Breakfast links: Warnings of trouble
Shuster gets transportation chair
Bill Shuster (R-PA) will chair the House Transportation Committee. He supports high-speed rail, but only privatized and in the Northeast Corridor, and wants more focus on highways and less on bike paths. (Streetsblog)
WMATA warned on cell service timeline
Mobile carriers warned WMATA a year ago that it wasn’t on track for cell service in the tunnels by its federal deadline. Carriers also complained that safety escorts were insufficient and often late. (Examiner)
Transportation, housing add up
Washington families spend 72% of their income on housing and transportation combined, one of the highest rates in the nation. (WTOP)
U-turn on Penn, pay $100
Mayor Gray established an emergency rule yesterday to firmly prohibit U-turns across the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes (which DDOT is also now repainting. Violations come with a $100 fine. (WTOP)
On the Riverfront
The Capitol Riverfront has seen a dramatic revitalization in recent years. Now people who lived in low-income housing that was torn down are starting to move back in to much-improved units. (City Paper)
Arlington may go private
Arlington may have a private contractor design, build, and run its planned streetcar system. A private company is more likely to get the Crystal City segment as the Columbia Pike streetcar is seeking Federal funding. (ARLnow)
SW buys a screen
Southwest DC will use some of its performance parking revenue for a real-time screen that will show when nearby buses and trains are to arrive, numbers of CaBi bikes in the area, and nearby arts performances. (SWTLQTC)
Fewer will be WorkingSocial
LivingSocial will lay off 400 employees nationwide, but will DC’s recent tax break deal, which requires them to maintain 1,000 employees in DC, stave off many DC layoffs? (WBJ, City Paper)
What if feds had fewer offices?
What if many federal government workers started telecommuting, and GSA cut down on the number of rented offices far from transit? The Office of Planning looked at this scenario with an animation. (OPinions)
And…
Arlington may get an electric cab company. (Post) … DC is seeking a contractor to help visualize how taller buildings would look. (WBJ) … The EPA names the country’s best smart growth projects (none in Washington). (Atlantic Cities)