single stalled escalator. My biggest pet peeve is the signage and announcements - you can NEVER hear the conductor, and the stations are so dark that you can't always see what station it is. How hard would it be to make sure you can hear the freakin conductor? I would prefer silence to their bullshit mumbling.

And dc metro in no ways compares to nyc!

Try to take a stroller through the NYC subway system. And man, some of those stops are like the inside of a trash dumpster. And the conductors aren't very intelligible there, either, not to mention the joy of getting stuck in a tunnel under the river with the AC off because it doesn't work when the train isn't moving. NYC has more stops and more frequent trains, but maintenance and signage is not its strong suit.

This video is from the train in NYC:

People who complain about DC trains and street life need to get a sense of proportion.

Not the extent in the video but just about every single day I take metro there is a crazy on board trying to attract attention.

PP from earlier who posted about skipped stops - red line does it all the time farther out (Grosvenor/Medical center). Sucked if that's where you were getting off and you had to make a mad dash to get off early.

Does anyone here actually know anything about Metro pensions? This is a genuine question.

The salaries look reasonable to me. I think all workers should get healthcare, and I've seen nothing to indicate Metro workers get Cadillac healthcare.

So it seems to come down to pensions - are they excessive, or do "we" just hate pensions because "they" don't deserve pensions? Facts on their pensions, please?