Almost every Washingtonian has experienced it: you’re on your way to work, you’re rushing up or down the escalator to the Metro just to be stopped in your tracks by a group of tourists casually standing on the left side.
Washingtonians are tired of tourism traffic jams bringing accessing public transportation to a grinding halt—and now the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is responding.
The WMATA will begin to impose a “Tourist Tax” or a $100 fine on visitors caught standing and blocking the left side of any of the Metro’s roughly 588 escalators across D.C. beginning summer 2023.
Metro etiquette dictates that people stand on the right and pass on the left.
The public nuisance reemerged after examples of Metros inundated with tourists in D.C. for the National Cherry Blossom Festival made the rounds on social media.
There are exemptions to the rule, such as for people traveling with small children or service animals and those who are in need of mobility aids.
Okay, APRIL FOOL’S! But we wouldn’t hate it if it was real.