WASHINGTON — Cleveland Park residents may be wondering why glass and debris are still on the ground after a Metrobus crash earlier in the week, impacting parking and becoming an eyesore for the neighborhood.
The H4 Metrobus that was running around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning hit a parked car near the intersection of Porter Street and Connecticut Avenue Northwest. The bus crash led to multiple cars being damaged, according to WMATA officials.
There was one person on the bus, but they were not injured. D.C. Police said that it charged the Metrobus driver with failure to control speed to avoid colliding.
The bus driver was reportedly taken out of service for post-incident testing, which is standard procedure, WMATA said.
According to an email from Quebec House apartments to its residents, approximately 11 cars were damaged, and that several of the cars had parking permits issued by their building. The email indicated that the responding police officer left his business card on the windshields of damaged cars.
"Some cars were displaying Quebec House parking permits and have been contacted, however many vehicles back bumpers are damaged and we are unable to locate a permit," Quebec House's email said. "The cars are parked on the opposite side of Porter Street, facing in the direction of Beach Drive/Rock Creek Park. The responding officer is currently onsite but has also left his card on the window shields of the damaged vehicles. Please let Management know if we can be of assistance in any way."
As of Thursday afternoon, the glass and crash debris have not been cleaned up, and officials with D.C. Public Works have not commented on why nothing has been done.
WMATA is currently handling several transportation initiatives.
Metrobus riders are telling the transit agency not to cut or change dozens of bus lines in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia by this summer. But Metro said it needs to save money by getting rid of routes it calls inefficient.
WMATA is trying to move past a bus strike in Northern Virginia, between the ATU Local 689 union and Transdev, who provides services and has a working relationship with the Metro.
WMATA is also looking to roll out a new system on buses and trains that will allow customers and riders to use an app via there phones to pay for Metro rides, instead of having to use a physical card. The physical card will not be going away, but this will serve as an alternative option for riders.