Car Free DC? Still a ways off...

Today is supposedly Car Free Day worldwide. Unfortunately, traffic may be less in some areas (not enough that I can notice, though) because of the economy. However, it may have been tricky to actually go car-free in DC today, as cabbies were on strike protesting the new meters.

Another impediment from more people going car-free in the area stems from recent transit troubles, such as the latest in a string of suicides at subway stations (causing Metro to begin suicide prevention measures). If only to prevent another suicide like last week's tragedy at the Columbia Heights station, a fifteen year old who decided to end it all in public (I heard the awful thud when it happened; the boy was still alive for a little while after he jumped), such efforts could be worthwhile.

Scene outside the Columbia Heights metro, about 2 pm on Sept. 17, 2009.

Perhaps we need the equivalent of the Tokyo subway's people pushers , whom, by their presence, are another level of eyes and ears in the system, who could also watch out for the extremely distraught.