I was driving in Florida and wanted to report an aggressive driver. Following at less than a car length, multiple rapid lane changes, speeds in excess of 80 mph, etc.

When I called the state police as recommended on their website, they would not take down the license plate number since the incident occurred more than 20 minutes ago and it needed to be called in in real time. They didn't seem interested in getting any of the information.

by Michael Perkins on Sep 6, 2012 8:47 am • link • report

I'd probably use the app if I could report illegal parking. If it's anything like the 311 app, where you can submit a photo along with the report, it makes the case a lot more credible than just calling it in.

by Rob P on Sep 6, 2012 8:56 am • link • report

RE: Bad Driver Reporting App

Worth pointing our that Rockville's WRITE program (http://www.rockvillemd.gov/police/forms/write.html) provides a process whereby police don't necessary issue a citation (unless there is due evidence), but will at least send a letter to the owner of the vehicle.

by Bossi on Sep 6, 2012 9:15 am • link • report

How about an app to report people eating or drinking on Metro? It seems like we're one step away from having a starbucks on the trains.

by Distantantennas on Sep 6, 2012 9:27 am • link • report

I'd like an app where I can snap a picture of someone using a cell phone along and another of their license plate that goes straight to the police so they can hand out tickets. The amount of cell phone use by drivers is appalling.

by thump on Sep 6, 2012 9:50 am • link • report

why not say "smart growth"? Apparently the latest meme from the right is that "smart growth" implies all other forms of development are "dumb" and that people who live in single family homes in auto oriented areas are stupid, and that their homes are stupid. Note well, this is NOT nimbyism aimed at specific projects so much as an attempt to use urbanist issues to reinforce larger culture war memes. Note also, CSG's official name is the Coalition for Smarter Growth. Other approaches are to call for walkable areas, pedestrian friendly areas, TOD, etc.

by AWalkerInTheCity on Sep 6, 2012 9:55 am • link • report

@AWitC: like many tags, "smart growth" is freighted with assumptions. If used carefully the words can help provide a useful shorthand for a set of principles. OTOH, the danger occurs when the assumptions are not stated, leading to misunderstandings between the writer and the reader. This gets worse when is the tag is used in a dishonest way: when it means one thing to the writer, who knows that it means and something else to the readers; or as a so-called "dog whistle." That is where the trouble brews.

by goldfish on Sep 6, 2012 10:21 am • link • report

no sir. The trouble brews when some people like the Koch brothers and their astroturf orgs take it out of context, and distort it, and use it for their cultural war. There is no level of nuanced language, no degree of moderation, that they will not manipulate, using vast resources and an absolute lack of scruples.

In the last four years we have had a moderate Dem administration, almost painfully bipartisan and willing to compromise, perfectly DLC (except that they ran against the DLC's position on Iraq - does anyone remember Iraq?) and they have been cast as socialists, radicals, the equivalent of Communists.

The power of the VastRightWingConspiracy (vaster, more right wing, and more effective than when Hillary first called them out) has us living in a throuhg the looking glass world. The attack on smart growth is part and parcel of that.

by AWalkerInTheCity on Sep 6, 2012 10:30 am • link • report

RE Romney:
Why does Romney keep being mentioned (positively) on GGW? His record in Massachusetts is hardly relevant since he was governing the most liberal state in the country. Even then, it wasn't that impressive since he failed to fund any large transit projects.

If Romney becomes president he's going to cater to all the ignorant wingnuts in this country so that he can get re-elected. He's already to virtually kill Amtrak, and his idiot running mate is hell bent on cutting federal transit subsidies.

Northeastern Republicans like Romney, CT Gov Jodi Rell, MD Gov Ehrlich, etc. can't go totally bonkers on their states and carry out their party's redneck agenda because usually Democrats hold super majorities in the legislature and will block any asinine policies (Ehrlich learned this very well). Chris Christie seems to be an exception to this rule however, since day 1 that moron has been on a campaign to f**k New Jersey up beyond repair.

RE: Red Line shutdown
VERY bad idea

by King Terrapin on Sep 6, 2012 10:58 am • link • report

Isn't there a smart growth manual that specifically defines what is and isn't smart growth that groups like the Congress for New Urbanism is trying to get municipalities to adopt?

However, I can understand being averse to it because the term can be twisted to help people meet their own goals but in those cases they should be smacked down with the manual.

by drumz on Sep 6, 2012 11:13 am • link • report

@AWitC: The trouble brews when some people like the Koch brothers and their astroturf orgs take it out of context, and distort it, and use it for their cultural war.

Do you have a link or cite that shows this? I think many here (me included) would like to know about it.

by goldfish on Sep 6, 2012 11:15 am • link • report

Everyone knows that Smart Growth will lead to a Marxist/Muslim U.N. takeover. Agenda 21! Agenda 21! Arghhhh!

by watcher on Sep 6, 2012 11:45 am • link • report

How about an app where you can take a pic (showing license plate, position in intersection, etc.) of someone running a red light and can send that in? Seems no different that a red light camera and I'd much rather have citizens doing this for community safety rather than a corporation doing it for their own profit.

by Falls Church on Sep 6, 2012 12:14 pm • link • report

The Metro is doing a pretty major shutdown of the core part of the system this weekend with the Red Line closing from Dupont Circle to NoMa. I pity the tourists arriving at Union Station or planning to take the Red Line to the National Zoo on the Metro system they heard about. Will be a lot of both frustrated tourists and regular Metro users this weekend.

WMATA is also single tracking the Orange Line between East & West Falls Church, between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly. With Orange Line train running every 24 minutes! The Yellow Line is single tracked between Huntington and Braddock Road (and not the Blue line too?).

When there is a shutdown of a major part of the core system, should WMATA leave the other lines alone with no single tracking and normal service frequencies (if not increase frequencies) to minimize the impact of the shutdown? And why not start the Friday night shutdown at midnight, rather than 10 PM, especially on a night when the Nats are playing a home game?

by AlanF on Sep 6, 2012 12:18 pm • link • report

while I like the idea of developers consulting with police to make new buildings safer (better lighting, etc.) and I agree with the cops in the article that Gallery Place would have benefited from wider sidewalks, I worry that MPD sometimes crosses the line into speaking against development because it will make an area too crowded. An example is their problem with a proposed hotel in Adams Morgan that the ANC supports and the District has already given a huge tax break: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2012/08/28/dc-planning-office-rejects-adams.html?page=all Leaving the building vacant won't be better or safer for Adams Morgan or the District.

by sb on Sep 6, 2012 1:45 pm • link • report

...isn't smart growth a front in the war on Christmas..?

by Tina on Sep 6, 2012 3:01 pm • link • report

A police officer commented to the Post that Chinatown's sidewalks are too narrow to begin with, and then shop doors swing outward. Why not bulb out on the east side of 7th Street? The pedestrians get more bang out of that sidewalk than the rest of the nation gets from the parking lane.

by Turnip on Sep 6, 2012 8:27 pm • link • report