Posts about Links

Pay phones don't pay: Metro's has no service contract to fix its pay phones when they break down. Verizon used to pay Metro for the phones, but lately was losing $500,000 a year as usage dropped. (Examiner)

Another use for pay phones: One New Yorker is converting pay phone booths into miniature libraries. So far 2 phones have been converted and the creator plans more, even though theft has been a problem. (Atlantic Cities)

Get off the phone: An informal 5-minute survey of a Georgetown intersection found at least five drivers on cell phones in violation of DC law and putting pedestrians at risk. (Georgetown Metropolitan)

Forget you!: Following a heated exchange between Councilmembers Catania and Barry, the DC Council has enacted rules that prohibit "profane, indecent or abusive language" during public meetings. (Post)

Don't shut the door: Maryland lawmakers are considering giving health departments the power to allow open doors and windows in restaurants. Will this allow restaurants to better interact with the sidewalk and give more eyes on the street? (Gazette)

Second look at suburbs: A new MoMA exhibit ties suburbs to the foreclosure crisis, but Diana Lind argues that we need to "stop demonizing the suburbs" and think about how to improve, not abolish, suburbia. (Next American City)

And...: New York Ave is Metro's fastest growing station in terms of ridership. (Examiner) ... The Economist makes the case for Gov. O'Malley's proposed gas tax increases. ... Why does a Baltimore art school oppose bike lanes? (Baltimore Brew)

The Presidential City: Presidents like Madison, Grant and Johnson have had dramatic effects, both positive and negative, on DC's life, cityscape and voting rights. (DCist)

Share a taxi from baseball: Taxis can soon pick up multiple passengers at once after baseball games, under new rules from the Taxicab Commission. Nats Park will also get a taxi stand and line similar to Union Station's. (Washington Times)

Name the Silver Line stations: WMATA and Fairfax County have created a survey to get input on Silver Line station names. The county-recommended names came under substantial criticism for being extremely boring and repetitive.

Violent crime on the rise: Violent crime, especially robberies, is up significantly across DC. Murders, however, continued to decline. (Washington Times)

More restaurants in Wards 7 & 8: A few sit-down restaurants have opened east of the river, and residents are eager for more. One potential restauranteur, though, decided not to open in Anacostia because there wasn't enough pedestrian traffic. (Post)

Now free to open wide: Half of low-income adults with dental coverage haven't been to a dentist in more than a year. A new free clinic opens in DC to help low-income residents fill that gap. (DCentric)

LivingSocial takes a lashing: Local businesses accuse LivingSocial of deploying "Walmart principles against the creative community" by opening a store 918 F Street NW. But are they just sore about competition? (DCist)

Keeping seniors in cities: Although the trend has been for seniors to move to the sunbelt after retirement, cities could do more to entice them to stay, including adding street furniture and legalizing jitneys. (Salon via Planetizen)

On the Mall...:: Developer John Akridge has given the Trust for the National Mall $1 million. (DCist) ... Tourmobile's replacement will soon operate around the Mall for only $5 per boarding, or $8.75 for a trip to Arlington Cemetery. (WTOP)

DC streets get greener: With stimulus money, DDOT removed a lot of impervious surface. They enlarged tree boxes or added new ones, made medians green instead of concrete, and even created a few large grassy areas. (d.ish)

DC very stimulated: DC got more stimulus money per capita than any state. The money went to job training programs, school repairs, road repaving, and new buses, but unemployment still rose since 2008. (DCist)

Don't drink on Metro: 97% of tickets Metro Transit Police write are for drinking alcohol. They write few tickets for eating, because riders get a warning first under a policy begun after they arrested a 12-year-old in 2000. (Post)

Tysons roads get more expensive: The cost of proposed Tysons road projects has grown from $1.7 to $2.1 billion. Fairfax is asking Tysons landowners to pay 51-90% of the cost. (Post, Falls Church)

What kind of casino development?: Will a casino at National Harbor spur development and create a sense of place in Prince George's, or will it just be an "enclave development" that brings no growth to areas around it? (RPUS)

Enforce the law: New York saw crime go down using a "broken windows" theory of law enforcement. Could a similar strategy of enforcing minor traffic violations help reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities? (Atlantic Cities)

And..: Hollywood stopped filming on a downtown LA street because of a new green painted bike lane. (LA Times) ... The Dallas Mavericks took a charter train from Phila­delphia to New York. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, uvaeer) ... The Hine project has changed over time ... Herndon's new police chief bikes regularly. (FABB)

Gay rights take step forward: The Maryland House passed a same-sex marriage bill. But no marriages will take place until a referendum, assuming opponents successfully petition for one. (Post)

Women's rights take step backward: Virginia will require an intrusive and medically unnecessary procedure to try to deter women who want or need legal abortions. (Slate)

Put gentrifiers, not football players, at Res. 13: Besides the policy advantages of mixed-use over a Redskins practice facility at Reservation 13, it's better on gentrification, by creating places to live that don't involve displacing anyone. (City Paper)

Simmer down now, DC Council: The DC Council will consider requiring civility from its members. Chairman Brown introduced the bill after a heated exchange between David Catania and Marion Barry upset voters. (Post)

Las Vegas casino for National Harbor?: Rushern Baker wants a "Las Vegas-style" casino at National Harbor, though the County Council is conflicted. Legislation to permit a casino in western Prince George's is in the state legislature. (Post)

Bike and funeral parking lane: A church on 15th Street encouraged visitors to park in the cycle track for a recent funeral, giving cyclists no safe way to ride south. (TBD) ... M.V.Jantzen caught a Taxi Commission enforcement officer parking in the lane, too. (WashCycle)

Why such acrimony over campuses?: DC universities and surrounding neighborhoods always seem to be fighting. Is this the inevitable consequence of a campus with wealthy neighbors, or is there something about DC? (City Paper)

Overestimated enrollment yields windfall: DCPS overestimated its student population by 2,056 for this school year, meaning the district received $18.4 million to cover the costs of students who never enrolled. (Post)

Baker boosting bag fee: Prince George's delegates will hold off on a 2nd vote on the proposed bag fee so that County Executive Rushern Baker, who supports the fee, can talk with skittish members. (Washington Times)

College Park TOD gets friendlier: College Park has approved plans for new University of Maryland office buildings near College Park Metro and the Purple Line, but only if they become more pedestrian-friendly and include Capital Bikeshare stations. (Gazette)

Obama's Metro cut "ominous": Robert McCartney and area leaders criticize Obama's cut to Metro funds, saying it breaks a promise and will likely lead to bigger cuts from House Republicans. (Post)

What's not passing Congress: John Boehner postponed action on the House transpor­tation bill. (Huffington Post) ... The Senate transportation bill got "bogged down" by unrelated Republican amendments on Egypt, conctraception and more. (The Hill) ... The transit tax benefit didn't make it in to the payroll tax cut deal. (Transportation Nation)

CaBi tops 1.5 million rides: Capital Bikeshare has provided 1.5 million trips since its start less than a year and a half ago. Its success has made CaBi a model for the rest of the country. (TBD)

Metro admits blame: Metro and three equipment manufacturers will admit liability for the first time publicly for the Fort Totten crash. The admission allows WMATA to avoid costly courtroom litigation. (Examiner)

Bill encourages complete streets: The Prince George's County Council will vote today on a bill to have developments contribute to pedestrian and biking facilities and not just road capacity for cars. (WashCycle)

More seats for NoVa on transpo board: A bill that just passed the Virginia House would allocate more seats to Northern Virginia on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, giving the area more control over transportation dollars. (Examiner)

Obama stiffs WMATA: President Obama's budget cuts $15 million in WMATA repair money. DC, Maryland and Virginia match this funding, so this could mean $30 million less in repairs to track signals or escalators. (Post)

Republicans for transit: Six Republican Congress­men from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio support restoring transit funding in the transportation bill. Several also plan to vote against the bill in its current form. (Streetsblog)

Bethesda second entrance lives: A Montgomery County Council committee voted to restore funding for the Bethesda Metro second entrance, delaying it just one year instead of indefinitely as in County Executive Leggett's budget. Roger Berliner and Hans Riemer voted for the change, while Nancy Floreen abstained. (Post, Examiner)

From vacant lot to trendy market: A shipping container market and event space is slated for the vacant lots north of Nationals Park. The market, replacing The Bullpen and Das Bullpen, will be modeled after Brooklyn's Dekalb Market. (JDLand)

FTA could regulate transit: Congress's transpor­tation funding bills would give the Federal Transit Authority the power to regulate the subways and light rail lines. The push for regulation came after the Fort Totten Metro crash. (Post)

McDonnell doesn't get everything: Governor Bob McDonnell's ideas for transportation funding get watered down in the Virginia legislature. The House bill keeps his ideas of moving sales tax revenue to transportation and selling naming rights to roads and bridges. The Senate bill would tie the gas tax to inflation. (Washington Times)

HUD helps PG: HUD will help Prince George's County reform its housing agency, which was part of Jack Johnson's bribery scandal. HUD hopes to make the county a model for the rest of the country. (Post)

Gray holds One City summit: Hundreds gathered to attend Mayor Gray's One City Summit. Attendees voted electronically on priorities and ideas and said that affordable housing and corruption were the most important issues. (Post)

Meet "Rush Plus": Metro will call its new rush service pattern "Rush Plus." The change will add more Orange and Yellow line trains during rush hour. (TBD)

Less entrance, more closing: Since closing the south entrance at Dupont Circle, Metro has twice needed to shut off access to the station entirely, once to prevent overcrowding when a train had to be offloaded and once for a false fire alarm. (Examiner)

No decision on campus plan: The Zoning Commission put off its anticipated decision on Georgetown's campus plan. Commissioners seemed uncomfortable with forcing all students to live in campus, as the Office of Planning recommended. (City Paper)

No more fund: Tommy Wells has decided to close his constituent services fund to set a better ethical example. Richard Layman suggests turning the fund over to Ward 6 residents as an exercise in participatory democracy.