Breakfast links: Stuck on safety
Tri-state take two
Regional leaders put together a draft agreement for a new 6-member safety oversight committee to watch over Metro. DC, Maryland, and Virginia legislatures are expected to vote on the agreement later this year or early next year. (City Paper)
Fairfax on SafeTrack
Here’s how Fairfax Connector buses will make SafeTrack a little less painful for riders. Manager Nicholas Perfili says with the short turnaround it was important to plan new routes that would be easy to implement and easy for riders to understand. (Post)
Uber ups its carpooling
Uber will expand their carpooling service to more of the region during SafeTrack, but they won’t cap surge pricing. (Post)
DC’s congressional overlords
The House of Representatives voted to nullify DC’s 2013 vote for budget autonomy. Speaker Ryan said that allowing DC to spend local tax dollars without congressional approval would undermine the Constitution. President Obama has vowed to veto the bill if it gets to his desk. (Post)
Big bucks to best MD traffic
For $100 million, Maryland is asking companies to compete to design an innovative solution to I-270’s traffic problems. (Post)
Housing buzz words in DC
“Dupont,” “Circle,” and “Metro station” were the most common buzz words used to attract renters on Zillow in DC in 2015. (UrbanTurf)
2-bedroom rent is too damn high
To comfortably rent a 2-bedroom apartment the US, workers must make $20.30 per hour, but the average hourly wage is $5 less than that. Maryland has the second worst rent gap in the US. (CityLab)
Popular vote for park preservation
Vote to pick which National Park historical sites should get preservation grants. DC’s Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain, outside Union Station, is competing for a portion of the $2 million available. (DCist)
A grade for landlords
Toronto is considering a plan to grade landlords on living conditions, and post the grade in building lobbies, similar to New York City’s health inspection grades for restaurants. (CityLab)