[CCWG-ACCT] Oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Transport Authority

[Salaets, Ken]

As someone who unfortunately rides Metro five days a week, it's true that the system is a mess, but it has more to do with a lack of a dedicated revenue source other than a fares, and constraints on workforce recruitment.  Ridership has steadily declined for a variety of reasons, amplifying the challenges with lack of infrastructure investment, staff training, etc.

True, having multi-state governance doesn't help, but it is not the core issue and, with due respect, is not a corollary to giving the community a voice in ICANN budget matters.

Finally, Metro expansion as contemplated has been completed.  Metro did recently expand rather significantly beyond the original vision, i.e., the Silver Line, but alas, the addition is contributing to Metro problems in tangible ways, and is accelerating the decline in ridership.

Ken

On Oct 16, 2015, at 1:25 PM, Sivasubramanian M <isolatedn at gmail.com<mailto:isolatedn at gmail.com>> wrote:


A co passenger on the Washington DC Metro remarked that Washington DC metro is far less efficient in making design improvements and in effecting upgrades. The top job was vacant for over 7 years before 2011, and vacant again since February 2015 with all leading candidates withdrawn. Plans to extend the metro have not progressed in 6 or 7 years.  This co passenger said that it was all because of the complex oversight of the Metro.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington Metropolitan Area<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metropolitan_Area>. WMATA was created by the United States Congress<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress> as aninterstate compact<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_compact> between the District of Columbia<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.>, the State of Maryland<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland>, and the Commonwealth of Virginia<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia>.

Trijurisdictional Government Agency with several subcommittees that requires the Directors / Representatives of the Federal Government and two state governments to agree on budget and other management decisions. It is perhaps due to this complications that the Metro, in comparison with other Pubic Transport Authorities in other US cities, is less efficient in its management, slow to make decisions and somewhat stagnant in its expansion.

ICANN Accountability discussions have made commendable progress during the last 18 months, but seek to introduce some new measures in the way ICANN is governed. Some of the new processes, such as change in budgetary process may have to be considered with the caution that greater complexities may compromise on the efficiency with which ICANN makes decisions.

Sivasubramanian M






Sivasubramanian M<https://www.facebook.com/sivasubramanian.muthusamy>
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