Posts by Matt Johnson — Editorial Board Alum
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What’s green and fun in the spring? A Greenbelt bike tour, a Dupont green festival, and bike fundraisers
Greater Greater Washington is organizing a bike tour of Greenbelt on Sunday, April 18. We’ll be starting at 1:30, and the tour should run about 3 hours or so. Keep reading…
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WMATA proposes restructuring Greenbelt bus service
As a part of the slash-and-burn that WMATA is undertaking to reduce costs, the agency has proposed an entire restructuring of Metrobus service in Greenbelt. This represents one of the most significant alterations of service which is currently proposed in the region. Not all of the changes are entirely bad ideas. The new routes will be more direct and easier to understand. Headways… Keep reading…
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Historian discovers Masonic freeway conspiracy
This article was posted as an April Fool’s joke. In a recently published article, a local historian claims to have discovered hidden messages in the design of Washington’s freeways. The historian, Tyler Vanderschmidt, says that he has found evidence of a Masonic conspiracy to use freeway building to embed the symbology of the secretive organization in the… Keep reading…
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DC proposes closing 14th Street bridge nights and weekends to close budget gap
This article was posted as an April Fool’s joke. Mayor Fenty’s proposed FY2011 budget, released today, calls for a complete closure of the 14th Street bridge on evenings and weekends to save maintenance dollars. DDOT estimates that closing the 14th Street Bridge would save approximately $10,000 per day. Spokesman John Truthle says people will still be able… Keep reading…
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Prince George’s residents speak out against bus cuts
Riders filled the Prince George’s County WMATA budget hearing on Monday despite a suburban and relatively transit-inaccessible location, and made heart-wrenching please to retain their vital lifelines, bus service. At least 100 riders attended and over 40 people gave testimony. Board Member Elizabeth Hewlett and General Manager John Catoe were both present to listen… Keep reading…
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WMATA delays 7000-series order to make it larger
On Thursday, the WMATA Board heard a report from staff on the procurement of the new 7000-series railcars. The Board decided to hold off approving the contract until it can decide on options for additional cars. Keep reading…
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Downtown bike lane proposal needs fixes at the ends
Last week, DDOT announced a plan for a set of cutting-edge bike facilities downtown, but the plan does raise some issues. The plan will dramatically improve cycling conditions downtown, but some of the constraints on the plan may call for even more innovative solutions. One of the concerns voiced at Thursday’s meeting was about what happens to the bike lanes on I (Eye) and… Keep reading…
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DDOT shares downtown bicycle facility plans
Last night, the District Department of Transportation shared its proposals for a network of “innovative” bike facilities in downtown Washington. DDOT’s proposal calls for new facilities to be constructed this year along Pennsylvania Avenue, 9th, 15th, I, and L Streets. They hope to have Pennsylvania Avenue facility, which has been championed by U.S. Keep reading…
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Average schedule speed: How does Metro compare?
When New York City’s first elevated opened in 1868, it marked the first foray of rapid transit in the United States. Rapid transit was an effort to increase speed and capacity by separating trains from other modes of transportation. By the time Washington’s Metro opened in 1976, the new modern systems being constructed in the United States had a different basis in… Keep reading…
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Time to reaassemble railcars into single-series trains
In last month’s NTSB hearing, experts concluded that moving the 1000-series cars to the center of train consists probably offered no safety benefit. Keep reading…