Welcome from John B. Catoe, Jr.
WMATA General Manager
Mr. Catoe welcomed participants to the Workshop, remarking that how surprised he is to see the few bicycles being carried on the front of buses in this region, as compared to the Los Angles area.
He spoke of the importance of stability and his vision to make Metro one of the world’s best system. Historically, Metro focused on construction. However, we are no longer building and the organization is actively making a shift to providing transportation services. In so doing, there are some proposed reductions to be made. This step is towards focusing on the primary mission and towards closing the gap of the deficit. Mr. Catoe said his goal is to close the budget gap.
Bicycling is one issue, pedestrian safety is another. We accept the responsibility to train our bus operators and to have the necessary equipment maintained. Sometimes there is a responsibility to educate the pedestrian for their own safety.
Mr. Catoe plans to have a robust planning department to contribute to a good rail and bus system. We will focus on partnerships of various organizations such as yours.
Q&A
Q: One of the reasons for this group is the need for a point person within Metro to focus on bike and pedestrian concerns. What is the status of Metro’s commitment to have a person for the coordination of bicycle and pedestrian services?
A: Carol Kachadoorian is the current point person. As we move forward, the coordination of all pedestrian and bicycles services will be robust and will include bicycle access and equipment.
Q: What is the most cost effective way to bring more riders to Metro?
A: The Santa Monica transit mall which provides pedestrian access, and bicycle stands and lockers is one model to use. Co-ordination is desirable with area Universities, where students can use their student identification cards, installed with a chip, to travel on the Metrobus and Metrorail. An expanded SmarTrip program will relieve schools from the need to provide more and more parking structures.
Q: Can there be a dedicated train car for cyclists only?
A: Metro will consider the idea of adding a train for bikes to further encourage cyclist.
Mr. Catoe believes that many of the bicycle programs can have dedicated funding and that Metro should become creative with our bike transportation coordination.
