Posts by Michael Perkins — Contributor
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Metro morsels: SmarTrips and Gallery Place art
This morning’s WMATA Board meeting, as usual, brought up a number of small yet significant items. WMATA will sell SmarTrips at a loss: Last month, the WMATA Board voted to reduce the cost of SmarTrip cards to $2.50. That decision was made in part on information some staff told the Board that SmarTrip cards actually cost WMATA about $1. However, a presentation today revealed… Keep reading…
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Metro fare guarantee could flush out system bugs
The first day of Metro’s latest fare hike included a few minor software glitches, and riders reported various other inaccuracies. What would be an effective way to find and fix these problems quickly? Keep reading…
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How could Metro share regional bus pass revenue?
Last week, we discussed why regional bus providers are unhappy with the current regional bus pass arrangement, and why some sort of revenue sharing agreement is vital to maintaining bus pass flexibility for customers. Today, we’ll look into what some of the options are for a sharing proposal. First, we’ll look at my recommended proposal. Under this… Keep reading…
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Goodbye evening parking time limits, hello technology pilots
Late on Friday, DDOT announced a number of small changes that move parking policy in DC a few steps forward. At meters in “premium demand zones,” parking time limits won’t apply after 6:30 pm. Drivers still have to pay for parking after that time, but can park for any amount of time. Premium demand zones include Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Chinatown, U… Keep reading…
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Arlington may quit regional bus pass without revenue deal
Metrobus pass holders currently enjoy free rides on all the regional bus transit providers, from DASH to Ride-On, Connector to “The Bus.” Right now, WMATA does not share any pass revenue with those transit agencies. This has become a sore point with Arlington’s Chris Zimmerman, County Board Member and a member of the WMATA Board of Directors. At a recent… Keep reading…
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Fairfax County reluctant to release open transit data
Fairfax County operates one of the largest suburban bus systems in the region. They could empower mobile app users and software developers to drive more riders to their services by publishing their transit information. Unfortunately, they are letting some misconceptions about open data stop them from taking this valuable step. Transit agencies have two separate yet related… Keep reading…
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“Peak of the peak” makes flexible passes more crucial
The new “peak of the peak” surcharge is forcing Metro to adapt their existing weekly rail passes, which offer free rides up to $2.65 for the “Short Trip Pass” and free rides of any length for the Fast Pass. At a WMATA Board committee meeting last week, staff announced their intention to let the passes apply during “peak of the peak” periods,… Keep reading…
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East Falls Church plan endorsed, but opponents mobilizing
Last night, the East Falls Church Planning Task Force overwhelmingly endorsed the draft plan to transform the East Falls Church Metro area into a mixed-use, pedestrian, bicycle and transit-oriented community. Next, the plan will go to the Arlington County Board. If you support the plan, sign CSG’s new petition to the Board. It’s particularly friendly to… Keep reading…
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Did you take economics?
If you think free markets never work, you need to take an economics class. If you think free markets always work, you need to take another economics class. — Yoram Bauman, “The Cartoon Introduction to Economics” Keep reading…
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Bus stop density correlates with speed
This graph compares the scheduled average speed by route with the average number of bus stops per mile for all bus routes in the WMATA published data. Keep reading…