Breakfast links: Rails and trails
Tysons growing up
Since Silver Line construction began in 2008, over 1.5 million square feet of commercial space has been built within half a mile of the new Metro line. Another 6 million is planned by 2018, a more than 35% increase in 10 years. (Post)
Advocating for grade separation
Without public notice, Montgomery County eliminated a plan to provide a grade separated crossing as part of the Capital Crescent Trail. Cycling advocates objected and now the plan will receive additional engineering evaluation and public input before moving forward. (WAMU)
A case for rails-with-trails
Railroads are hesitant to approve walking and biking routes next to rail because of liability concerns. But such trails reduce trespassing, improve transit access, and are simple to build. (Streetsblog)
Bus status anxiety
How much is rail transit fueled by status anxiety about riding the bus? There’s evidence that people associate buses with the poverty and crime of the ghetto. But millennials don’t seem to care about status, as long as a route is reliable. (NextCity)
Streamlining trade
Prince George’s applied to make the entire county a Foreign Trade Zone, a designation that would defer or eliminate duties and other customs procedures on products manufactured or assembled in the county. (WBJ)
Distracted driving
A new app projects images from your phone onto your windshield to prevent distracted driving. But does the app really limit distraction, or just make it easier to be distracted? (Streetsblog)
1980s gentrification
“Has your neighborhood become ‘upscale’?” A quiz that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1985 shows that the public perception of gentrification has changed very little in the past three decades. (CityLab)
And…
A local cyclist injured in a hit-and-run accident writes an open-letter to the driver. (WTOP) … Buskers can solicit tips near Metro, for now. (DCist) … The Custis Trail bikeometer has counted 200,000 trips since April 1. (ArlNow)