I headed over to the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, two museums in one large complex of buildings. This is a collection of art related to American history and famous Americans. There are two entrances, one on the American Art Museum side and one on the National Portrait Gallery side. There are also several Metro entrances nearby. The closest stop is Gallery Place/Chinatown, which is on the green, yellow, and red lines. There are three exits, two one opposite sides of the Verizon Center and one adjacent to the museum.

I headed into the American Art side of the museum. While I have been here before, there are always new exhibits opening.

Today, I checked out the Civil War, Amelia Earhart, portraits of poets, and the Presidential Gallery, among other exhibits and galleries.

One of my favorite periods in American history is the US Civil War. On display currently are Matthew Brady’s portraits of the Union generals, including McClellan, Grant, and Meade. There are also two galleries with portraits of different notable period figures, including generals, admirals and notable statesmen. My favorites are the pictures of the influential women of the era. It was wonderful to see the ladies included. The Civil War photos and art are on display to commemorate the 150th anniversary of this war (1861-1865) and will be in the National Portrait Gallery until April, 2013.

Also currently on display are portraits and photos of Amelia Earhart, as well as some of her possessions and other artifacts. The huge portrait of Amelia is beautiful. The photos around the perimeter of the room trace her from childhood until right before her disappearance. Were you aware that Amelia actually was a fashion and suitcase designer? No? I was not aware of this either! But she designed sporty clothes for tall women, since she needed custom made outfits due to her own taller than average height and non-traditional occupation. Her flight cap and smelling salts from her transatlantic voyage, as well as her two books are also on display.

One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost. I’ve even visited his farm in New Hampshire. Right now the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum has a whole exhibit featuring the photos and words of some of America’s foremost poets. Frost, Cummings, Plath, Whitman, and so many more are featured in stunning black and white images, colorful paintings and pen and ink drawings. Each poet is shown in one or more images grouped together, along with a short biography that discusses the poet, his/her influences, writing style, and influence on pop culture. For many of the poets, there is also and excerpt from one of their poems.

Another feature of this museum is the Presidential Portrait Gallery, or rather galleries. Each president is represented in one, or more, portraits, photos or sculptures, along with a small biography. Each president appears in chronological order, with Washington first and GW Bush last. The portrait of Washington is the one that Dolly Madison saved when the White House was burned during the War of 1812. Also on display are Lincoln’s death masks. George HW Bush is featured in a statue and Bill Clinton has a kaleidoscopic portrait. There is also a TV featuring clips from famous 20th/21st century president speeches. While walking through this gallery of influential men is a great way to reflect upon our nation’s history, I am eagerly awaiting the day when the first female president joins their ranks.

After walking around and taking in the amazing art of America, I took a rest in the covered courtyard between the buildings. Sitting here, you can see where the different buildings were linked. Additionally, you can purchase food and drink inside the Portrait Gallery and bring it out here to enjoy at one of many tables sprinkled among the planters.

There are so many beautiful exhibits to see. And there are three full floors of art to experience. I definitely understand that you can get burned out from viewing so many great pieces. But don’t neglect the third floor. First, there are amazing views. Second, there are American celebrities and sports stars featured on a balcony accessible from the third floor. Third, there are galleries that display influential Americans, broken down by periods of several decades. Additionally, at the far end, past the sports balcony, is a multilevel area featuring all sorts of American art, sculpture, and crafts from the beginning of our country. From Thursday through Sunday, between 1:30 and 3:30pm, there is a tour called Art + Coffee. Meeting for a tour or talk in the Luce Center (which is what this area is called), visitors will enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or tea after their educational art experience.

Hopefully, I will be able to attend one of the Art + Coffee events soon.

~M

Copies will be placed in Metro stations for the taking, but it can also be found online here.

Metro advises that stations closest to the Capitol may not be the best ones to use given the anticipated crowds. The guide offers walking directions to the National Mall from stations up to two miles away. It also lists Inauguration Day service changes and closures, and suggests riders sign up for email or text Inauguration alerts at wmata.com/inauguration. Updates on Metro service can also be found on WMATA’s special Inauguration Twitter account, @MetroInaug.

Get everything you need to know about Inauguration Day – including events and public transportation – at CBSDC.com/Inauguration.

Follow WNEW on Twitter.

Despite nearly constant track work, broken escalators, and elevators that occasionally break midway between the ground and the underground, the DC metro can be an efficient way to get around the city. Every time I’m on the train though, I’m struck by the completely bizarre mishmash of randos around me. Maybe it’s because I work from home so I rarely come into contact with other human beings anymore, but riding public transportation at rush hour makes for some excellent people watching.

Here are five of The Usual Suspects you can expect to find on the DC Metro.

The Sick Person
There’s nothing I hate more than sick people. Sick people should stay home, pull the covers over their heads, and sleep until they’re healthy. So, when an otherwise cute girl gets on the metro hacking up chunks of her esophagus, I immediately give her my devil eyes. COVER YOUR MOUTH. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Seriously, why do people think they aren’t gross?

The Aggressive Nose Breather
While most would agree that nose breathers are better than orange-juice-breath mouth breathers, the aggressive nose breather is an all too common sight on the metro. This person is usually male, usually slightly overweight, and usually between the ages of 50 and 70. You may find there is too much of an overly spicy cologne seeping from his pores, gel in his hair, and his face is shaved mostly free of stubble. It’s not uncommon to see the aggressive nose breather with a mint or cherry-scented cough drop rolling around his tongue – possibly causing the noisy exit of air from his nasal cavity. Phfff. Phhhhf.

The New York Girl 
DC is an important city but we are not a cool city. Well, I mean, I kind of think we’re cool, but my friends who visit from bigger cities tell me otherwise. Of course, New York girl is a regular public transit-er. She usually sports a look of sheer disdain for the humdrum DC world around her and she is decked out in outfits meant for a very different environment. In DC, it is sensible to wear flats. It is sensible to wear a warm coat in the wintertime. It is sensible to put on your Ann Taylor suit separates, smear chapstick on your lips, and run a comb through your wet hair before you head to your very dull non-profit job on 16th street. New York girl ignores what is sensible in this city. Her stilettos add five inches of height and five spoonfuls of “I don’t belong here”. Her overly glossy lips scream “LOOK AT THIS PERFECT POUT I DON’T BELONG HERE”. Her keratin sleek locks say to DC girls “your hair is frizzy mine is not so clearly I don’t belong here.”

The He/She 
You know that large, sexually ambiguous person who gets on the metro and immediately sits down next to you, wedging you up against the sticky window? Yeah you do. Well, is it a guy? Is it a girl? Those are boobs, right? But, you could almost swear that is some legit stubble under his/her chin. Wait, maybe it’s man boobs? No… it looks like he/she’s rocking some hips too. Hold up. Time to check for the adam’s apple. Oh. Of course – there’s a gender-neutral scarf wrapped around the base of their neck completely obscuring the one little bit of proof that might indicate their sex (barring the sight of an actual reproductive organ). Meh – whatever. You’ll try not to stare and just assume it’s someone “in transition”.

The Lone Child
It’s like – are you four? Are you eleven? Where are your parents? No matter the time of day, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll spot a small, seemingly parent-less child wandering the train. If you weren’t super stressed on your morning commute, you’d stop and ask if they needed help but you just don’t have time for other people right now. You have the Express to skim and a latte to finish before your stop.

#WMATA

Richard Sarles, Metro’s general manager, told the Post that service cuts are not being proposed, either.

A rate increase approved last year resulted in a 5 percent average price increase for rail riders, and the transit system saw a decline in ridership in 2012 compared with 2011. Officials expect a ridership revenue decrease of $25 million for fiscal 2013.

This year’s budget includes funding for new buses, new rail cars, a new radio communications system, the launch of Silver Line operation and a program to manage worker fatigue, says the Post.

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When service first resumed, trains were running on a single track between the East Falls Church and Virginia Square stations, so there are residual delays. Trains are currently running on both tracks. A police investigation is ongoing.

Metro says the woman intentionally placed herself in the path of an incoming train at the Ballston station in Arlington shortly before noon Monday.

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1. Melody Ehsani x Reebok

Last fall, jewelry designer Melody Ehsani collaborated with Reebok to create one heck of a women’s sneaker! This limited edition kick is pretty much sold out everywhere but luckily I was able to get my fingers on a pair and I absolutely adore them!They’re python embossed leather and have gold spikes on the back of the heel as well as the word “Love” embroidered across the toe. There are also 4 different sets of vibrantly hued interchangeable laces that accompany the sneakers.

What I appreciate the most about this sneaker is the attention to detail and the fact that these shoes are just as feminine as they are edgy!

2. The WMATA real time arrival tool

I’m pretty sure I’m late to the game on this one, but the WMATA rail tracker is my new best friend! You can select the station and then it tells you the next arrival time for every train that services that station! It’s particularly helpful for off peak hours when the trains can take forever to arrive and a missed train can mean a 30 minute wait. It’s definitely helped me to better plan out my travel schedule no matter where I’m headed.

To access the page just go here from either your computer or smartphone.

3. Matte About You topcoat from Essie

I’ve had this topcoat in my arsenal for a while, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually began to play around with it. As unique nail designs continue to uptrend, matte nails have definitely gained popularity. To get the matte effect, I use Essie’s Matte About You.

It works on any color and you just apply it like you would with a regular topcoat. In the past couple weeks I’ve done several designs using this polish and I’ve loved the effect every time!

What do you all think??

*Honorable Mention*

We don’t talk music here at all, we like to leave such topics to the experts, but I couldn’t put out a Love List without adding this album to it!

Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city is in constant rotation in my playlist. It seems like every day I gain a new appreciation for a song on this album. I’m generally not a huge rap fan, but I’ll admit that I love this one! If you haven’t gotten Kendrick’s album yet, I suggest you do!

~ Dyanna

@DyannaLynn

@HighLifeSuite

All members of the public are invited to this meeting which takes place at the Jackson Graham Building located at 600 5th Street Northwest  Washington, DC 20001, however should you not be able to attend I would love your thoughts and ideas.  Let me know on twitter, facebook, or via at joseph@revkitchen.com.

WMATA RIDERS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL

 AGENDA

December 5, 2012

 6:30 ~ 8:30 p.m.

I.          Call to Order/Roll Call                                                                      (6:30 p.m.)

II.         Public Comment Period                                                                   (6:30 – 6:35 p.m.)

III.        Approval of Agenda                                                                        (6:35 p.m.)

IV.        Approval of Past Meeting Minutes                                                 (6:35 – 6:40 p.m.)

            March 7, 2012

June 6, 2012

September 5, 2012

October 3, 2012

November 7, 2012

V.         Holiday Service Levels                                                                     (6:40 – 7:20 p.m.)

Dave Kubicek, Deputy General Manager Operations, Metro

Shelly Xie, Director, Office of Rail Operations Scheduling, Metro

Jim Hamre, Director, Office of Bus Planning, Metro

VI.        Momentum/Metro Strategic Plan (Presentation here)             (7:20 – 7:50 p.m.)

            Jennifer Green, Director, Ofc.of Strat. Comm. And Mktg. Planning, Metro

VII.       RAC – Meeting Efficiency/Structure (RAC Structure Change)  (7:50 – 8:05 p.m.)

            Carl Seip   

VIII.      2012 Recap                                                                                        (8:05 – 8:15 p.m.)

IX.        Questions/Comments on RAC Chair and AAC Chair                  (8:15 – 8:20 p.m.)

            Reports                                                                                             

X.         January Meeting Scheduling                                                          (8:20 p.m.)

XI.        Open Mic/Community Meetings                                                     (8:20 – 8:30 p.m.)

XII.       Adjournment                                                                                     (8:30 p.m.)

Sincerely;

Joseph Kitchen

WMATA Rider’s Advisory Council

Member – Prince George’s County

Visit me at josephkitchen.com │Follow me on Twitter @josephlkitchen │ Like me on Facebook facebook.com/josephkitchen | Read my blog revkitchen.com

Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr. is an ordained Baptist minister from Prince George’s County, MD where he serves as a community leader on issues of education reform, public transportation and youth empowerment. Joseph is Executive Vice-President of the Young Democrats of Maryland and National Policy and Platform Director of the Young Democrats of America’s Minority Caucus. He is also a member of the WMATA Metro Advisory Council representing Prince George’s County. Learn more about Joseph’s work at www.josephkitchen.com.

In the far right, students attempt to cross a traffic-packed Baltimore Avenue/Route 1 at Lakeland Road at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10. Traffic patterns are not much different at any other time of the day. Photo by Pamela Seaton.

If you are like me, you are one of a few residents in College Park who do not have a car, which is a reasonable thing to consider. According to the U.S. Census Bureau‘s 2010 estimates, College Park has a land area of 5.64 square miles with 5,396 people per square mile and 30,413 residents. To put that into perspective, and also according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Chehalis, Wash., has a land area of 5.53 square miles with 1,132 people per square mile and 7,299 residents. However, the number of College Park residents indicated by the Census survey may be off. The University of Maryland (UMD), of which the city was built around in the late 1800s, registered 26,826 undergraduate students in fall 2011. In addition to that, the city has 17 neighborhoods outside of the university that are filled with people, far outnumbering the remaining 3,587 residents that should be left given the number of registered students (give and take a few residents and students due to the one year’s difference of data between the U.S. Census Bureau and the university). Therefore, these notions suggest that not all of the residents or students who live in College Park participated in the Census survey and that far more people live in the city’s boundaries than the survey indicates, which is not surprising given the constantly hectic schedules that students and workers often have.

With UMD as the city’s flagship university, business and attraction, more and more businesses and real estate projects are being built to accommodate its large student population. With the number of people they attract, these projects and the unversity, in turn, are causing problems–including an overcrowding population and a swell of daily traffic on Baltimore Avenue/Route 1–that are growing and worsening by the day.

In the far left, commuters get off of the Metrorail Green Line (Greenbelt) at College Park-University of Maryland station. Many residents ride the Green Line to get to and from Downtown Washington. Photo by Pamela Seaton.

Thankfully, to ease one of its problems, College Park has multiple modes of public transportation that can help residents and workers avoid the hassle of sitting through the city’s constant traffic as much as possible (except on occasions when public transportation vehicles are also caught in traffic; see the first photo).  The most prominent is its College Park-University of Maryland station, which is part of the Metrorail system of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Departing from that station are the Yellow and Green Lines. The Yellow Line (Huntington) travels throughout Washington, including stops at Fort Totten (which connects to the Red Line), U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo, Gallery Place/Chinatown (which connects to the Red Line) and L’Enfant Plaza (which connects to the Orange and Blue Lines) stations. It also stops at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va, and ends at Huntington station in Huntington, Va. The Yellow Line (Franconia-Springfield) travels the same route as the other Yellow Line until it reaches King Street-Old Town station in Alexandria, Va., and then it travels two more stops until it reaches at Franconia-Springfield station in Springfield, Va. The Green Line (Branch Avenue) also travels the same route as the Yellow Lines until it reaches L’Enfant Plaza station and then it makes a few more stops, including at Navy Yard-Ballpark, Anacostia and Naylor Road stations, until it reaches Branch Avenue station in Suitland, Md. The Green Line (Greenbelt) only travels one stop to Greenbelt station in Greenbelt, Md.

There are also a number of buses that service the city. The 81, 82, 83, 83X and 86 are all buses of the official College Park Line. The College Park Line buses service the following locations: Calverton (86), Cherry Hill Park Campground (81, 83, 83X), Seven Springs Village (81, 83), Greenbelt station, University of Maryland (81, 83, 86), College Park (81, 83, 86), College Park-University of Maryland station (83 Mon-Sat, 83X Mon-Fri, 86 daily), Riverdale Park (81, 83, 86), Prince George’s Plaza station (86), Hyattsville (81, 83, 86), Mt. Rainer and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood station. Additional WMATA buses include the C2, C8, F6, J4, R11, R12 and TB14. TheBus, another transit system, has the bus routes 14 and 17 that stop at College Park-University of Maryland station. The CTC G bus to Laurel Mall also stops at the station.

If the resident or worker is in the mood for regional rail, the MARC Camden Line stops at College Park-University of Maryland station as well. It starts at the Camden Yards in Downtown Baltimore and passes through the major stops of Dorsey, Laurel and College Park before ending at Union Station in Washington.

So, yes, it may seem as though that you can hardly drive throughout College Park without encountering traffic, but do not lose hope. With the numerous modes of public transportation you can utilize, your chances of getting caught in traffic are significantly lowered. Also, the more people utilize public transportation, the less toxic fumes and car pollution are emitted into the air from vehicles, which can be pivotal in a city bursting with people. So, take a chance on public transportation and bring along a few friends. You will be glad you did!

Click image to enlarge

Metro’s rationale for eliminating the D3 is “duplication with other routes” and “low productivity.” We haven’t found anything quantifying “productivity” on WMATA’s website, so we don’t quite know how it is defined. Perhaps one thing causing “low productivity” would be a low farebox recovery rate on the line. A number of riders in the neighborhood have noted that the fareboxes on the buses are not frequently working – it means a free ride, but that clearly hurts the system financially in the long run. Additionally, we’d guess those free rides aren’t counted in the overall ridership totals for the line.

Other bus routes certainly run through Trinidad, but nothing provides a direct connection from our neighborhood to the other side of the central business district in the morning. WMATA does not clearly state whether they will increase bus frequency on the other lines that run on Montello and Trinidad Avenues (D4 and D8) to make up for the lost capacity.

Speaking of the D4, it will be changing as well.

Click image to enlarge

The D4 route, which currently runs between Ivy City and Franklin Square, will more than double in length when it’s extended north from Ivy City to the Fort Totten Metro Station. It will be taking over the easternmost part of the E2, E3, and E4 lines, which currently run from from Friendship Heights through Fort Totten to Ivy City.

Longer routes can lead to more opportunities for buses to fall off schedule, as well as “bunching,” which is when many buses on one route arrive at a stop at once. This can lead to very long waits between buses instead of the expected even spacing.

Metro originally announced a hearing for the changes happening in Northeast DC for October 30, but the impact of Hurricane Sandy meant that it was rescheduled to November 26, the Monday that just passed.

A heading says “Routes seeing improvements in this bus service change proposal” on the page with the public hearing schedule, but the list does not mention the elimination of the D3. Certainly, one could argue that the elimination of a route is not an improvement, so WMATA was under no obligation to list the removal of the route on that list. We would argue the total elimination of a route is something that should be prominently noted, regardless of whether this is an “improvement” or not.

An additional problem is that we have seen no signs at the bus stops along the route alerting people to these changes. Certainly people who ride the D3 would be interested to know their bus is going away, and wouldn’t the best place to reach those people be on the bus itself?

There’s still time to let WMATA know what you think (though not much time). Written testimony can be emailed or faxed to WMATA, but you must do so by 9:00 am on Monday, December 3. From WMATA’s website:

Written statements and exhibits may be sent to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, or e-mailed to writtentestimony@wmata.com. Statements also may be faxed to 202-962-1133. Please reference the hearing number. [The hearing in NE DC was number 579, and the Docket number for all the proposed changes is B12-03.]

[From what we understand, the date for submissions was changed due to the hurricane as well, though the original press release does not indicate that.]. Please note that any personal information such as name, e-mail address, address, or telephone number you provide in the statement may be releasable to the public under the WMATA Public Access to Records Policy, available at http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/public_rr.cfm.

Let WMATA know what you think about the changes to the D3, D4, or any other route that they plan to change in the new year.

Members of the WMATA Rider’s Advisory Council will receive a briefing from Metro staff about a new grant to improve bus stop livability. That item as well as reviews from last month’s Emergency Communications Panel will be on the agenda of the Rider’s Advisory Council. Also on the agenda will be a recap of meetings the system held last month reviewing proposals to adjust bus service and potential changes to our Public Participation Proposal.

The complete agenda is below but I would love your thoughts and ideas.  Let me know on twitter, facebook, or via at joseph@revkitchen.com.

WMATA RIDERS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL

AGENDA

November 7, 2012

6:30 ~ 8:30 p.m.

I.          Call to Order/Roll Call                                                                      (6:30 p.m.)

II.         Public Comment Period                                                                   (6:30 – 6:35 p.m.)

III.        Approval of Agenda                                                                        (6:35 p.m.)

IV.        Approval of Past Meeting Minutes                                                 (6:35 – 6:40 p.m.)

            March 7, 2012

June 6, 2012

September 5, 2012

October 3, 2012

 V.         Bus Stop Livability Grant                                                                (6:40 – 7:20 p.m.)

Al Himes, Office of Bus Planning, Metro

VI.        October 11^th Incident Communications Panel Report                 (7:20 – 7:35 p.m.)

            Carl Seip

VII.       RAC Comment Procedures – Review                                            (7:35 – 7:55 p.m.)

            Carol Walker  

VIII.      7000 Series Railcar Visit Recap                                                      (7:55 – 8:05 p.m.)

IX.        Initial Public Hearing Recaps                                                          (8:05 – 8:10 p.m.)

X.         Questions/Comments on RAC Chair and AAC Chair                  (8:10 – 8:20 p.m.)

            Reports                                                                                             

XI.        Open Mic/Community Meetings                                                     (8:20 – 8:30 p.m.)

X.         Adjournment                                                                                     (8:30 p.m.)

Visit me at josephkitchen.com │Follow me on Twitter @josephlkitchen │ Like me on Facebook facebook.com/josephkitchen | Read my blog revkitchen.com

Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr. is an ordained Baptist minister from Prince George’s County, MD where he serves as a community leader on issues of education reform, public transportation and youth empowerment. Joseph is Executive Vice-President of the Young Democrats of Maryland and National Policy and Platform Director of the Young Democrats of America’s Minority Caucus. He is also a member of the WMATA Metro Advisory Council representing Prince George’s County. Learn more about Joseph’s work at www.josephkitchen.com.

http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2012/10/popville-photo-archives-caption-contest-83/

Below is the photo.  Despite the fact that we look like we are at a wake, this was the happy affair of re-opening the Dupont South metro exit on Sunday, October 21st.

In case you can’t spot me, I’m the one that didn’t get the memo on the dress code:

Rarely does one see evidence of US transit agencies advertising in such a “serious” manner, with a strong push to get non-users to try their systems. From personal experience traveling and living in three major East Coast cities (Boston, DC, and New York), most of the public transportation marketing is geared towards current users, usually with the goal of providing safety tips or announcements of service changes.

This Danish ad piqued my curiosity about the prevalence of advertisements by US transit agencies, so much that I decided to perform a  YouTube search of 6 large transit agencies in the US. This unscientific survey consisted of searching by the agency’s name with the addition of the word “commercial” or “ad(vertisement)”. I used the results of the search term that yielded the most amount of relevant material. In order to be included in the count, the videos had to have been officially sanctioned by the respective agency. Not only did I not find many videos, but the total amount of views were quite low. The outlier was the low-budget ad by the DC Metro during the visit of the pope in 2008. The high number of views can be attributed to the controversy surrounding the video’s use of a papal doll.

Compare these numbers with a few European operators and you’ll see that it’s much different. Metro de Madrid has over 150,000 views from 4 videos and Transport for London, which is also tasked with promoting biking and other forms of alternative transportation has millions of views from its videos. Of course, this is not the best way to measure how well US transit agencies are working to market themselves to the general public. However, the fact remains that the US has a long way to go to increase the use of public transportation and part of this could be associated with the image of public transportation in the US. On a given week, only 5% of Americans use public transportation to commute to work. The top metropolitan statistical areas for commuting are New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC at 30.5%, 14.6%, and 14.1%, respectively. By comparison, a 2009 National Geographic report noted that 22% of Swedes, 20% of Germans, and 16% of British residents use public transportation almost every day. The same report revealed that 61% of Americans have never used public transportation.

At a time when the automobile industry is expected to spend $30.8 billion on just advertising, a 14% increase from the previous year, transit agencies must step up their marketing efforts to convince Americans to try public transportation. They will need to take more proactive marketing efforts to help improve the image Americans have of public transportation and to play a bigger role in controlling their brand image. Transit agencies will not be able to match the auto industry in spending dollars but the proliferation of the internet and social media has made it much easier to reach large audiences on tighter budgets. Additionally, transit agencies already have a non-paying means of advertising to the public – their own buses and bus stop infrastructures.

Already, some US transit agencies are realizing the need for a strong marketing effort. TheCityFix blog reports that after the Los Angeles Metro started a marketing campaign aimed at non-users, the percentage of choice riders increased from 24 to 36 percent. Of course, common sense will tell you that it also helps to have a great product. Although there is also a good deal of hype that plays into why so many people desire and purchase iPhones, these products sell so well not just because of Apple’s marketing ploys but also because customers are actually satisfied with their purchases. The MidTraffik commercial highlighted some of the features of riding the bus including a bus-only lane, comfortable seats, among other things that could appeal to riders. Agencies such as DC’s WMATA can highlight their upcoming real-time bus arrivals signs and transit signal priority for buses as features that potential riders can look forward to. With the improving economy, transit agencies cannot simply rely on the bad economy to drive potential users their way; they must make an active marketing push.

Stay tuned: In a future post, I will explore the negative image associated with bus transit and how branding of new bus services has impacted customers’ choices.

Rail~Volution is a conference of industry experts but also average citizens as well who are passionate about engaging in thoughtful discussion around livable and walkable communities. We build those communities with ready access to a vibrant public transit system that is cost effective, safe, and reliable. As a member of the WMATA Rider’s Advisory Council over the last two years achieving these goals have been paramount to me.

As I prepare to depart for this conference, that also happens to be taking place during a family gathering for me in my native California, I look forward to meeting the representatives from over 300 communities from all over the United States. This promises to be a time of inspiration while sharing our common frustrations.

For more information about the presentations and schedule for the conference visit http://www.railvolution.org/. Also be on the lookout for updates from my experience both here on my blog and via twitter and facebook.

Visit me at josephkitchen.com │Follow me on Twitter @josephlkitchen │ Like me on Facebook facebook.com/revkitchen | Read my blog revkitchen.com

Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr. is an ordained Baptist minister from Prince George’s County, MD where he serves as a community leader on issues of education reform, public transportation and youth empowerment. Joseph is Executive Vice-President of the Young Democrats of Maryland and National Policy and Platform Director of the Young Democrats of America’s Minority Caucus. He is also a member of the WMATA Metro Advisory Council representing Prince George’s County. Learn more about Joseph’s work at www.josephkitchen.com.

Metro is previewing the new Model 7000 railcar, and it falls far short of our design concept (above).  It’s a Kawasaki. Let the Good Times Roll! 

___________________

Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-exe

Top image (“Metrorail 7000, artist’s concept”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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