The chance that college students will get student Metro passes are better than ever. In response to the news, GW’s student body Executive Vice President Kyle Boyer emailed the Georgetown University Lobbying Association’s Andrew D’Souza (SFS `11), urging a Georgetown student movement in favor of the pass:

“Think about it: If any university subsidized 65 dollars per semester for each unlimited pass, students could be left paying ONLY $55 for a semester’s worth of rides on Metro rail, saving many students over $100 per semester. 

What we need now is YOU. Write your Deans, VPs and both Student Body and University Presidents. Let them know that you are a Metro rider and that you spend too much on your internships, jobs, concerts, and other functions.”

Well-intentioned, but if Metro and the consortium of Washington-area universities do hammer out a plan, it’s hard to believe that Georgetown will cough up $65 for students who want to get their hands on a pass. Instead, the University would bury another double-digit figure in our Student Activities Fee (as with Yates, but add a digit.)

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The riverfront pathway in Georgetown is a great place for bikers – unless you are a pedestrian.  The other day I had planned on taking a leisurely walk along the Potomac from Georgetown University to the Kennedy Center. Bikers changed my walk from a leisurely stroll to a live-action Frogger.I did not always notice the bikers headed my way, but luckily my reflexes were fast enough to allow me to make a mad dash out of the way when I was told to “watch out!” An elderly woman watching the boats go by or a child-toting parent may not be so fortunate if they were to get caught in this situation.

Some cities have separate paths for bikers and pedestrians in their parks.  Now that the SmartBike program is adding to biker traffic in DC (and text messaging and emailing are taking our eyes off the road), separate paths may be an idea to consider.  Or at least tell the bikers to bling up their bike with a bell.

Photo from Flickr user wallyg used under a Creative Commons license

No matter how you feel about Smartbike DC, the bike sharing program that launched today, it’s hard to argue that the bikes look good. The big rear wheel cover, the mundane star logo, and the red metal make its rider look more like a tourist on an bike tour of the city than a frugal, environmentally-aware commuter.

But do bikes in these sort of programs always have to look ugly? After the jump, one bike affirms the resolution and five negate.

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At last, DC’s SmartBike bikesharing program is launching today, and our tired legs and lungs couldn’t be happier.  Still, it’s already running into problems–the availability map reveals six of the ten locations already have all their bikes checked out.

Wayan at We Love DC doesn’t think much of the program, dubbing it “Dorkbike”. Hardly! Those rear wheel covers aren’t good-looking, and helmets should be provided, but this program will be a good thing for DC that gets even better as more stations (Georgetown!) are added.

Photo from Flickr user Joe in DC used under a Creative Commons license

As buses go, GUTS buses aren’t that bad.  They’re a convenient way to get from Georgetown to the Metro; they run fairly regularly on weekdays; and they’re free—a ride on the DuPont GUTS bus combined with a brisk fifteen minute walk down Connecticut brings my daily commuting cost to zero.

Still, I do have a few bones to pick.

1.  Some of the GUTS bus drivers won’t let people without Georgetown IDs ride the bus.  Two of my housemates—one from Skidmore, one from Bates—often run into this problem when taking the bus to and from their internships.  Some drivers will just let you sign a piece of paper if you don’t have a GoCard, but others refuse to let you on.  My advice to non-Georgetown GUTS bus riders: persist—the rules are on your side.  From the GUTS bus website:

Faculty, staff and students with a valid Georgetown University ID card can ride along any GUTS route at no charge. Physicians, staff and patients with valid GUH ID may ride the Rosslyn and Dupont shuttles. Visitors and persons doing business on campus may also ride free of charge and must show a picture ID at the time of boarding.  [emphasis added]

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In case of emergency, hop the Blue Line. In a report on public transportation helping cities cope with catastrophes, the Transportation Research Board, whose members have clearly never tried to Metro their way to Rosslyn after a basketball game, recently commended (PDF) DC for its transit system, even while giving a wag of its finger to other cities:

[Urban Areas] having extensive and redundant rail networks with good system connectivity posses an important asset in an emergency evacuation, as was amply demonstrated in New York City and Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Few UAs, however, have such extensive rail transit systems.”

The TRB says we’re most threatened by hurricanes, floods, and blizzards. They prescribe a healthy routine of tests and maintenance for urban transit systems, which is exactly what DC won’t get if toolshed Senator Tom Coburn keeps opposing Metro funding in the Tomnibus bill.

Via CTA Tattler

 DC drivers average one accident every 5.4 years, making them the nation’s most dangerous, according to Allstate. 5.4 seems like a long time for some drivers, so I guess they’re not counting pulling too far into a parking space, bumping the car facing you, and driving to another space.

AAA says we’re getting in wrecks because of gridlock. DC drivers spend 60 hours in a traffic a year, which also doesn’t seem like that much.

Apparently it is, though, and we need to shape up. I was hoping we could start anew after this report, maybe get our shit together, but Bob Novak put the kibosh on that.

 Metro map with proposed silver and purple lines

University of Maryland-College Park students have formed a new campus organization in hopes of drumming up support for the Purple Line, a proposed Metro line that would connect the Red, Green, and Orange Lines and keep suburbanites from ever having to enter the dirty District:

Student government president Jonathan S. Sachs, said the “Terps for the Purple Line” coalition is “one of the broadest we’ve seen.” It includes the campus NAACP chapter, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union, Hispanic Heritage Coalition, Graduate Student Government and the campus chapter of the Maryland Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

It’s not surprising that such a diverse array of student groups has signed on (who wouldn’t want to cut down on travel time?), but it’s a strange cause for short-sighted college students in general, since the Maryland Transit Administration fact sheet (PDF) says that the construction would begin at the absolute earliest in 2012 (between friends: 2020.)

Metro map by Eric Fidler