8.11.2009

Call on the WMATA Board to fire Catoe

I have spent a good deal of time on this site documenting Metro's failures. I have written in depth at how Metro does not have an established culture of safety. On a weekly basis, we learn more about how Metro continues to be plagued with safety issues. We also learn all too frequently about past incidents that foreshadowed the tragic June 22, 2009 crash.

For the uninitated, here's a round-up of the pieces that have appeared on this site, regarding Metro's safety problems.


There are more, but those are the big ones. I have called on John B. Catoe, Jr. to accept responsibility for the crash, as he is the man in charge. However, sadly (but in typical DC fashion), the buck is merely passed around. No one was responsible, or perhaps everyone was responsible.

Several things are clear at this point, Metro lacks an effective emphasis on safety, and no amount of "retraining" is going to change the culture. In order for Metro to establish a true culture of safety, a complete change in administration is required. Starting at the top. Catoe has failed, and will remain a failed and weak leader in the wake of the June 22 crash.

Therefore, I am calling upon the WMATA Board of Directors to remove Catoe from his position as General Manager.

I am also launching one of those "online petitions" to back this effort up. You can read and sign the petition here.

Metro needs a new start. Metro needs a general manager with experience running and maintaining a safe, complex system. A search should be started immediately for an administrator with this experience. They need not specific transit experience, but rather organizational experience. Department heads and deputies can fill the role of transit experts. We need an effective administrator who will attempt to make the sweeping changes Metro so badly needs.

Spread the word.

There's also a Facebook group. Social media is our friend.
Posted by Dave Stroup at 2:45 PM

3 comments:

  1. Denizen of TennallytownAugust 11, 2009

    One Metro train, two too many cars

    A Metro employee tested positive for drugs as part of an investigation into why a Green Line train that passed through five stations in late July was put together with too many cars to fit on station platforms, The Examiner has learned.

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/One-Metro-train_-two-too-many-cars-8087653-52911807.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. anonymousAugust 11, 2009

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ingamahfartenAugust 12, 2009

    Here's an interesting story about a crack-dealing Metrobus driver, who got his girlfried to kill a federal witness:

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32383580/ns/us_news-washington_post/

    ReplyDelete

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