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IcyWillow1193 t1_jcooi7x wrote

Or maybe, instead of Metro and everyone else adjusting their day to the recreational needs of a horde of yuppies, maybe a for-profit company should not be allowed to shut down a huge swath of public space for hours each year.

−21

The_Sauce_DC t1_jcoon8c wrote

Even easier would be for the District to move all marathons to 295/695 or just have them run loops on the mall and save us all the hassle.

−5

veloharris t1_jcop5pn wrote

Look forward to everyone losing their mind every year during rock n' roll.

45

breakfast_organisms t1_jcovroy wrote

How do you figure out how the buses are detouring? Using Transit app or Metrobus trip planner it just says “buses are detouring til 4p” but theres no map or indicator of what that actually means if youre trying to catch a bus… is there a map somewhere or something? It feels impossible to actually plan

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blackknight1 t1_jcow8t1 wrote

It looks like there is a 5K and half marathon today. I’m not seeing anything about a full marathon tomorrow

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jldc33 t1_jcp008o wrote

Today is just a half marathon so it'll be over soon. There isn't a major marathon tomorrow. If you're thinking of the Marine Corps Marathon in October, I agree, but someone would have to pay for the extra service.

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jldc33 t1_jcp0jok wrote

Replying to breakfast_organisms (#2,262,149)

I would like to know this as well. I couldn't figure it out last time I was affected and wound up walking out of the road closure area and taking an Uber. They also closed the roads earlier than scheduled that day. I left before the stated time to avoid the mess but the buses had already started detouring.

2

Docile_Doggo t1_jcp10w3 wrote

Upvoting because I agree. In general, I really wish Metro ran earlier weekend hours. It makes it hard to rely on them for morning flights on weekends. Late morning is still usually fine, but it makes early morning impossible unless you find another mode of transportation.

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slyfox1908 t1_jcp14r5 wrote

If the race organizers want the additional service they should bear the additional costs

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CriticalStrawberry t1_jcp2zgo wrote

>METRO should make an exception and run on regular weekday hours during marathons all the time. Plus extreme light service for overnight (~1 train an hour).

FTFY

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1800TurdFerguson t1_jcp3ay1 wrote

The organizers of the marathon should pay the extra cost of running more frequent trains, like the organizers of other events do.

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Playful-Translator49 t1_jcp4bcn wrote

At least the Saturday marathon won’t really mess with your early Sunday shift i guess.

6

CriticalStrawberry t1_jcp5192 wrote

Replying to IcyWillow1193 (#2,262,602)

>Empty speculation without evidence

>economic losses imposed by hours-long closures of major arteries

Your are correct, that is what you did there. The vast majority of economic activity in urban areas comes from local people walking, biking, and taking transit. Very few people in cars are actually stopping and spending money in the city. The only people in that group negatively effected by this are bus riders, which should be considered.

Businesses complain when cities want to remove street parking or pedestrianize the street they're on because they've been told that it will negatively effect their business and reduce the number of customers they get. The reality is the opposite. Removing cars from an area almost always increases economic activity for businesses. If you walk around coffee shops, retail, and restaurants downtown during events like this, it's pretty clear evidence that holds true.

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kt_m_smith t1_jcp53lk wrote

I'd argue metro should be running early enough that races or everyone working early and late could use it. Our metro closes pathetically early and opens way too late.

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wikipuff t1_jcp5emb wrote

No! That's how you get cheaters to win!

2

BroadSword48 t1_jcp75iw wrote

Starting at 7am is to late and should start up at 6am

4

LeoMarius t1_jcpbytn wrote

They run on weekend hours during the week these days.

2

cnote5 t1_jcpbzaw wrote

Run to the marathon and back home if you need to get up early and punish yourself.

I've never understood "running" for fun or exercise.

Sure you're fit and have great coordination and low body fat, but really you're just showing off.

And those guys that run in place at an intersection or backward need to keep it in their pants more.

−20

Knock_turnal OP t1_jcpenk3 wrote

Replying to breakfast_organisms (#2,262,149)

This is exactly what I meant. I got on the bus and the driver was like, “i’m not going all the way.” But she didn’t know anything other than that. She didn’t know alternate routes, etc.

And then at her last stop, a supervisor came in the bus to give her her new directions and then told us, “you can try and take this or that bus to try and get downtown.”

Like, where is the…just a hint of organization.?

10

Playful-Translator49 t1_jcphzk6 wrote

Just wait till they find out about the upcoming cherry blossom 10 miler or the marine corps marathon.

10

mmmmanzo t1_jcplcbx wrote

This!!! I think the whole race was on them 7AM train - and by the time we got there I had maybe 10 min to hit the porta potty and get to the start.

1

quickbanishment t1_jcq1wwx wrote

Replying to cnote5 (#2,263,083)

I think you need to separate the feelings that it apparently generates for you to see people running, from the actual reasons they are running. I guarantee they are not going out to exercise to show off for you or anyone else.

4

alizadk t1_jcq3mml wrote

It would be nice if they wouldn't shut down part of Metro near the race course, either.

6

sven_ftw t1_jcq8fg8 wrote

Replying to veloharris (#2,261,770)

There was an awesome older lady (and her husband) who were standing outside their house on North Capitol St. handing out these super tasty chocolate chip cookie squares that were cut small enough to pop.

There was another guy handing out packaged candy near McMillion. And then of course the "Calvert Fill Station" was in full force too.

I always get a kick out of the folks who are in lawn chairs with beers and music going and just yelling / cheering on passersby because why not, lol.

TL;DR - at least some residents have a lot of fun with it!

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ChickenAndDew t1_jcqwipd wrote

Replying to CriticalStrawberry (#2,262,822)

This. Three years ago, I was staying at the Marriott Wardman Park for an event, but my bus pulled into Union Station three minutes after the last Red Line to Shady Grove left. Had I not remembered that the 96 bus also connected the two points, I would’ve had to spend money on an Uber/Lyft or a cab.

5

Cythrosi t1_jcrv11x wrote

Replying to CriticalStrawberry (#2,264,816)

Metro has pretty consistently shown they can barely manage with the hours they have for maintenance, and a large part of what got them into a major hole in terms of maintenance in the 2000-2010s era was that the system prioritized more service at the cost of hours to get things done.

There are many maintenance activities that can move at much greater speeds when you can have both tracks down, and it's safer for the workers too. I'd certainly love 24/7 service, but Metro would need a fundamental restructuring of how it operates and how it does maintenance to even make it a remote possibility. The system wasn't built with 24/7 operation in mind.

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Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_jcrvizk wrote

100% agree. I have a car because I work weeks and nights and weekends suck for commuting

1

Jewell84 t1_jcs5ck0 wrote

Replying to sven_ftw (#2,264,678)

This was my second year running. The local folks cheering us on kept me going. It was the group with Believe signs that gave me the biggest boost, plus the aforementioned cookies.

The Fife and Drum group at that awful hill in Rock Creek Park and the GoGo Band towards the end of the race were my favorites.

3

DCGinkgo t1_jcsb450 wrote

Replying to Cythrosi (#2,267,317)

Exactly. To do real maintenance means a chunk of hours with no trains. DC is not NYC . There is no need for 24/7 subway service. Would there even be bus routes that would support 24/7 demand, have a significant ridership of third shift workers?

3

Cythrosi t1_jcsdopk wrote

Replying to DCGinkgo (#2,268,194)

DC is moving to having some 24/7 bus routes, along with free fares for trips within the District. But those have flexibility in the routes for maintenance on the road, while the rails are harder to do that with.

2

metrazol t1_jct6ppx wrote

Replying to zelaelaisly (#2,268,783)

NYC is fascinating how they do 24hr service. More tracks, more trains, and every model of car is pressure washable, top to bottom, inside and out. I love the old wicker seats, but alas...

1

born_to_kvetch t1_jcthvjt wrote

Replying to veloharris (#2,261,770)

My one and only experience with the Rock n’ Roll marathon was when I was trying to get to the GW Hospital and the Uber couldn’t get to me because of the street closures. In hindsight, I should have called an ambulance, but my panicked brain didn’t think of that at the time.

2

sven_ftw t1_jcu4aoi wrote

Replying to Jewell84 (#2,267,834)

Yes, the band at McMillian that you can hear echoing as you run across on Harvard St is my fav too.

The drill instructor at the Calvert hill yelling at me to keep going and not wimp out was quite motivating lol.

2

Gumburcules t1_jcv1ren wrote

Replying to CriticalStrawberry (#2,262,550)

There simply isn't a good reason to have 24 hour service on the metro.

Even when they had 3am service on weekends only about 1,500 people an hour used it after midnight. On weekdays that would probably be 500 or fewer.

Metro costs over $100,000 an hour to run, and much of that is fixed and doesn't go down running fewer trains - station manager salaries, electricity to the stations, Metro police, etc.

I'm the first person who will tell you that public transit shouldn't be expected to make money, but there's a common sense limit. Spending $200 per passenger to keep a subway running that nobody uses is well over that limit.

2

Gumburcules t1_jcv2wq3 wrote

Replying to zelaelaisly (#2,268,783)

NYC and Chicago have significantly higher population and density and NYCs MTA is drowning in debt, so much so that they're looking at having to shut down entire subway lines.

Probably not the model we want to follow.

2

dctexan202 t1_jd3b7c7 wrote

Replying to Playful-Translator49 (#2,267,688)

The issue is that there is no way to "plan" for those particular streets being closed. You're just screwed for half of the day if you need to go anywhere that involves crossing North Capitol or Harvard Street--so essentially you're trapped. Couple this with various WMATA service outages that are not coordinated, and you have a recipe for disaster. Traffic becomes a total gridlock.

The "plan" is just to not go anywhere that particular day.

Have the marathon run the same routes that the other ones (e.g. Marine Corps) do down by the mall, and don't bring that nonsense up into core residential and business districts.

It's unfair to all of us, especially those who commute into the city in the morning to staff all of the bars and restaurants for your brunches and St. Patty's festivities.

1