“Please find a permanent solution to this problem”

Sidney shares a letter he wrote to WMATA:

“I am writing to you about a potential health problem at the Mt. Vernon Metro Station. Every afternoon between about 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm there is an abundance of bird (I assume pigeon) droppings all over the escalators. The disturbing thing is it’s all over the handrails and I see Metro riders putting their hands in it every single day.

Last week I tweeted to WMATA about the problem and they responded and said the escalators would be cleaned. I responded to their tweet, and thanked them for the speedy response and explained that this is an ongoing issue – it’s not as simple as a one time cleaning. It seems to occur every day around the same time. I also told them I don’t expect miracles, I understand that public transportation will never be totally sanitized and that I understand it’s a difficult task keeping outside stations clean.

Yesterday, the escalators at Mt. Vernon were in the same condition as the first time I tweeted, if not worse. Many DC residents and tourists use that Metro station to attend events at the Convention Center, and so do Dunbar High School students on weekdays. Please find a permanent solution to this problem before someone becomes sick – if it means more frequently cleaning the station or removing the birds. It simply can’t be that complicated.

Thank you in advance for your time”