There are so many reasons this is a good idea - too many to list here. Mostly, it will make everyone who rides the train feel much safer. And despite what some may say, it's not really a problem that the firearm a District-bound Virginia resident boards with in, say, Quantico or Manassas cannot be carried legally in D.C. In fact - and I'm sure you've already thought of this - it's a potential revenue-maker for the state: Set up some kind of gun-checking station at the border, charge a few bucks for eight hours' worth of storage, and tack on a handling fee! Commuters will feel it's worth it to have their guns for a few stops, and they can conveniently pick them back up after a hard day's work.

NBC Washington reported that some members of your board were "less than thrilled with having to make the change" - as required by state law - "partially because many riders will run afoul of the differing rules across jurisdictions, but also because guns plus big crowds equals disaster."

For instance, Chris Zimmerman, an Arlington County supervisor, said, "I think encouraging people to bring guns onto loaded trains is a stupid idea."

That's short-sighted and silly. Bringing guns onto loaded trains is a good idea. Here's to hoping most commuters take advantage of the opportunity. We will all be better for it.

Comments? Ideas? I'm at eniedowski@washingtoncitypaper.com, and on Twitter.

"If this is an issue dealing with the safety of the system, I'm not going to restrict the repairs to nighttime. I'm going to get it as soon as I can get it done. And we will look at ways to do that, but that will impact the service on the Red Line," he said.

"Now that we're getting into heavy revamp of the system, it will be impacting services for the next several years," Mr. Catoe said. To lessen disruptions to the system, Metro will rethink how it schedules maintenance. Suggestions include doing large repairs on holidays or specific days of the week like Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In a wide-ranging interview with the paper, Catoe also suggested that problems with a 30-year-old computer system that is being investigated as the possible cause of the crash could impact other transit systems across the country.

"With this, depending again what they ultimately find, could be much larger. It's an issue, depending upon what they find, not just for [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]. We're not the only one with this type of system. Most rail operations around the country have a similar system to this," said Mr. Catoe, who insisted he was speculating and distanced himself from the NTSB investigation.

"If they find, let's say, that there's a defect in the part, then you have to look at all the parts around the country because there's only two manufacturers of those parts," he said.

The train control system designed to prevent Metro crashes is malfunctioning across the railroad, suggesting that a technological failure at the heart of last month's fatal crash may be widespread, according to officials and documents.

At least one-half dozen track circuits on four of the five lines of the transit system have failed to properly detect the presence of trains.

Six circuits have been shut down in addition to the one thought to have caused last month's Red Line crash. Some of them---including 'circuits at Greenbelt on the Green Line, Grosvenor on the Red Line and Foggy Bottom on the Orange/Blue line'---have been shut off, meaning trains can only pass through them one at a time, at 15 mph.

And double whoa:

[D]ocuments show that Metro technicians have detected malfunctions since at least July 11. Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said publicly as recently as July 16 that the agency has inspected all 3,000 circuits and not noted any problems.

The renovations to the system will cost $177 million (only $80 million more than anticipated last summer!) and will take upwards of 4 years to complete, beginning in early 2010.  Among the important tasks of the renovation are:

• New escalators at the south entrance of Dupont Circle - Please, slow down this exit even more.  And give me an opportunity to walk up and down that ridiculously long escalator when it's not running.
• Upgrades to the air conditioning and ventilation - Does the Metro really need to be colder?  Maybe when the trains are filled to capacity, which will only worsen when the Red Line starts single-tracking to solve this issue.
• Rehabilitation of the Rockville and Shady Grove platforms - What does that even mean?  Re-grouting the tiles?  Adding a few benches?
• New staircases, escalators, and a canopy at Foggy Bottom - A canopy?  Really?  Get an umbrella.

The other planned maintenance seems more on track, if you'll forgive the pun.  Like an upgrade to the automatic train controls and track maintenance and fixing the tunnel ventilation and fire equipment.  Maybe those should be the primary focus.  Because it's always better to prevent train collisions than to prevent getting wet while entering the station.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is advising motorists that the 2600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW is closed to eastbound traffic because of a sinkhole. A square hole, approximately 4 feet by 4 feet, and 5 feet deep, has developed in the roadway near the bridge over Rock Creek (see attached photo).

DDOT crews are on the scene to make repairs. They are also working with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to try and reopen a lane for eastbound traffic, but delays are likely and motorists are advised to take alternate routes if possible

Any readers got pics?

UPDATE, 5:35 P.M.: WUSA-TV has a photo.

Fenty is expected to make remarks on the red line crash this morning at 8:00 a.m. We'll be live-blogging the press conference here.

8:01 a.m. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Fire Chief Dennis Rubin, Councilmember Jim Graham step up.

8:02 a.m. Fenty says he wants the country to know that his first efforts are with the families and friends of the victims. 76 people were taken off of the train to the hospital. Yesterday, six were confirmed dead. This morning, the number of confirmed dead is seven. Not nine as previously reported.

8:03 a.m. Fenty says it's the deadliest crash in the history of WMATA. Two critically injured held stable in the hospital last night. One injured person was updated out of critical last night. Fenty says he'll begin making next-of-kin notifications today.

8:04 a.m. Heavy equipment came in today to begin cutting through the train. Fenty says that after the machinery comes in they'll have an updated number of confirmed dead. He hopes it doesn't rise from the current number, 7.

8:05 a.m. Fenty brings forward Fire Chief Rubin.

8:06 a.m. Rubin says at 5:30 a.m. a crane was able to come in to lift up some of the debris to help "thoroughly check every single space." Firefighters worked through the night. Brought in dogs to look for survivors underneath the train and in the wooded area near the tracks.

8:07 a.m. Rescue is on hold for now while the trains are moved off the train. There have been two minor firefighter injuries, Rubin says.

8:08 a.m. Police Chief Cathy Lanier gives an update on next-of-kin updates. She says that they will likely be able to be made later today.

8:09 a.m. WMATA chief John Catoe gives his condolences to the families of the driver and the passengers. "We will find out what happened here, what caused this, and put all the resources necessary to make sure this doesn't happen again." Says his heart goes out to the families of the dead and injured. Says he's heard comments from around the world about the crash.

8:10 a.m. Data recovery: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) rep Debbie Hersman says they are making sure they document each step of that so they know the exact condition of the accident scene going forward. Investigators say there were nine data recorders on the train that was struck. The striking train, which hit the standing train, does not have the same level of recorders on it, so they are not expecting to get any data off of that. There are 9 NTSB investigators working on the scene.

8:12 a.m. WMATA operates in "ATO" or "automatic" mode during rush hour---the time of the crash. Hersman says one team will be looking at the drivers' records as well as cell phone and texting records to get more info about what they were doing at the time of the scene. There will also be an equipment investigation to see if there was any breakage. There's also a team looking at the condition of the track for any broken circuits or defects after the trains are moved. Another team will be working to interview survivors about what happened during the crash and how effective WMATA worked post-crash.

8:13 a.m. Hersman begins taking questions.

First question: Expound on the crashworthiness of the train cars. [Mike Debonis is on the crashworthiness question here].

Hersman says that the entire last car on the train was compromised in the crash. She says only that there have been recommendations made about survivability on the trains made to the feds and to WMATA.

Catoe adds in that any crash would compromise part of the car.

Second question: Even if the train was on automatic, shouldn't there have been some way for the driver to see the train ahead and manually stop it?

Hersman says that they'll do an investigation of the speeds of the trains and perform a sight-distance test to see whether it would have even been possible for the train's driver to see the train in front in time to step.

Third question: What is the best-case scenario of getting any recorded information off the 1000-series cars (the older car that hit the train ahead)?

Hersman says they don't expect to get any information from off that car.

Fourth question: [I missed this one, anyone catch it?]

Fifth question: Basically, if these 1000 series cars have poor crashworthiness and no recording devices, why are they in use?

Hersman says there have been recommendations made that the 1000-series cars are phased out. She says that there have also been recommendations for adding recording devices to those cars before they're phased out. But she cautions against assuming the cause of this crash.

Fenty says that they will reconvene at 5 p.m. for what he expects to be the final city-led press conference on the crash.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Around noon on Saturday, an unidentified man moved into the path of a train at the Potomac Avenue station in Southeast and was struck by an Orange Line train.  EMS technicians worked to free the man and eventually transported him to a local hospital but he later died from his injuries.  Approximately 24 hours later, Gweno Ladisch, a French woman living in Chevy Chase, also purposely placed herself in front of a train at Bethesda station and died as a result.  Metro suicides like these are tragic, isolated incidents but are becoming more frequent, according to a poll in today's Examiner.  It's the other incidents of violence that have greater shock value.

Yesterday, two employees of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transit Commission were shot and killed at a bus terminal in Prince William County.  A suspect, Glenn Wade, who also happened to be a roommate of one of the victims, turned himself in and was charged with murder last night.  According to police, an altercation between the two men may have resulted in the shooting, but a reason behind the action doesn't make it better.

What is it about this area?  It was only last November that a 15 year old boy was shot and killed on a Ride-On bus in Silver Spring.  Two years ago, people nation-wide were praising Wesley Autry, the New Yorker who saved a stranger's life by throwing himself onto the tracks as the train passed over them.  In DC, four people have died in three days with little fanfare.  Our public transit system needs a safety overhaul, that's for sure.  But maybe Washingtonians aren't fazed.  According to Metro's ridership statistics, the number of people using Metro is constantly rising.

UPDATED: 3:08 p.m.

The victim was a male, there was no age available at the time, and the preliminary investigation indicates it was intentional, according to a WMATA spokesman. There were several witnesses and authorities will be reviewing surveillance footage from the station.

UPDATED 3:05 p.m.

A person was struck and killed by blue line train at the McPherson Square Station, according to Cathy Asato of WMATA's Office of Media Relations.

The event happened at about 1:15 p.m.

There is currently no blue or orange line service between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle, and passengers should expect delays throughout the afternoon, said Asato.

From Alert D.C. -

Blue and Orange line riders face delays after person hit by a train

Buses called in to shuttle passengers around incident

Blue and Orange line riders are facing delays this afternoon after a person was hit by a train at the McPherson Square station around 1:15 p.m. The Blue Line train was headed to the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station at the time of the incident.

There is no train service to the McPherson Square station while emergency crews respond. Metro is setting up free shuttle bus service from the Foggy Bottom Metrorail station to the Federal Triangle Metrorail station to help passengers around the incident area. The buses will stop at Foggy Bottom, Farragut West, McPherson Square, Metro Center and Federal Triangle.

Passengers can expect delays throughout the afternoon as Metro continues to investigate.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Over at why.i.hate.dc, a local D.C. blogger has declared war on local D.C. blogs, and written a sarcastic list of tips for creating a successful neighborhood blog (which if you follow, "you should find yourself linked by DCist and The Washington City Paper in no time!").

One anonymous commenter joked that he/she was "so inspired I'm going to start a Brookland neighborhood parody blog."

My first post will ask readers to join me in an email writing campaign to Whole Foods corporate headquarters asking for our own store.

Next, I'll review the new coffee shop opened by two gay men who just returned from wintering in Vieques, and who import "fair trade" Ethiopian coffee direct from the source.

Jokes aside, it raises a legitimate question: where is Brookland on the blog scene? Both the Brookland Blog (which has an old post about the ever-entertaining Brookland listserv) and stop, blog, and roll have been inactive since the summer, leaving a huge gap for an intrepid blogger to fill. Sure, there's the Brookland Heartbeat, but that only comes out every other month.

There's just an endless stream of material to cover in Brookland - the Brookland-CUA Small Area Plan is a classic development v. status quo fight, a new restaurant on 12th Street, town & gown stories based on conflicts between Catholic U. and the neighborhood (usually centered around bars like the Library and the Cardinal's Nest), fights about putting power lines underground and Brookland is right next door to the Armed Forces Retirement Center and the McMillian Sand Filtration site. What more could a blogger ask for?

Some suggestions from why.i.hate.dc to get you started:

...Your blog's banner must include a photo of either the local Metro station, or a group of rowhouses.

...You should always discuss how awesomely friendly your neighbors are, in so much that the people who have "lived there forever" say hi to you.

...Hearing gunshots warrants an immediate "live blogging" event. You should definitely make note of how long it took the police to arrive. You should also mention that while you aren't sure what actually occurred, you intend to call the police station to find out. You may or may not post a follow up, explaining how unhelpful the police were on the phone.

...You should lament how despite the growing number of restaurants and bars, you have yet to find one that's "cozy" or "neighborhood" enough for you. Don't mention that any place that would meet this criteria is EWWW waaay too gross for your taste.

...Post a lot of poorly composed, low quality photos that you took with your iPhone/cell phone.

...Lament the lack of a good (name brand) grocery store in your neighborhood.

Head over to their post for some more tips, Brooklanders, and get bloggin'!

Update: former stop, blog, and roll blogger Jaime Fearer (now blogging for Greater, Greater Washington) argues that the blog "isn't inactive, it's closed b/c i moved but still up in case the info is useful. semantics, i know." Point taken. While stop blog and roll is "closed," it does serve as an archive of a lot of happenings in Brookland (as well as a lot of great links for info on the area). Sidenote: someone needs to come up with a new buzzword for abandoned blogs.

In an article about ways in which people are trying to beat inaugural transportation hassles, the Washington Post mentions the situation at Cap Hill's Capital Segway:

"Calls have flooded Rep Burks's Segway rental store in the District. "People get excited about taking a Segway to the inauguration," he said. A Segway is one of the few private vehicles that will be allowed, like bikes, on city streets and across bridges. "But then they find out they can't get inside the secure zone with it, and they realize it's not such a great option." Segways, like bikes, strollers and other wheeled vehicles, are not allowed near the Mall or parade route."But even if they were, Burks's Segways have all been snapped up by Obama's people."

Capital Segway General Manager Steven Orr says yes, the phone has been ringing a lot and yes, "Obama's people" have reserved the business’s thirty electric chariots."They may or may not need all of them."

Orr assumes inauguration volunteers asked to travel long distances will be mounting the vehicles.

Obama's peeps are scheduled to pick up ten machines today. Won't it be a cold ride? Obviously it's going to be a little colder on a Segway, Orr says, but the vehicle only goes up to 12.5 miles an hour, so there's not a lot of wind.

Photo by PetroleumJelliffe

Yesterday, the Washington City Paper's own Darrow Montgomery asked an important question in the comments section of a post focusing on the flood of RSVPs (as of now, over 1,300) the Washington Area Bicycle Association has received for its Inaug-Day bicycle-parking service: "What happens to bikes locked up outside these areas?"

Seeking an answer, City Desk contacted Kevin Griffis, spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "As long as [a parked/locked bike isn't] obstructing traffic, it should be fine," Griffis said, but suggested we contact MPD to be sure.

D.C. police spokeswoman Traci Hughes had this to say about the subject via email: "If your readers want to park and lock outside the parade perimeter as they would on a normal day that is fine." Hughes then added that bikers should, "Keep in mind there may be theft issues considering the number of people."

An email from First District Commander David Kamperin was similar in nature, except the officer had his own keep-in-mind. "Keep in mind [bikers] are prohibited from securing to official signs, posts, etc."

James R. Sebastian, the District Department of Transportation's bike program manager, also offered up some advice on inaugural bike parking:

There are no special bike parking spots besides the valet stations, but bicyclists can park where they normally are allowed to park: bike racks and other ‘stanchions’ in public space (like parking meters, streets signs, etc) EXCEPT for fire hydrants, poles in bus stop areas, within 25 feet of an intersection, and trees under 10 feet in diameter.

Sebastian said he doesn't know what Commander Kamperin meant by cyclists being "prohibited from securing to official signs, posts, etc."

photo by modomatic

Update: How to Use the Inaugural Bike Valet

WABA program-assistant Henry Mesias, who has provided City Desk with all sorts of timely scoops regarding the free bike valet service the association will offer on Inauguration Day, says the non-profit is fully prepared for a "bikepocalypse."  And why might he predict one?  Around this time last week, the organization had received some 650 RSVPs, whereas, by yesterday, it had received over 1,100 (a jump of 450 cyclists).

Considering RSVPs aren't required, and the inauguration is still seven days away, you can bet there will be more than eleven-hundred two-wheelers rolling into stations on Jan. 20. (Back in December, WABA imagined there would be a max of just a thousand.) No sweat. WABA can handle it. "We're prepared for the worst, I mean...er...the best," Mesias says.

Not only is the group ready for the worst-er- best, they're ready to supply the multitudes who stream into one of two (plans for a third were scrapped) stations--located north and south of the National Mall respectively-- with snazzy commemorative claim tickets and spoke cards. The spoke card design is pictured below.

Photo by Decadent

According to Washington Area Bicyclist Association program assistant Henry Mesias, it's official: WABA will be setting up bike valet stations at the Capitol on Inauguration Day. "Locations are still TBA," he writes in an email, "but there will be designated bike valet areas north and south of the event."

The nonprofit had been waiting for approval from various government entities so that it could offer free bike parking (and guarding) on January 20.

Mesias says more info will be released later today, through the organization's Web site, www.waba.org, and WABA is "asking folks who think they may use the valet to RSVP on our website to help us get an idea of how many bikes to expect."

Update: Asked to confirm the District Department of Transportation will be working with WABA to place bike valet stations at the inaug, DDOT spokesman John Lisle doesn't give up the goods.

"I know they're working on it and today may be launching a page asking people to RSVP so they can get a sense of how many people might bike to the inauguration.  From our standpoint, officially nothing's changed.  We think it's a great idea to offer people an alternative way to get to the Inauguration and we're working with WABA on the logistics to try and make it happen."

Mesias says he isn't surprised DDOT is refusing to confirm. "I don't think DDOT will do a press release until all the exact details are pinned down." But, he assures, an email WABA received from the department says the bike stations are approved.

Photo courtesy of Washington Area Bicyclist Association