Another Reason Not to Wear Flip Flops

THERE'S A TWENTYSOMETHING we see many mornings coming from the Court House Metro station near Express's offices in Arlington: She's short, wears big sunglasses and waddles like a duck thanks to the ultra-thin pink flip flops she wears. It's summer, doggone it, and she clearly does not care about her chances at career advancement or the high likelihood of future back pain.

But might our Clarendon Boulevard waddler be a threat to the commuting public? Perhaps. As The Post's Lena H. Sun wrote on Saturday, Metro has seen an uptick in "shoe entrapments":

On a particularly bad day this month, a shoe was stuck at a Huntington Station escalator at 11 a.m., one was wedged at Metro Center in the afternoon and another was ensnared at Farragut West at 6:30 p.m.

What kind of footwear is to blame? Crocs, flip flops and other soft-soled shoes.

All this supports our theory that those who wear open-toed shoes are just asking for it. The overarching theme from last year's run-down of flip flop etiquette:

The city can be cruel to your feet. Don't expect it to play nice just because you've scaled back your foot protection.

Now, Metro escalators could eat your toes. (Fortunately, that hasn't happened. At least not yet.)

» "Are Flip-Flops Damaging Your Career?" [Reuters via Boston.com]
» "Flip Flops Can Damage Your Health" [Daily Mail]
» "Soft Soles Fall Fashion Victim to Escalators" [WaPo]
» "Around Town: Autumn Flip-Flop Tips" [Free Ride/Express]
» "Toe Broken in Four Parts: Accident Involving Kids and Rubber Clog and Escalators" [CrocsAccidents]

Photo by Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post

Posted By Michael Grass at 12:15 AM on July 30, 2007 Tagged in Free Ride , Maryland , News , The District , Transit , Virginia

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