The Obama Inauguration is shaping up to be a huge event in more ways than one. There are projected to be more people attending than ever before, the metro system is anticipating over 1 million riders that day (a %20 increase over it's previous one day record), and the inauguration will cost Washington DC more than any previous event - by a lot.
Two things in particular amuse me about the whole business. First, as Obama goes from event to event (including parties after the swearing in), a rolling "security bubble" will move with him, which will cause metro stations and bus stops to be closed as long as the President is nearby. So in addition to the enormous increase in traffic and ridership, they'll have to deal with unpredictable interuptions and disruptions in service.
In related news, due to security concerns during the inauguration, metro will be closing all of its public restrooms. To compensate, they've announced plans to put up hundreds of port-o-potties. A little back-of-the-napkin math shows that there will be one toilet available for every 8,000 metro riders.
I will be staying far, far away from Washington DC - and metro - during the festivities.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
You Should Go Before You Leave
Posted by Ted at 6:16 AM
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1 comments:
I wonder if the whole affair will be lavishly overdone and, if so, will anyone who's been bleating about the economy (or anyone who's actually lost their job, etc.) and seeing Obama as our savior make note of that gluttony and expense (taxpayer monies)? It seems unseemly to have a bigass party when people are HURTING. Doesn't it? Then again, I suspect the Obama supporters will pt their class envy on hold for Obama's inaug.
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