Circulator bus service will be phased out in the coming months and the plan announced last week by WMATA and the D.C. Department of Transportation leaves a significant and unacceptable gap in crosstown service for the Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Woodley Park neighborhoods. I am working to fix that.
In the days after the announcement of the plan, I immediately reached out to D.C.’s representatives on the WMATA board and I’ve spoken directly to officials at DDOT and WMATA to make sure that, at minimum, when WMATA’s Better Bus Network redesign launches next July, appropriate bus service will return to the neighborhood.
The sunsetting of D.C.’s Circulator service was announced by the Mayor in the spring. It was not ideal, but we agreed to the cut with the assurance that WMATA service would be enhanced to make up for the lost service as part of the WMATA Better Bus Network redesign. We did not anticipate that during the nine-month transition we would lose important connectors like those between Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, and the Woodley Park metro station.
We’ve done a lot of work to put together great bus improvements on Columbia Road that are now under construction, and I want to make sure WMATA is able to take full advantage of the new bus platforms, lane adjustments, and bus lane by running more service on that corridor.
WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke and I had a productive conversation, and he agreed to work with me and DDOT on filling in the gap as part of the Better Bus Network. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about the now-approved interim plan.
I have been working consistently for years to push for infrastructure projects across the city that make busses run more efficiently – bus lanes, road redesign, and yes, eliminating parking in some areas. These are good for transit riders and save WMATA millions of dollars because of that efficiency. GM Clarke agrees with me on that and wants us to do more.
Robust transit service is critical to the District’s workers, residents, and economy. Especially so in Ward 1, which is compact and where proportionally more residents use public transit than elsewhere in the region. I encourage residents and business owners to contact WMATA and DDOT to share their concerns and the need for critical crosstown and cross-ward service. Please feel free to copy me on any correspondence, which also help me in making the case.
I don’t want to omit some very positive news: in the same meeting where the temporary Circulator-replacement service was approved, the WMATA Board of Directors also approved the permanent implementation of the District’s 24-hour bus network, which I was proud to initiate and fund in the budget last year. I want to thank WMATA for their enthusiastic embrace of the all-day network.
One final note: I am concerned by reports that current Circulator operators are not being treated fairly in this transition. DDOT and the Mayor need to prioritize the interests of those workers that have served our residents for so long, and make sure that they are able to attain jobs at WMATA with comparable wages and benefits.
###
