Weekend links: Powerless
Storm leaves homes in the dark
The Washington region’s battle with the elements continued last night as a storm left hundreds of thousands of homes without power. More than half of Pepco’s system went down. (Post)
Walmart will bring too much traffic
DDOT says the Fort Totten Square development, which will include a Walmart, will generate too much traffic for area roads and has too many parking spaces. The ANC wanted lots of parking. (Heartbeat)
Nader urges little strike for statehood
In the wake of Rand Paul undermining DC’s budget autonomy, Ralph Nader suggests residents arrive late for work one day each month as a “limited general strike.” Will this actually have any impact? (Post)
CaBi strengthens local bike shops
DC and Arlington bike shop owners initially worried that Capital Bikeshare would cut down on their business, but instead it’s strengthened it as people start biking with CaBi, then switch to their own bikes. (TN)
Young men leave cars?
Young men, a demographic often associated with American car culture, may be turning away from cars. Since the start of the recession, young men have driven fewer miles and fewer hold driver’s licenses. (Streetsblog)
DC extends pool time
To help ease the sweltering heat, DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation is keeping DC’s pools open later until Wednesday. Many pools will be open from noon to 8 pm. (DCist)
CUA will reduce parking, then build more
Catholic University will reduce the amount of parking on campus, including making the center of campus into a green quad, but then they want to build a new parking lot in what’s now filled with trees. (Heartbeat)
Banned intercity buses crowd out Chinatown minibuses
The closure of 26 intercity bus companies this year has had an interesting effect in New York City: these buses now compete with minibuses in the local route between New York’s two Chinatowns. (NYT)