The Metropolitan Police Department will implement nightlife safety zones throughout the city in an effort to provide secure areas for DC residents following the announcement that Metro rails will close daily at midnight instead of at its usual 3 a.m. closing time.
The safety zones include additional lighting and police patrol, as well as signage to indicate the area a designated zone. Five zones exist throughout the city, and they are intended to be used exclusively to access taxi cabs and rideshares like Uber and Lyft.
None of the safety zones are near AU or Tenleytown, but students exploring the city and at late work shifts may find them useful.
“The established nightlife safety zones are an additional resource for residents to ensure public safety, and we are working hard to provide special attention to these locations” Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes said in a statement.
Metro riders have been experiencing many issues this year, including the evacuation of the Tenleytown station in April after smoke filled the Metro rail tunnels.
The following month, WMATA announced SafeTrack, a 10-month long maintenance project to renovate all six Metro lines.
These renovations will likely affect AU students through single tracking and station closures.
To condense what would be three years of maintenance work into just one, WMATA is closing all lines at midnight, leaving late-night store patrons and employees without the usual underground transportation.
“We hope that the community takes advantage of this security measure when accessing transportation and keep in mind their locations,” Groomes said in the statement about the new safety zones.
AU students will be able to access the safety zones in the following areas:
- H Street: 1400 H Street, NE (in front of)
- Chinatown: 600 7th Street, NW (alongside Verizon Center)
- DuPont Circle: 1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW (Northbound); 1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW (Southbound)
- U Street: 1925 Vermont Avenue, NW (in front of); 2014 14th Street, NW (Southbound)
- Adams Morgan: 2200 Champlain Street, NW (in front of)
