|
|
||
 |
|
|
  |
||
|
Coping in the Crowd
The NATO summit, running Friday through Sunday, will begin to wreak havoc in the District on Thursday evening. Call ahead before going downtown to make sure your destination is open, and use Metrorail to avoid traffic. Here are answers to frequently asked questions about the summit:
Q. I have no choice; I've got to drive. What can I expect?
A. Gridlock may clog traffic in large parts of the city. Motorcades may close streets briefly without warning; drivers are required to yield, and pedestrians to stop. Some parking lots may close, so check before driving downtown. Q. Will Metrorail operate on a normal schedule? A. Metrorail will run as usual, except that the Federal Triangle station will be closed from the start of operations at 5:30 a.m. Friday until 5:30 a.m. Monday. Trains will pass through the station without stopping. Q. Who has the day off? A. In District government, only essential D.C. government workers should come to work. In the federal government, only essential employees should report to work at offices in the downtown impact zone around Federal ,3 Triangle. Some private employers also will close. Q. So D.C. government will be closed? A. D.C. schools and most of D.C. government will be shut, but essential police, fire, ambulance and trash pickup services will be provided. City hospitals and clinics will operate, the University of the District of Columbia will be open, and meal and transportation services for the aging will be provided – except in the Federal Triangle area. There will be no trials or jury duty in D.C. courts, but arraignments and lock-ups will go on. The Benjamin Franklin post office, at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, will be closed Friday, and citywide mail delivery may be slower than usual. Q. I have to get to the airport – how bad will it be? A. Officials at Reagan National, Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International airports say non-NATO travelers should not be affected by the dignitaries coming and going. They forecast little impact on the Dulles Access Road but warn that there could be bad traffic on the George Washington Memorial Parkway and advise taking Metrorail to National Airport. Washington Flyer buses serving National and Dulles airports expect to maintain normal schedules and stops. As of yesterday, no road closures had been announced near Andrews Air Force base, but motorcades could disrupt traffic. Q. How will all this affect bicyclists? A. D.C. police Cmdr. Michael Radzilowski said that bicyclists will be treated like pedestrians and allowed anywhere pedestrians are allowed but that cyclists may be asked to walk instead of ride. Q. If I have business in a pedestrian zone, how do I get in? A. Radzilowski said walkers will not have to show identification, but they may be stopped briefly if NATO officials are nearby. Q. Anything else that could cause me trouble? A. Two protests against NATO have been planned, a day-long one on Friday near the Washington Monument and a Saturday event at both Lafayette Park and the southeast corner of the Ellipse. Q. I want to have fun this weekend. Is that possible? A. The MCI Center says all events will go on. The presidential monuments will be open. Tourmobile will run, albeit on altered routes. Smithsonian museums on the Mall will be closed Friday, except the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American History. White House tours are canceled Friday and Saturday. The Old Post Office Pavilion tower will close Thursday at 6 p.m. and reopen Monday. Q. If there are thousands of delegates with their own cellular telephones, will mine work? A. Nextel has added several antennas downtown and promises that plenty of service will be available. The other major phone companies could not be reached for comment. Compiled by D'Vera Cohn, with reports from Eric Lipton, Alice Reid, Michael Ruane, Alan Sipress and Linda Wheeler.
© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
  | |
 |
|
|
|