Joe Rogalsky, The Examiner
2007-10-19 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Metro riders who like to eat a snack or sip a morning cup of coffee during their train ride will soon be more likely to face fines as high as $100.

Later this year, Metro plans to launch an education campaign and enforcement blitz targeting passengers violating the transit system’s ban on eating and drinking.

“It is a cleanliness issue and a safety issue,” Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said.

Taubenkibel promised there will not be a repeat of the 2000 incident in which a 12-year-old District girl was arrested for eating a french fry, fingerprinted and held in custody at a juvenile detention center for three hours.

The girl’s case eventually reached the U.S. District Court of Appeals in D.C., where Judge John Roberts — the future Supreme Court chief justice — wrote the majority opinion upholding the arrest as constitutional and affirmed Metro’s legal right to ban food and drink.

The effort is part of General Manager John Catoe’s plans to make Metro cleaner. He has often lamented the “critters” that will be attracted to the system if passengers leave crumbs and food wrappers on trains.

The fines violators pay vary based on the jurisdiction where the offense occurs. The District of Columbia, Prince George’s County and Arlington County, for example, impose $10 to $100 penalties. Police officers will also be able to give written warnings instead of issuing citations that lead to the fines.

Metro will also post new signs in a few weeks and increase announcements inside rail stations to remind riders of the prohibition.

“They need to focus on public education before they focus on enforcement,” said Dennis Jaffe, a member of Metro’s Riders Advisory Council.

Most American transit systems have similar food-and-drink prohibitions, and many have penalties higher than Metro’s. Passengers breaking the rule on San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit system face $150 to $220 fines.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com