Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 17, 2012

Metro to hold public meeting for Metrobus 14th Street Line Study

Community members, District planners, and Metro to discuss bus service problems and solutions

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), in partnership with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), will host a public meeting Thursday, February 23, 2012, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as part of the Metrobus 14th Street Line Study.

The meeting will take placeat the WMATA Northern Division, 4627 14th Street NW, in the Community Room. The facility is located at the corner of 14th and Decatur Streets, and is accessible by Metrobus routes 52, 53, and 54.

This public meeting is the first of three for the Metrobus 14th Street Line Study. The purpose is to hear directly from riders of 14th Street Line buses about issues with the 52, 53, and 54 routes, and potential improvements that would address them. The meeting is open to all, and no registration is required.

Upon arriving at the public meeting, participants can review information about the study and speak individually with the project team. The meeting will be “open house” style, meaning that participants may arrive any time between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. No presentation will be given; instead, the meeting is intended to start a dialogue between Metro and riders about possible solutions to 14th Street Line problems.

After the public meeting, the study team will use the suggestions received from participants to create a list of improvement options. The options will be evaluated in spring 2012, and the study will culminate in a set of recommendations that will be presented to the public and the Metro Board for approval in summer 2012.

The Metrobus 14th Street Line – routes 52, 53, and 54 – run from Takoma Metro Station west to 14th Street, then south on 14th to McPherson Square. The 52 and 54 routes then continue on different paths to L’Enfant Plaza. The 14th Street Line currently has around 14,000 passengers on an average weekday, one of the largest riderships in the Metrobus system.

Spanish translators and visual materials in Spanish will be available.

A rider survey for the 14th Street Line was conducted in January 2012, and about 600 responses have been received so far. The preliminary results of the survey will be discussed at the February 23 public meeting.

For more information, please visit the project website, www.metrobus-studies.com.

News release issued at 4:07 pm, February 17, 2012.