Based on proposed changes to Metro service, night owls and party animals may need to start rethinking their plans for Friday and Saturday night excursions. Among the proposals in Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s 2011 budget is the reduction of weekend night service, with the termination of bus and rail service by 2 a.m., instead of the current 3 a.m. Although this move stands to save Metro $8 million and reduce its budget gap by 4 percent, it creates a whole host of other issues that makes us want to cry “party foul.”
Many AU students rely on the Metro’s late weekend service to get back to their homes inexpensively. With the proposed cuts, students would be forced to either head home earlier or fork over money for expensive cab fares. While the latter option may not pose a problem to those preferring the convenience of a cab, the former has those of us who like to stay out past 1 a.m. annoyed.
If you’re a fan of late night CVS trips, you might also be out of luck. Students heading back to campus late at night would be at a greater disadvantage as AU shuttle service, which traditionally ends at the same time as the Metro closes, would most likely also shut down an hour earlier. Aside from any inconvenience should you desire ice cream after the Eagle’s Nest closes at 2 a.m., the lack of shuttle service presents a danger to those walking back to campus from Tenleytown late at night.
With the departure of Metro-riding students at an earlier hour, bars stand to lose valuable business. Finding alternative modes of transportation could also pose safety hazards to student venturing out. Wandering around downtown late at night looking for a cab isn’t always the safest activity, and those wanting to avoid cabs altogether by driving present the risk of increasing drunken driving incidents.
Metro has shown lately that they want to work with students to increase use within our demographic, and yet they want to reduce service during key weekend travel time. In general, it seems there are more calls for fare increase rather than reduced service. We would personally rather suck it up and pay a bit more to use the Metro or Metrobus than spend a half an hour flagging down a cab at 2:30 a.m. on a Friday night.
We realize that as just a student newspaper, what we alone have to say about the reduction in service isn’t going to sway the Metro’s Board of Directors. However, they will listen to the collegiate demographic, should we choose to speak up. If you don’t want to leave the bar an hour earlier than you’re used to now, Metro has several venues for voicing your concerns. Metro’s Riders’ Advisory Council meetings are open to the public, or for those of you unable to make it downtown to Metro headquarters, you can always submit a Customer Comment Form available on their Web site. If, like us, you aren’t a fan of cutting your night short, speak up and ask Metro to keep its doors open until 3 a.m.
