On January 20, 2009, mayhem will descend upon the District. According to some reports, nearly 1.5 million Americans, the largest Inauguration Day crowd ever, are expected to arrive in D.C. to watch Barack Obama assume the presidency, a staggering number for a city with a population of just under 600,000. Apart from testifying to the historic nature of the day, D.C.’s visitors will likely overload public transportation, squeezing into Metrorail cars and Metro buses by the thousand. Georgetown should offer shuttle buses to and from the inauguration to ensure that its students are able to attend the ceremonies, regardless of the state Metro is in.
Admittedly, now may not be the best time to tack an additional expense onto the budget of a University that recently saw a nearly 12 percent decrease in its endowment. Class won’t be in session on Inauguration Day, though, so Georgetown could save money by running GUTS buses on a weekend schedule and committing the additional buses to shuttling students back and forth from a site near the swearing-in ceremony and Inauguration Day parade. Georgetown regularly points to its location in the nation’s capitol as evidence of its political pedigree. Now is the time to back up that claim by giving students easy access to one of the most important political events of our generation.
WMATA’s website promises rush hour service for 15 hours on Inauguration Day to accommodate what it calls “extremely crowded conditions.” For security reasons, though, the National Mall entrance of the Smithsonian metro station, the closest station to the festivities, will be closed on Inauguration Day, leaving only one exit open. In addition, security measures require that the Archives Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station remain closed for the entire day. Thus, Inauguration Day crowds will be forced into the only entrance of the Smithsonian station or the nearby Federal Triangle station.
Georgetown students could certainly walk to and from the ceremony—they have proven their ability to run to the White House on two occasions in recent memory. Buses would encourage all students to attend the festivities, though, not only the most enthusiastic. For most Georgetown students, the 2008 election will likely be the most historic they will ever witness and one for which they have demonstrated considerable enthusiasm; as an institution supposedly so well-connected in Washington and so politically oriented, the University owes them at least a relatively easy way to witness the official beginning of a new America.
Your own words demonstrate why busing is wholly unnecessary. While you’re correct that the Metro may be rough, the last thing Georgetown should be doing is wasting money on buses while compounding what will undoubtedly be already-terrible traffic.
As you say, “For most Georgetown students, the 2008 election will likely be the most historic they will ever witness and one for which they have demonstrated considerable enthusiasm.” I think for such a moment, it’s OK to ask people to spend another 30 minutes on the Metro. Or just have them walk.
If free Georgetown buses could conceivably be the difference between people attending and not attending the inauguration, chances are they don’t actually care enough to go anyway.
This would be a disaster. There are going to be up to 4 million people in D.C. for inauguration–8 times the city’s population. If Metro is going to be atrocious, the already terrible roads are going to be even worse. These buses might be on the roads for upwards of an hour for a one-way trip, and aren’t going to be able to end up anywhere near anything worthwhile.
It’s time for Georgetown to realize that yes, it is part of Washington, D.C., and people can walk across those short bridges. If Georgetown students aren’t “enthusiastic” enough to make that trek–and if this inauguration in particular can’t stir enough emotion in them–there’s no reason for them to be there anyway.