Steven Yates - Greater Greater Washington

Breakfast links: Bike stats and laws

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:36:00 EDT

Photo by Justin Antos.

CaBi survey roundup: CaBi saved its members 4.4 million miles of driving, though it also replaced some walking and transit trips, according to a member survey. Also, very few CaBi bikes have been stolen. (Streetsblog, Examiner)

Play on?: A driver hit a cyclist in Annandale, but the cyclist wasn't knocked over. The driver says he didn't know cyclists had a right to be in the road. Police refused to take a report because "no harm, no foul." (FABB)

More bike bits: Justin Antos counted one illegal U-turn per minute across the Pennsylvania Avenue cycletrack. (Storify) ... A UK woman hit a cyclist, drove off, then laughed about it on Twitter because he "doesn't even pay road tax." The police didn't find it so funny. (Jalopnik)

And the budget says...: The DC Council passed its budget, including Phil Mendelson's plan to switch to a wholesale gas tax, and restored most of the funding to move a DC Water facility and make room for development at the Capitol Riverfront. (Post)

Arts for business: Can the arts help transform Anacostia by making the neighborhood more of a destination? It's worked in places like Providence. (City Paper)

Dan the man at GSA: President Obama announced that he will nominate current interim director Dan Tangherlini to head the GSA permanently. Tangherlini formerly served as head of DDOT, interim WMATA GM, and as DC's City Administrator. (FCW)

Articulated buses hit their limit: LA is running out of capacity on its dedicated busway. The articulated buses are full, and more buses would affect cross streets. This is why Arlington favors rail on Columbia Pike. (Zev Yaroslavsky, BeyondDC)

See absurd parking: To demonstrate how much space parking minimums take up, one architect developed infographics showing the surprising amount of space the country legally dedicates to parking. (Streetsblog)

And...: Southwest DC may get a BID. (SWTLQTC) ... Can there be peace in our time between cyclists and pedestrians? (Slate) ... LA's new mayor, Eric Garcetti supports Smart Growth, bicycling, green building and more. (Grist, Streetsblog)

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Breakfast links: News cycle

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:29:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by Jess J on Flickr.

Bike to Work Day: It's Bike to Work Day! Were you among the 14,000 expected to participate? (Post)

Cyclist struck, critically injured: A 20-year-old cyclist ~~died~~ is in critical condition after a collision with a driver at 11th and U, NW Thursday morning. Police didn't specify which direction the cyclist or driver were traveling, but the driver did stay on the scene. Update: Some reports said the cyclist died, but that is still unconfirmed. (Post)

Bikeshare to Fairfax?: Fairfax is applying for funding to do a bikeshare feasibility study. Right now the focus is on bringing Capital Bikeshare to Reston. (FABB)

Cycle tracks make odd bed fellows: DDOT unveiled details on the M Street bike lanes at a meeting which became somewhat heated with opponents ranging from members of a local church to the owner of a strip club. (WashCycle, Borderstan, DCist)

Child care crisis: While DC offers subsidized child care, parents have to wait for hours to get it, forcing some to miss work or school. Even then, parents only get a 40% subsidy, which is among the lowest in the country. (Post)

Georgetown 2028: The Georgetown BID is beginning a several month planning charette to discuss the direction the neighborhood should take in the next 15 years. (Georgetown Metropolitan)

DC, the taste testers: Several restaurant chains use DC to test out new concepts before expanding to the rest of the country. Harriet Tregoning says DC makes a perfect test bed for many urban innovations, from urban Walmart to car2go. (City Paper)

Gen Y likes walkability: More than three quarters of Generation Y want to live in walkable neighborhoods. Most also want to live near shopping, dining, and their work, and 40% want to live in cities. (UrbanTurf)

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Breakfast links: Youth today

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:25:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by ♥ Miss A ♥ on Flickr.

Drive less: People in the DC area are getting to work less by car and more by transit and biking. Greater numbers of people that work in DC also now live in DC. (City Paper)

Tech, don't drive: Some new technology is making driving less necessary, which may be part of why millennials continue to drive less than their parents. (Streetsblog)

The youth vote: The city of Takoma Park passed a change in its charter to make it the first jurisdiction in the US to allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections. (WAMU)

Fire on the train: Investigators think a loose part sparked the electrical fire that snarled Red Line commuters near Silver Spring on Tuesday. (Post)

Height limit heats up: The first of the NCPC/Office of Planning meetings on possibly changing DC's height limit brought out skeptics whose worries ranged from abandoned sky scrapers to less sunlight to danger from earthquakes. (City Paper)

Taxis pass those with disabilities: An investigation found DC's taxi drivers discriminating against people with disabilities by dropping them off at the wrong place, charging them extra fees, or not picking them up at all. (WUSA9)

We will bury you!: A $1 billion plan to bury more power lines in DC garnered heaps of praise. The plan would see customers' bills rise $3.25 a month over 7 years. (Post)

Phase 2 builder selected: The MWAA has selected Capital Rail Constructors to to build Phase 2 of the Silver Line. The group's $1.18 billion bid was the lowest, beating Phase 1 contractor Bechtel by $14 million. (Post)

Korean Embassy offers up land: As a gesture of goodwill, the Korean Embassy will offer their rarely-used parking lots to Arlington for free for at least two years. What should the county do with it? (ArlNow)

And...: American Community Survey shows where government workers live. (DCist) ... 4 years since opening, the bike trail on the Wilson Bridge has been a huge success. (Post) ... Workers finish topping off scaffolding for earthquake repairs to the Washington Monument. (Post)

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Breakfast links: Born to run

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:33:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by DDOTDC on Flickr.

Wells to run: Tommy Wells will announce he's running for mayor on Saturday, joining Muriel Bowser as the only other officially announced candidate. (Post)

Eastern Market plaza upgrade?: The plaza around the Eastern Market Metro stop may get a makeover that will improve pedestrian access but will not reroute Pennsylvania Ave. (WBJ)

Southern access: Many who live close to Southern Ave. Metro drive instead of walking or biking to the station. Metro blames the station's poor connectivity and a pedestrian-unfriendly Southern Ave. Can fixes encourage people to walk or bike? (PlanItMetro)

Air rights up in the air: Should MWAA prepare for development on top of Phase 2 Silver Line stations now? It's cheaper to build foundations now, but still expensive and there might be too much available land to make selling air rights worth it. (Post)

Amtrak's new toy: Amtrak showed off its new locomotives that will be used in Northeast Corridor. The locomotives will be able to convert their braking into electricity to send through the overhead wires. (WTOP)

Still #6: In the second year of rankings, DC kept its position as 6th most bikeable city according BikeScore. DC was unable to move up the list despite new bike lanes and the increased popularity of CaBi. (DCist)

Young people drive less: Another new report says Americans are driving less, especially young people, who don't idolize driving so much, can have social contact online, and perhaps also are more often unemployed. (NYT)

And...: The MTA is aiming for a 2020 opening of the Purple Line. (WJLA) ... Check out the benefits of biking to work. (Streetsblog) ... Alexandria still doesn't want Norfolk Southern transporting ethanol to trucks in the city. (WAMU)

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Breakfast links: WMATA won't pay

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:24:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by tracktwentynine on Flickr.

WMATA will run, not fix transit center: Metro wants to operate the Silver Spring Transit Center, but doesn't want to be on the hook for ongoing maintenance. (WTOP)

Graham must pay for his lawyers: WMATA will not pay to defend Jim Graham in a lawsuit which alleges Graham improperly quashed a land deal between a developer and Metro while he served on WMATA's board. (Examiner)

Wrong escalator parts: Nine escalators won't get repaired as scheduled thanks to a contractor ordering the wrong parts. But Metro officials wouldn't or couldn't identify the contractor to the board. (Post)

A shifty shift of funds?: Muriel Bowser and the committee she chairs pulled funding for relocating DC Water to make way for a Capitol Riverfront mixed-use project. Instead, the money will pay for three projects in Bowser's Ward 4. (WBJ)

In Purple's path: Maryland prepares to tell 110 residents and businesses that the Purple Line may force them to move, though some may ultimately be able to stay. (Post)

BIDs get real-time: Screens showing real-time transit information are likely on the way for Ballston and Georgetown. Both areas' BIDs have agreed to fund the screens to help visitors find transit and reduce pedestrian crowding. (Elevation DC)

Less flooding, but other problems: To deal with Bloomingdale flooding, DC Water will build a giant tunnel under some streets, but residents of those streets are upset at the plans, which could close their streets for 2-3 years and destroy trees. (City Paper)

DC IDs 150 food truck spots: DC officials will identify 150 spots for food trucks in the most popular locations, but that likely won't be enough to satisfy truck owners. (Post)

Bike lanes breed safety, profits: A New York study found that bike lanes made streets safer and even helped increase local businesses' sales up to 50%. (Taking the Lane)

And... : Construction starts on First St. NE, including a 2-way cycletrack. (NoMa BID) ... Dupont's ANC opposes the U Street moratorium and new food truck rules. (Borderstan) ... HPRB is still iffy on McMillan. (Bloomingdale)

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Breakfast links: Take transit farther

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:20:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by StreetsofWashington on Flickr.

More Circulator, more expensive: The Circulator fare would rise to $2 ($1.50 with SmarTrip) under Mary Cheh's proposal; to fund extensions to U Street and Shaw, the Cathedral, and Waterfront Metro. (Post)

Bike part of the way to work: Think you live too far from work to bike there on Bike to Work Day? You could bike to Metro, where WMATA will set up pit stops at West Hyattsville and Cheverly. (PlaItMetro)

Up with pop-ups: Aaron Wiener defends pop-ups like the one at 11th and V, echoing some arguments Dan Malouff made in his recent article. It would be nice to ensure all construction is attractive, but probably impossible. (City Paper)

Even more anti-Purple Line candidate wins: The challenger who thinks the Town of Chevy Chase isn't fighting the Purple Line hard enough, John Bickerman, won a seat on the town council. He wants the town to pay a consultant who would lobby the Federal Transit Administration against funding the line. (BethesdaNow)

Should Arlington Cemetery expand?: Arlington Cemetery plans to add space for 27,000 graves, but the plan would cut down many trees and affect a streambed. Others say it can't grow forever, so maybe it's time to start on "Arlington Two" now. (Post)

More bike lanes and clarity: A letter writer says Virginia should build more bike lanes, which, at $5,000 a mile, are cheap by VDOT standards. He also asks Virginia to make its laws on bicycling more specific and easier to find. (Sun Gazette)

Baltimore bikeshare?: Baltimore could get the 25-station Charm City Bikeshare system within in a year after winning approval from a city panel. A vendor hasn't been chosen, but CaBi's operator Alta is a possibility. (Baltimore Sun)

Density leads to dollars: A study in Nashville found that dense, mixed-use development is best for a city's finances since it costs less and generate more revenue than less dense development. (Streetsblog)

An ambitious plan for SW: Two architects suggest sweeping changes to Southwest DC, including eliminating I-395, a new Metro stop in East Potomac Park, and converting Fort McNair into a "New Mall." (Atlantic Cities)

And...: DC Taxi Commission gives the green light for credit card readers in all taxis by August 31. (Post) ... More Metro employees feel safe reporting safety problems. (WAMU) ... The Congress Heights Metro will likely get a large, mixed-use development. (UrbanTurf)

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Breakfast links: New York analogues

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:54:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by quaggas_camera on Flickr.

Rediscover Columbus Circle: Construction work on Columbus Circle in front of Union Station is finished. The plaza now features wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and a simpler traffic pattern. (WTOP)

Settle down about bikeshare, NYC: Some vocal New Yorkers (and even one bike shop owner) are fighting Citibike stations. Remember when there was similar pushback when CaBi was starting? It all disappeared after the program started, and now people cheer, not fight, new stations. (Fox, TBD, THIH, Streetsblog)

Adams Morgan = West Village?: Which neighborhoods in DC (and other cities) correspond to parts of New York? H Street is Williamsburg, but Columbia Heights=Bushwick seems like a stretch. What do you think? (Morning News via City Paper)

KIPP will have to wait for Randall: DC will continue with a deliberative process to create a Small Area Plan in Southwest, instead of letting KIPP build a campus there. (Southwest TLQTC) ... The Post editorial board is very disappointed.

Board sanctions Orange: DC's ethics board "admonished" Vincent Orange for keeping a campaign contributor's food warehouse open when health officials tried to shut it down. Orange will be able to get the violation expunged later this year. (Examiner)

Take a look: The MTA released renderings of what some Purple Line bridges might look like. (Patch) ... TheBus on Route 1 will get a paint tube paint scheme. (Gazette)

Is your commute an idyll?: WTOP is asking for stories of the longest and worst drives, which it calls "Commuter Idle." Streetsblog created a competing contest for the best stories of saving time by not driving: "Commuter Idyll."

Flood-control parkway: One planner wants to replace lanes on a Robert Moses-designed parkway in Queens and with dunes to protect against storms. (Next City)

And...: A reminder to give up your seat on Metro for pregnant women. (Unsuck DC Metro) ... Don't like sprawling mansions? Then check out this one-room house on Capitol Hill. (UrbanTurf) ... Tom Toles takes on food truck rules. (Post)

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Breakfast links: Meet the new boss

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:28:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by yashmori on Flickr.

Foxx for DOT: President Obama will nominate Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as the new Secretary of Transportation. In Charlotte, Foxx pushed for increased density and a streetcar line and supported bicycle programs. (BikePortland)

A gift to ethics: Virginia is one of the few states left that allow public officials to accept personal gifts of any value. But a company paying for Governor McDonnell's daughter's wedding might make the state reconsider its ethics laws. (Post)

Franklin School draws interest: The Franklin School is currently in rough shape and has significant preservation restrictions, but that hasn't stopped developer interest in the former school. (City Paper)

Will autonomy survive?: Now that DC voters have approved budget autonomy, will DC actually get it? It's unlikely to be killed during the Congressional review period, but it could get repealed later as part of other legislation or face a court challenge. (Post)

Concrete blame game: Who's to blame for the problems with the Silver Spring Transit Center? While the contractor obviously made mistakes, do Montgomery County or WMATA share some blame for lack of oversight? (Post)

Last stop for gas: The last gas stations on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda will soon close, reflecting a trend across the region and nation of stations disappearing in walkable, transit-oriented areas. (Post)

Transportation trends: More people in the area who didn't learn to ride a bike as a kid are doing so now as adults. Many credit Capital Bikeshare and seeing other cyclists as inspiring them to ride. More people are also riding the bus, pushing jurisdictions to add service and consider dedicated lanes. (Post)

Plant a tree: DC and the region has many more trees on the west side of the city than the east. But not all residents of tree-sparser neighborhoods are eager for green; some fear they would attract crime or drive gentrification. (Or both?) (Post)

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Breakfast links: What WMATA is up to

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:38:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7826314580_b9e64de724 on Flickr.

Metro backs out of transit center: WMATA does not want to run the Silver Spring Transit Center. While they will still run Metrobuses at the facility, they've abandoned their plan to also use it for intercity buses. (Post)

WMATA budget was easy: The WMATA board quickly approved its budget for 2014 with little controversy. The budget does not include a fare increase or a large subsidy increase from the jurisdictions. (Post)

A patriotic SmarTrip: Metro will sell a commemorative Independence Day SmarTrip with a one-day pass on the card. The card is aimed at tourists, where the one-day pass helps them avoid the confusing fares. (Examiner)

The rich parts of the Metro: Riffing off a New Yorker feature showing the income level along each stop of the NYC Subway, Chris D-P creates similar graphs for the lines of the Washington Metro. One Orange Line stop's income is 3 times another. (City Paper)

Out of staters take local spaces: Many residents complain that it's because of out-of-state drivers that there are no parking spaces in their neighborhood. (Post)

Market rate or a market?: Should a warehouse across from Navy Yard Metro be a community market? Neighbors want it, but the GSA, which owns the site, wants to get the maximum value, which likely means a larger private building on the site. (City Paper)

Less intrusive government, only if you behave: John Mica isn't so hot on DC budget autonomy, saying his teenagers also wanted budget autonomy, but "As long as [DC is] minding [its] P's and Q's ... I think the government can back off." That's real small-government conservatism right there. (Fox 5)

TIGER roars: TIGER grants have been a huge success, garnering praise from across the political spectrum and encouraging innovation in transportation. (Streetsblog)

And...: Chicago's bikeshare system Divvy will start in June. (Chicago Tribune) ... Is it White Flint or North Bethesda? (BethesdaNow) ... Hearings on the Wheaton Costco gas station start today. (Patch, Dan. S) ... Hertz On Demand joins ZipCar in Bethesda. (RD@BR)

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Breakfast links: Surprising popularity

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:37:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by origamidon on Flickr.

Reservations over Reservation 13: The sole proposal for Reservation 13 in Hill East is a mixed-use, mixed-income project with 353 apartments. Is the city's seeming lack of commitment to the site the reason there is only one proposal? Neighbors are very frustrated with the process to date, and said so. (UrbanTurf, City Paper)

Traffic cameras are popular: 87% of DC residents support red light cameras and 76% support speed cameras, a study found. 59% of people who'd gotten tickets said they deserved them. John Townsend seems unusually subdued. (Examiner)

MoCo CaBi coming; Floreen wants lanes: Montgomery County signed a contract with Alta to bring Capital Bikeshare there by this fall. Nancy Floreen says the county needs to do more to add bike lanes in Bethesda and Silver Spring. (WTOP)

Do we need another highway?: Virginia took another step forward for its Outer Beltway segment west of Dulles. The $1 billion road aims to spur growth, but it will mostly be sprawl, and there's little analysis behind the decision. (WAMU)

Walk the long way to VRE: VRE is warning people not to cross the railroad tracks in Burke. The shortcut shaves a several-block detour and Fairfax hopes to build a pedestrian bridge, but that won't happen for years. (WTOP)

More power for ethics?: The new DC Board of Ethics and Government Accountability has recommended several changes to DC's ethics laws including criminalizing conflict-of-interest violations, ethics rules for all city employees, and the power to recommend expulsion of council members. (Examiner)

Small units get big: The micro-unit trend continues as a mixed-use proposal for a plot of land on Florida Avenue NW would include 200 micro apartments. (UrbanTurf)

Safer without stoplights: One English town took out the stoplights and walk signals at one intersection and replaced it with an unusual double roundel design. The result is slower moving car traffic and safer pedestrian traffic. (Kottke, Jared C)

And...: What would DC look like if sea levels rose? (Post) ... Ever wonder how some of the area's more oddly named roads got their name? (WTOP) ... The good news about sequestration? It might be easing congestion. (Examiner) ... Trump's Old Post Office hotel gets initial approval. (Post) ... Stoddert auctions off a parking space. (Hyperlocal GP)

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