Hello Arlington Yupette Bloggers -
I have to conclude, after reading the NTSB report, that long-time WMATA Board member Chris Zimmerman was grossly negligent during his tenure on the WMATA Board for ignoring major MetroRail safety problems and concentrating instead on Metrorail "cosmetics".
Comments?
No Longer a Metro Rider
19 comments:
Want to know what I think? Zimmerman should be hauled in front of a Federal Grand Jury along with the other WMATA Board Members and WMATA Management.
The NTSB report indicates that Zimmerman is criminally negligent vis a vis Metrorail accidents since 2005. If someone in my family were injured or killed by a Metrorail accident I would camp out in front of the U.S. Attorney's Office until Zimmerman and the other corrupt pols who have run and ruined Metrorail were indicted.
What happened to the Arlington-Falls Church deal regarding operation of the George Bus?
Zimmerman never cared about safety. He only cares about cosmetic repairs and upgrades to Metrorail.
What happened to the George Bus? Broad Street Falls Church got Clarendoned by Smart Growth, parking spaces for hundreds of vehicles got constructed together with the ugly buildings. So everyone drives.
Looks real positive for public transportation when Zimmerman's EFC Metro Station and the surrounding area get redeveloped and 2,000 parking spaces get constructed.
As the longest serving member of the WMATA Board -- a member continuously serving on the Board's safety committee and chairman of that committee the last two grizzly years -- Zimmerman is the most culpable of the bunch.
At the time of the "accident" in July 2009 a big Safety Awards ceremony was scheduled for the WMATA board meeting. Zimmerman was to pass out the awards. Was pulled off the agenda after the "accident".
My take on the "accident" last July? Zimmerman was like Bush before 9-11-01. Something was expected to happen to get the U.S. into Iraq - Afghanistan and put the USA under lockdown for a few years. Bush, Cheney, Rice, etc., most likely figured it to be hijackers hijacking planes from U.S. airports.
Similarly, Zimmerman figured there would be a simple derailment and that would focus the public's and the federal government's attention on getting safety upgrades for the system.
There should be a thread about Breda, the corporation that manufactured the 1000 series Metrorail trains. Before this company got out of designing aircraft and into designing surface transportation the aircraft it manufactured were so bad that the Italian Air Force would not fly them during WW2.
George Bus was another transportation deal orchestrated by Guru of Gridlock Zimmerman with Falls Church.
Shirlingtonization of EFC is another deal being orchestrated by Guru of Gridlock Zimmerman.
Founders Square (being developed on the old Metrobus site in Ballston) was another Guru of Gridlock Zimmerman deal. Fifteen hundred new parking spaces.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know what a steady infusion of corrosive water, rust, dirt, and grease does to electo-mechanical sensors on railroad tracks.
Zimmerman is absolutely culpable. We should demand he immediately resign from the WMATA Board.
How about the brawl at the Metro station a few weeks ago?
Zimmerman spends tens of millions gussying up Metro stations while neglecting basics kills off rail passengers, WMATA employees and WMATA contractors.
Blames deaths on aging system. Hah, Chris, you want an aging system then move to Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia or New York. Well, don't -- those systems actually put safety first.
Safety issues? Go to Philadelphis and ask SEPTA why trolleys were retired and trolley tracks and overhead power wires were removed from Philadelphia's streets.
Zimmerman never got excited about Metrorail safety at any County Board meeting I attended. What DID he get excited about? Cosmetics and station construction that took money from safety and safety upgrades.
Don't believe it? See what he had to say about the Ballston Station makeover at the last County Board meeting at arlingtonva.us.
I recently discovered something that Zimmerman does not want Arlington residents to know about: taxicabs are a viable alternative to metrorail. As someone else mentioned, $12 will get you home from Union Station via taxi in 20 minutes during non-rush hours and on weekends.
Precurser of the Breda 1000-series passenger railcars was the Breda BA.88 aircraft.
Zimmerman was negligent in commission or in omission of proper safety on Metrorail during his many years on WMATA. Either way--he needs to be replaced as do all the other WMATA board members.
I drive out to Tysons and see the construction of new Dulles railline and wonder if that line will kill the Orange Line with too many passengers.
When I ride during peak hours, the Orange Line is full. Adding more passengers will only overwhelm it.
We need new thinking about Metrorail, and not just better safety.
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