Photo by stevendepolo on Flickr.

VDOT leases cheap spaces, builds expensive ones

VDOT will lease 370 commuter spaces from a Woodbridge church for $780/space per year, while it builds a new lot nearby at a cost of $13,000 per space simply for construction. (Patch)  

Police search bags while mob attacks riders

A mob of teens attacked a rider and then turned on a bystander when he tried to call police. He says it took police too long to arrive. Meanwhile, police were supervising TSA searching innocent riders’ bags at three stations. (Examiner, WTOP, DCist)  

Senators ask for Florida HSR money

Senators from states on the Northeast Corridor, including both of Maryland’s, have asked USDOT Secretary LaHood to reallocate Florida’s high-speed rail money toward improving service in the northeast. But 2 Florida state senators have filed a lawsuit to force Governor Rick Scott not to reject the money. (Transportation Nation)  

Philanthropy in all the wrong places?

An anonymous donor saved the National Arboretum’s famous azaleas at the last minute, but many, more vital social programs around the region haven’t had the same luck as they sit on the chopping block. (Post)  

Community garden plots in demand and disrepair

Arlington’s more than 200 community garden plots are in high demand amongst condo and apartment dwellers, yet some of the plots remain untended, in poor condition, or filled with debris. (ARLnow)  

DC’s arena might have gone to the suburbs

Abe Pollin turned down financing offers from suburban jurisdictions to create the Verizon Center, which now gets national attention for revitalizing (most believe) a struggling downtown. (Switchboard)  

Driver mows down Critical Mass riders

In Porto Allegre, Brazil, a driver plowed through a crowd of people participating in a monthly Critical Mass ride. Fortunately, no one was killed. The man claims his actions were in self-defense. (TheCityFix, Rutiger)  (Tip: Rutiger)  

“War” rhetoric over half a percent

Despite a campaign by the New York Post to brand the city’s bike lanes as a “war on cars,” only ½ of 1% of space has been taken away from automotive traffic in 3½ years. (Streetsblog)  

And…

7 years after SmarTrip cards were introduced, the city’s most Metro-accessible university will start selling them in its bookstore. (WMATA, Gavin) … Want to see the escalator collapse that happened at L’Enfant Plaza after the Rally for Sanity in the fall? (DCist) … One block of New York’s SoHo neighborhood has gone through numerous transformations to reach its current status as an upscale, design district. (Aidwatch)  (Tip: Gavin)