Posts by Michael Perkins — Contributor
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Android phones can now give real-time transit directions
Drivers using a GPS unit or Google Maps on their phone have long been able to have a tinny robot voice tell them when they need to take a right or left turn. Now, Android phone users will be able to have the same step-by-step directions when they ride transit. A recent update to Google Maps integrates the GPS function on your phone with transit directions. Using this feature, the phone… Keep reading…
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Could bikeshare directions come to Google?
Google Maps has come very far since its inception, adding biking and walking directions, transit trip planning and more. Incorporating bikeshare information should be the next step. Keep reading…
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Integrate bus and rail by making transfers free?
Unlike many other transit systems, Metro started out as a regional rail provider that got a bus system tacked on in the middle of the process. Ever since that time, the bus and rail systems have had separate fare systems, joined at the hip through the transfer discount. What if Metro instead let people transfer for free between rail and bus? It’s an appealing idea, but… Keep reading…
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Remove rush hour parking? Or allow parking all the time?
Many streets in DC have signs that prohibit parking during rush hour. They ensure that the widest possible street is available for cars, buses, or bikes to travel during the busiest, most traffic-heavy times. But is the widest possible street really the best street? Is an open travel lane really the best use of space everywhere those signs are placed? I work on M Street SE, near… Keep reading…
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Replace paper card fares with a single fare table?
Spend any time in a Metro station and you’ll see them: Befuddled tourists, trying to decipher the fare table posted on the ticket vending machine. Often, they know where they want to go, but Metro’s complicated format gives them three different choices on how they should pay. They have to refer to another table to figure out which one is correct. It’s akin to… Keep reading…
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Use industry standards for bus and rail on-time performance
WMATA is proposing to lower its targets for on-time performance, because the old targets are arbitrary and they couldn’t meet them. How should they pick the right targets that are neither unrealistic nor overly conservative? Monthly, WMATA reports the on-time performance for its buses or trains. Metro considers a bus “on-time” if it arrives at designated… Keep reading…
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Shoup, Ricks, and Perkins discuss parking on Kojo
The Kojo Nnamdi show on WAMU is hosting a discussion about variable-rate “performance” parking in the District, featuring Donald Shoup of UCLA, Karina Ricks from DDOT, and myself, beginning at noon. Dr. Shoup is the author of “The High Cost of Free Parking.” Ms. Ricks is Associate Director for the Policy, Planning and Sustainability Administration,… Keep reading…
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Metro should include fare increase option in FY12 budget
The WMATA board is hashing out the final details on a public hearing to ask your opinion on how to close the remaining $72.5 million funding gap for the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1. The public’s choices, however, will be limited. The proposal includes a narrowly targeted fare increase, which would increase the discounted bus fares associated with the Anacostia… Keep reading…
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Alexandria pilots monthly SmarTrip bus pass
Alexandria is looking for riders that want to test loading a monthly bus pass on their SmarTrip cards. Customers would be able to load these $35 passes onto their SmarTrips. Each pass is good for a month of unlimited trips on Alexandria’s DASH, Arlington’s ART, and Fairfax Connector bus services. The fare on each of these services is $1.50 with SmarTrip… Keep reading…
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Market-rate parking comes to SF. What can DC learn?
San Francisco is ready to roll out demand-responsive parking prices, a move that the city hopes will reduce congestion and allow transit vehicles to move faster. San Francisco will adjust parking meter and garage parking prices based on measured demand. The District has a similar policy for adjusting prices in the Columbia Heights and ballpark “performance parking”… Keep reading…