Breakfast links: Hot ideas
HOT on I-66?
Virginia officials are considering changing the HOV lanes on I-66 to tolled HOT lanes outside the Beltway. But the evidence that these lanes ease traffic and/or raise enough money is mixed at best. (Post)
Transportation showdown
The House and Senate have not yet agreed on how to keep federal transportation money flowing. The Senate plan funds the system to December, while the House plan uses controversial accounting tricks to fund through next May. (Streetsblog)
Save the Hoover?
With the FBI gone, is the Hoover Building worth saving? Maybe it’s ugly and street-deadening. Or, Kriston Capps argues, maybe it’s beautiful and downtown is doing fine without life on that block. (CityLab)
Consensus on the water
Previous Alexandria waterfront redevelopment plans have been battles, but one developer’s plan is receiving widespread support, even from opponents of plans for other areas. (Alexandria Times)
Springfield gets its mall back
The old Springfield Mall, now Springfield Town Center, will reopen this fall. The first phase of development mostly consisted of mall rehabilitation, with the town center project still to come. (Fairfax Times)
Buffered bike lanes are better
A narrower but buffered bike lane is better at keeping cyclists outside the door zone than a wider lane without a buffer. (Streetsblog)
Driver at fault
A driver who hit and killed a cyclist outside Annapolis, on a sunny day with no visibility problems, appealed the four tickets and $2,000 fine she received (after a grand jury rejected more serious charges). A judge found her guilty. (Post)
Background checks discriminate?
WMATA policy bars hiring anyone with two drug possession convictions or one conviction for a “crime of violence.” Civil rights groups brought a lawsuit, saying it is “overly broad and unnecessarily punitive.” (City Paper)