(Washington, DC) The DC Department of Transportation today removed the illegal outdoor pay phone at Georgia Avenue and Lamont Street, NW, as part of its responsibility to protect the public space.

 

“These structures attract trash and graffiti and illegally occupy public space,” said Dan Tangherlini, Director of Transportation. “Working with the Public Service Commission, DDOT will remove these illegal payphones as quickly as possible when they don’t serve the community and have become eyesores.”

 

Councilmembers Jim Graham (Ward 1) and Adrian Fenty (Ward 4), whose neighborhoods have been particularly hurt by illegal payphones, attended the removal to show their support for this program. Other participants included Richard E. Morgan, Public Service Commissioner; Linda Jordan, Director, Office of Consumer Services of the Public Service Commission; Sandra Mattavous-Frye, Deputy People’s Counsel; Terry Lynch, Director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations; and Jim Jones, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.

 

This phone is one of two-dozen illegal instruments listed by the PSC in the Georgia Avenue corridor. Since October, DDOT has removed some 25 payphones from 22 locations.

 

The removed phones are disposed of as trash.