Posts by David Alpert — Founder
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A deputy mayor on the WMATA board could improve DC and Metro coordination
Lucinda Babers, DC’s Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure, will join the WMATA Board of Directors, Fenit Nirappil reported in the Washington Post over the weekend. In addition to Babers’ strong qualifications, having a deputy mayor sit directly on the board could help better coordinate transportation policies, avoiding the kind of situation that turned a well-meaning effort to make Circulator free into a controversy over equity. Keep reading…
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“Sylvan” or “accessible”? C&O Canal lovers argue for their visions of an important space
Should urban spaces be “sylvan” and “riparian” or an “active” “people place”? Is the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal in Georgetown a “treasured” “wild place” or “dangerous and falling apart”? Keep reading…
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It’s deja-vroom: That flawed Texas A&M traffic study is back yet again
In 2011 and 2015, the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M released an “Urban Mobility Report” which grabbed a lot of headlines, like “Washington area tied with Chicago for traffic congestion, study finds.” The study led me and many others to write articles debunking its bad methodology. Keep reading…
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GGWash sandbox: Widen the 15th Street bikeway?
15th Street is DC’s first protected bikeway, and it gets heavy use. It may be time to widen it to four lanes, two in each direction, for bikes, e-bikes, scooters, and more. Keep reading…
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Jack Evans threatened Metro officials to keep his corruption secret, and two board members helped him
DC Councilmember Jack Evans (ward 2) not only allegedly tried to help companies paying him as a lobbyist while chair of the WMATA board, but threatened two top WMATA staff members to try to keep it quiet, according to a bombshell revelation from Robert McCartney in the Washington Post. Keep reading…
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Ellen Jones will be DDOT’s new Chief Project Delivery Officer
When Sam Zimbabwe left to head Seattle’s Department of Transportation, he left some big shoes to fill. That position will now go to Ellen Jones, who is currently Deputy Executive Director of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District and previously headed up the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Keep reading…
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DC takes steps to streamline solar power, but some still don’t take a shine to it
To help meet DC’s goal of generating 100% of its energy renewably by 2032 and 10% with solar power by 2041, a likely zoning change will make it easier to build community solar “farms” on the ground and atop garages. But, not surprisingly, some people object, wanting neighbors to have opportunities to speak up in opposition before any solar installations can be built. Keep reading…
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Trump may be more overtly racist, but Maryland politicians have s*** on Baltimore, too
Anyone with a moral center is rightly outraged by recent tweets from President Donald Trump, where he referred to the Baltimore-area district of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) as “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Let’s not forget, though, that there are other poilticians who affirmatively make it harder for Baltimore to rise out of its current problems. Keep reading…
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Be a part of GGWash as our Community and Program Coordinator!
Do you enjoy managing and organizing groups of volunteers and events, and making organizations operate smoothly? Do you want to build a career in nonprofit management and/or around sustainable and equitable transportation and housing in the Washington area? Keep reading…
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Plans for Georgetown’s C&O Canal meet misanthropic planning attitudes
The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal in Georgetown is largely a desolate place, but a new plan aims to bring life back to the canal as it historically had. But not everyone thinks a livelier C&O Canal is a good idea, particularly the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, which has called the plans an ill-advised attempt to recreate New York’s wildly sucessful “High Line” park. Keep reading…