Posts by Stephen Miller — Guest Contributor
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Mean streets: Tragic tracks this week
Last week was a tragic one for Metro, with two suicides. A man jumped in front of a Red Line train at Gallery Place and a 15 year-old committed suicide at the Columbia Heights station. Since these events, Metro has partnered with suicide-prevention groups to train station staff to identify and help those in distress. While speaking openly about what can be done to curb suicide is essential,… Keep reading…
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Outrage against enforcement is unsafe at any speed
Over the past few issues of themail@dcwatch, longtime DC activist Gary Imhoff has defended speeding as acceptable behavior on city streets. On September 13, he referenced a Washington Times editorial which noted that the District’s speed and red-light cameras issued slightly more than double the number of tickets they did two years ago. The editorial also complained about… Keep reading…
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Mean Streets: Hit-and-run becomes kill-and-run
Last week’s controversy surrounding the removal of the ghost bike should remind us that people from all walks of life die every day while using our region’s transportation system. While we often hear of car crashes or injury on the roads, the impact of these tragic occurrences often becomes dulled by their regularity. Therefore, we’re inaugurating a new… Keep reading…
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Howard Town Center racing to hit the low bar
On Monday evening, CastleRock Partners, the development team selected by Howard University after a decades-long back-story for its Howard Town Center project on Georgia Avenue at V Street, presented its concept for the site at a meeting hosted by the Pleasant Plains Civic Association. Keep reading…
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Mean streets: Ghosted bike
The most striking traffic safety issue this morning isn’t a fatal crash or dangerous intersection, but the removal of a ghost bike memorial to Alice Swanson, who was killed just over a year ago after being run over by a garbage truck at 20th and R streets, NW. City Paper has the most complete account of what happened to the ghost bike; it seems DPW removed it after receiving complaints… Keep reading…
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The waiting game: Two intersections now safer for pedestrians
Delayed implementation of curb extensions at the deadly intersection of 15th and W, NW didn’t stop DDOT from finishing strong. The intersection did not receive the quick-curb called for in the draft plan and hastily installed in July to slow drivers like the one that killed a pedestrian in May while turning from 15th onto W. Instead, DDOT has installed more permanent curb, and… Keep reading…
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Where did the quick curb come from?
DDOT finally installed “quick curb” at the dangerous intersection of 15th and W yesterday, after previously saying that they didn’t have the materials available. How did that happen? Keep reading…