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Breakfast links: Bike stats and laws
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: Economic development
Public land deals come up short: When DC bids out public land for development, developers often promise various amenities, but sometimes those amenities never arrive or the projects end up needing extra subsidies. (WAMU)
CityCenter has to pay more?: The Labor Department says CityCenterDC has to pay federal-level wages because it's a project on public land, even though it's a primarily private project. DC is suing to overturn the ruling. (City Paper)
Is Hill East weak?: Deputy Mayor Victor Hoskins says Hill East is a "weak market," but residents disagree; there are private buildings going up in the area, but the public land hasn't gotten any subsidies. (Brian Flahaven)
Density helps tech industry: Several startup founders say DC's density makes it attractive and is an advantage over Silicon Valley. Also, one suggests a Google-style bus between DC and Arlington. Isn't that called Metro? (Elevation DC)
Smart Growth saves money: Downtown mixed-use development brings in 10 times as much tax revenue for cities as suburban sprawl, per acre. A Smart Growth America report says walkable growth helps build more stable local budgets. (Streetsblog)
Why commute from Delaware?: One man chooses to drive drive and take a commuter bus from Delaware to Rosslyn every day, a trip that takes 3 hours each way and costs $600 per month. He doesn't see his son very much, but they can live near family and pay lower taxes. (WTOP)
DC may change gas tax too: The DC Council votes on the budget today. Chairman Phil Mendelson wants to replace the gas tax with a wholesale tax, which will also make the tax grow or shrink as gas prices rise or fall. (Post)
Sinking: A giant sinkhole shut down 14th and F, maybe for 2 days. (Post) ... Parking minimums may sink an Austin restaurant. (Next City) ... Cicadas may not come inside the Beltway. (Post) ... DC's economic development office experiences a brain drain. (WBJ)
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Breakfast links: Caught on tape
Police ticket U turns on Penn: Bill Walsh caught a cab driver on video making an illegal U-turn across the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes... and then an FBI police officer put on his siren and pulled over the driver for the violation.
School buildings to charters: A new DC government website will help charter schools use vacant DCPS buuildings after 16 schools close this fall. All will go to charters, as the law requires, rather than some to city agencies. (City Paper)
Outer Beltway opposition grows: A former member of Virginia's Commonwealth Transportation Board speaks out against the Outer Beltway. The board delayed its vote at Rep. Frank Wolf's request amid opposition in Prince William County. (Post)
Suburban versus urban poverty: Poverty in America is increasingly moving to the suburbs, especially in places with poor transit. Thanks to isolation and lack of services, that poverty is also far less visible and solutions more difficult. (Atlantic Cities)
Fragile Northeast corridor: A commuter train derailement in Connecticut injured 70 and shut down Amtrak and Metro-North service for days. Crowding on limited bus alernatives shows how much people rely on the Northeast Corridor with little alternative to handle the demand if something goes wrong. (Streetsblog)
Uber still hates regulations: Uber is fighting against another round of regulations, which require using one of several specific payment providers while Uber already has its own. It also doesn't want to send GPS data to the Taxicab Commission. (Post, DCist)
And...: Glover Park residents don't want a strip club on Wisconsin Avenue. (Post) ... Here's where the vacant property is in Ward 1. (New Columbia Heights) ... Pedestrian crashes rise in Montgomery County. (WAMU)
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Breakfast links: The numbers tell all
Pay to play?: Companies and developers who got city subsidies donated $2.5 million to campaigns. Contributions from those organizations suddenly spiked right in the year before the subsidy came up for vote. Coincidence? (WAMU)
DC wins more residents among workers: Among people who started working in the District from 2000-2011, 31.7% also chose to live in DC, up from 29% in 2000. Also, DC residents who work are slightly more likely to work inside the District. (City Paper)
Where homes sell slowest: Homes for sale are spending the most time on the market in ZIP codes at the very edge of the region, like Cumberland, MD (234 days on average). Inside DC, it's Deanwood (56 days) and Brookland (38). (UrbanTurf)
Why engineers pooh-poohed cycle tracks: AASHTO, the association of state DOTs and their officials, ignored the latest data in reports over 25 years frowning on protected bike lanes (or "cycle tracks") on streets, a study argues. The fact that 90% of those authors were men could also contribute. (Streetsblog)
Bike thief contronted, laughs: A resident found her stolen bike on Craigslist and tried to confront the bike thief, but he just laughed and pedaled away; he said he's a Howard student and "career thief." The police still didn't take any action. (City Paper)
It's not "Breakfast at Citibank": The developer of a building at Connecticut and K tried for years to woo Tiffany's, which has no location inside DC, but got a bank instead. When will high-end retailers notice the lucrative law firm market? (Post)
What's next for MARC: Hurrah for some weekend MARC service. How about also merging MARC and VRE so trains run through from Maryland to Virginia, and restoring service between DC and Baltimore to run later than 9:15? (RPUS)
And..: How does BART's strategic planning resemble Metro's? (PlanItMetro) ... Ken Cuccinelli says FOIA doesn't apply to his office. (Post) ... The biker killed on U Street Thursday is Andre Brands, 50. (Examiner)
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Breakfast links: News cycle
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
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
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: Longtime residents
Bonds wants tax break for elderly: Councilmember Anita Bonds wants to eliminate property taxes or subsidize rent older residents who have lived in DC for 25 years, be at least 80 years old, and earn less than $150,000. (Examiner)
Sued for blocking development: Some Southwest condo residents filed a landmark application to try to block development in their complex, but a developer threatened a lawsuit, since the condo owners agreed to allow development there when they bought their units. Another group also applied for landmark status. (City Paper)
Evans opposes disclosures: Councilmember Jack Evans (ward 2) wants to delete new rules that force members to file monthly disclosures. Few are in "full compliance" now; David Grosso suggests training could help. (Examiner)
Food truck regs not tasty enough: DC councilmembers don't seem inclined to approve food truck regulations. DCRA will allocate 180 spots for trucks downtown, but truck operators want more concentration in the popular areas. (City Paper)
Arlington may relax rules: Arlington might let food trucks park for more than 2 hours and later at night, but as in DC restaurant owners say trucks' lower costs and no state taxes make competition unfair. (WAMU)
Bike lanes for Hyattsville: Hyattsville will be getting new bike lanes to connect the West Hyattsville Metro to the Arts District and retail on Queens Chapel Road. (Gazette)
And...: The Museum of Natural American History's transportation exhibit is 10 years old and still popular. (Post) ... DC doesn't have many pre-fab homes but one is coming to H Street NE. (PoPville) ... The National Aquarium will close. (DCist)
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Breakfast links: WMATA won't pay
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
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)
Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.Bikeshare is a gateway to private biking, not competition
- Bikeshare is a gateway to private biking, not competition
- Judge denies injunction against closing schools
- Short-term Washingtonians deserve a voice, too
- Long-term closures: A solution to single-tracking?
- Public land deals have both benefits and pitfalls
- Metro policy for refunds after delays falls short, riders say
- PG planners propose bold new smart growth future
Sun May 26
11:00 am Roosevelt Ride in Greenbelt
Sat Jun 1
10:00 am CSG walking tour of Wheaton
Tue Jun 4
6:30 pm Height limit meeting at NCPC
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