Breakfast links: Hitting back with words and song

by David Alpert • May 29, 2009 8:28 am

Photo by DaigoOliva.

Woodley Park smackdown: Some other citizens' association leaders aren't pleased with CPCA's anti-democratic behavior. Peter Brusoe of the Woodley Park Community Association posted a strong rebuke to CPCA's actions, further saying that he'll introduce a resolution at the Federation of Citizens' Associations to expel CPCA. (Ward3DC)

A balanced view of the "war on drivers": Courtland Milloy covers the "war on drivers" issue in a much more balanced way, giving substantial time to Jim Graham as well as AAA's Lon Anderson. Graham is all on message. "I know it bucks the suburban tradition of thinking they can come into the city and drive recklessly and park in front of fire hydrants or anywhere they want, but I apologize to no one about enforcing our traffic laws. Get used to it. ... Just obey our laws." Even Anderson admits a small does of Entitled Driver Syndrome: "We have a sense of entitlement, a sense of self-importance that easily turns into aggression when we get frustrated," he said. (Post)

Singing about zoning: A professional musician who is also a City Council member in Pine Lake, Georgia composed six songs about land use and transportation, including one about cars taking over our lives and one about complete streets: "Just enough shade just enough light/ Just enough room for the neighbors in the middle of a hot summer night/ Just enough room for a car to pass/ But it has to slo-ow down/ It's a perfect little street, a perfect little spot, a perfect little town." (Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jaime)

Catoe is tops: John Catoe was named the nation's top public transportation manager by APTA.

NextBus in one month: Metro has announced that they will relaunch NextBus by July 1. (WMATA.com, Transport)

Trains are the future for airports: More and more domestic airports are building or planning rail links right to their terminals. DCA is one of the nation's most popular existing links, and of course the link to Dulles is on the way. (USA Today, Gavin)

MPD nixes broadcast: A Ward 5 community leader made plans to Webcast the local police and community Citizens Advisory Council meeting, but at the last minute, Chief Lanier squashed the idea until the department sets up "protocols." After a slow start, MPD is now talking to him about making it happen. (DC Wire)

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David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

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Slopping reporting in the USA Today article about airports and rail. If the author did the research he should know that the direct connection to Dallas Love Field was scrapped last year when the cost of finishing the Green Line came in at about double the estimated cost. And of course that the section of the Green line running north to Love Field was never scheduled to open until late 2010, not this year, as the author indicates.

by Ted on May 29, 2009 8:53 am • link • report

An interesting note is that of the 8 cities listed, I think half of the connections didn't exist 10 years ago, and most are becoming more and more popular. JFK is probably only 3 years old (?) or so, and I remember back 15 years ago the fights against the MAX train to PDX, but now it's great.

The article made no mention though of LAX, does anyone know if that project has been suspended? Last I heard their efforts to attach the Metro to LAX was a bit troubled.

I still think a lot have a long way to go. BWI's connetion stinks, I say this having nearly missed a flight with MARC delays and the bus not being timed to the train at all. Direct connections, and EXPRESS connections are needed. The best places I found in Europe were Rome and Vienna where they both have direct connections to their major airports with express available. In Vienna, the S-Bahn is clean and efficient but for like 2 Euro more you can take one that gets there in half the time.

Great news though in general. Keep it up US!

by Boots on May 29, 2009 9:04 am • link • report

Part of the problem is that traffic enforcement in the District has been lax for SO LONG that not only does the sudden resurgence spark alarm in drivers (who got used to the cushiness), but it also sparks the question of why MPD and the District didn't enforce the traffic laws all along to begin with.

by Froggie on May 29, 2009 9:05 am • link • report

A small point, but you don't "squash" an idea or a rebellion; you quash it.

by JB on May 29, 2009 9:20 am • link • report

I prefer Nixon-esque abuses to be crushed or smashed.

by Laurence Aurbach on May 29, 2009 9:33 am • link • report

* Hmmm. It's a sad thing for transit if Catoe is the best man. Ah well, congrats anyway.

* On the integration of trains and airports: If you buy a KLM ticket in the Netherlands, your air ticket = your rail ticket as well. On the day of your flight(s). No signing up, your flight ticket = your rail ticket. It's a just a deal between KLM and Dutch Railways to reduce traffic to Amsterdam Airport. And while we're hooking up Dulles to the Silver Line, can we get some better connections to BWI as well? I mean, the current schedule is impossible to rely on.

by Jasper on May 29, 2009 9:57 am • link • report

I don't know whether this idea was brought up during the Metro Express discussion, but would it be possible to run a cross-system airport shuttle service from Dulles or National Airport to New Carrollton to BWI to Bal-Penn? Anyone know whether platform height or train width are a problem, but I've hearthat the Metro trains are pretty low compared to interstate rail stock. Combined with direct service from Union Station, that might make for some great connections.

This kind of ideas was being floated in NYC a while back to JFK, using AirTrain, LIRR, and Subway tracks, which all have considerably different operating technology.

by цarьchitect on May 29, 2009 10:57 am • link • report

Pine Lake is a tiny suburb of Atlanta that's mostly known for having old hippies and being a speed trap. They love cars because that's waht pays the bills and like most of the Atlanta area there's no place useful to walk.

by Rich on May 29, 2009 9:18 pm • link • report