Disabled riders say Pentagon City pedestrian tunnel does not comply with law

Disabled riders of D.C. Metro expressed their opposition to the opening of a pedestrian tunnel at Pentagon City station on Thursday.

    The board approved to negotiate and execute an agreement with Arlington County to open the tunnel, which was first constructed in 1984 but has undergone rehabilitation beginning in 2012 to meet WMATA’s operational standards. The tunnel would prevent pedestrians from crossing 12th Street by connecting its northeast corner to the Metro station. 

    In the agreement, Arlington County offered to take full ownership of the tunnel which would rid of any pressure on Metro to allocate funds towards the project. 

    During the board meeting, six disabled Metro riders opposed the agreement, arguing that the lack of elevators would not provide an atmosphere of equality.

    Dorris Ray, a member of Metro's Accessibility Advisory Committee, said Metro is “forcing people with disabilities to cross a very large street” by not adding more elevators.         

Pentagon City has one elevator on the opposite side of the tunnel. Arlington county officials notified the Metro Board that the pedestrian tunnel is within the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which forbids “discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, and public accommodation” (Department of Labor).

    Laura Halvorson, a member of D.C. Metro ADAPT, an organization geared toward equality for disabled riders, said if Metro does not negotiate an agreement with Arlington County that includes the addition of more elevators, the organization will protest.

    Disabled riders also opposed the proposed raised fares and the slashing of MetroAccess operations, which was proposed by General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld to close the $290 million budget gap. Metro planned to raise the MetroAccess fare by 10 cents during peak hours and 25 cents during off-peak hours like other comparable rates. They also planned to cut 14 bus routes which would affect MetroAccess riders. 

    “Our issue is also with the budget,” Halvorson said. “They want to raise fares for MetroAccess, and it’s already pretty costly because a lot of us are on fixed incomes.”

    Elizabeth Hideman, another member of D.C. Metro ADAPT, said that slashing bus routes would make it “difficult to find transportation from work, attend night classes, and to have any social life at all.”

    Halvorson said that replacing Metro with Uber would be less convenient because they are “discriminatory toward disabled people.”

    Maryland and Virginia do not have Uber cars that are wheelchair accessible, according to Uber. There are also few in the D.C. area, said Halvorson. “I ordered one and a regular van pulled up with no wheelchair lift on it,” she said. “That’s not an option. This is going to affect our equal opportunity to do everything.” 

    Jack Evans, Chairman of the Metro Board, agreed to meet with DC Metro ADAPT to discuss issues regarding accessibility and affordability in further detail.