Photo by mollybob.

Secret? Vehicular? Both?

Montgomery County officials didn’t like how I called their confidential underpass proposal a “secret vehicular tunnel” in Dr. Gridlock last week. But as Ben Ross told the Doctor, how isn’t it a “secret vehicular tunnel” if it carries vehicles and the details are hidden? (Post)  

Fenty, Rhee approval down

Approval ratings of Mayor Fenty and Michelle Rhee have plummeted, especially among blacks. (Post) … The Examiner puts it politely: The Mayor “needs to work on outreach.”  

Redo L’Enfant Plaza

NCPC is kicking off a study to try to transform the L’Enfant Promenade area into a green place with some real street activity. It’ll coincide with a rehab of the underground mall. (DCmud)  

Andrews fighting Gaithersbungle

Recent Montgomery County Council President Phil Andrews is pushing hard to reduce the size of the sprawling Gaithersburg West development. (Examiner)  

3-foot in Maryland

Like Virginia, Maryland is considering a 3-foot law for passing bicyclists. That might have helped save Jack Yates, who was killed in a right hook by a turning truck driver and the police blamed the victim. (Baltimore City Paper)  (Tip: no thanks)  

Hands-free is also distracting

A study found that where laws prohibit non-hands-free cell phone use while driving, crash rates aren’t lower. Articles spin this two ways: laws don’t reduce crashes (with an obligatory quote from a driver who doesn’t think anything he does could be dangerous), or hands-free driving is just as distracting (and proponents of laws against all phone use). (Mercury News, Post)  

How Fannie and Freddie inhibit mixed-use

As Congress looks to overhaul Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, urbanists are pointing out how their rules against guaranteeing loans for most mixed-use developments discourage good urbanism. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)