Posts by David Alpert — Founder
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Make buses better in Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, says a regional business group
Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond should all make their bus service a priority with more lanes, faster boarding, better infromation, and much more. Those are recommendations from the Greater Washington Partnership, a super-regional business-led organization which just released a new issue brief on bus service. Keep reading…
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Bus transformation #2: Integrate the region’s bus systems
If you’re trying to take a bus from one place to another, you don’t care if a local government or WMATA owns the bus and hires the driver, or who pays for it. But which government runs a bus line does affect how it's illustrated on maps, what websites let you track it, and what fares and passes cover it. Could this all be simpler? Keep reading…
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How did your Walk Score change over your life?
Last week, I asked how the Walk Score of the place you grew up compares to where you live now. Dan Reed came up with a great extension of the game: Graph the Walk Scores for everywhere you've lived over time. Mine is above. Keep reading…
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Bus transformation #1: Improve the service
The Bus Transformation Project, a regional consensus-building exercise led by WMATA, will kick off soon. We identified seven ways we hope the study team and regional partners will seek to improve buses in the Washington area, and will post about each. First up, the most important: improve the actual bus service. Keep reading…
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Sustainable DC 2.0 keeps big goals, but achieving them takes more ambition on buses, bikes, and scooters
The DC government has released its “Sustainable DC 2.0” draft, an update to the 2012 sustainability plan and a further developed version of an outline released in June. However, DC will need to do much more than the actions listed there to actually hit those goals. Keep reading…
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WMATA is looking to “transform” bus service in our region. Here are 7 ways to do it (and one not to)
What should buses mean for the Washington region? How many should there be, and who should run them? What kinds of services (like locals, “rapid” limited-stops, expresses, etc.) should we have? How can the bus better serve people and stay cost-effective? These are some questions that might be answered through a new effort called the Bus Transformation Project. Keep reading…
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How different is the Walk Score where you grew up, from where you live now?
During a recent lunch discussion, I and a few folks were talking about our Walk Scores. We came up with the idea of comparing our Walk Score now to the one where we grew up. I might be hard to beat: My Walk Score growing up was a 2. Now, it's a 97. Keep reading…
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Four people died walking on area roadways last weekend. Here’s how police and the press should talk about this.
A recent rash of drivers killing people walking around our region, especially in suburban areas, got a lot worse over Labor Day weekend, with four more deaths on area roadways. If you're thinking, “I read about this already last week or the week before,” sadly, no. Keep reading…
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DC will extend its dockless pilot, but without allowing more bikes and scooters
The District's dockless bike and scooter “pilot” program will continue for another three months, with little expansion but some more new restrictions. Keep reading…
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DC fixes two dangerous spots on the M Street bikeway. For FedEx, though, “we’re still waiting.”
A turning truck driver killed cyclist Jeffrey Long at New Hampshire Avenue and M Street NW in DC in July. In response, the District Department of Transportation took out three parking spaces and filled the space with flexible posts to prevent parking. But that's not the only trouble spot on the M Street protected bikeway, as Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Mike Silverstein explains in this video. Keep reading…