Posts by Steve Offutt — Guest Contributor
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Take CaBi during this weekend’s Metro trackwork
Metro will be shutting down the Orange and Blue Lines from Foggy Bottom to Federal Triangle this weekend. There will be shuttle buses connecting the two and the intermediate stations, but rather than wait for a shuttle, Capital Bikeshare can help bridge the gap. DDOT just added some new stations yesterday, making Capital Bikeshare a viable alternative to waiting for the… Keep reading…
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Is buying a new car greener than buying used?
About a year ago I was at a conference where the keynote speaker dispensed the conventional wisdom that buying a used car is more environmentally friendly than buying a new one, even something like a hybrid. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Manufacturing a new car requires enormous mining, manufacturing, transportation and other costs and energy inputs, while a used car… Keep reading…
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I-66 “spot improvements” underway
A “spot improvement” on westbound I-66 between the George Mason Drive and Sycamore Street is underway. These projects which are essentially short-distance widenings, have been the subject of great debate for more than a decade. VDOT has long wanted to widen I-66 to three lanes in each direction; Arlington, smart growth and environmental groups have been strongly… Keep reading…
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Changing stanchions will help get a grip on Metro
Many Metro riders, especially shorter ones, know that at rush hour it can be hard to find a handhold. Barcelona’s Metro seems to have hit upon a solution. Keep reading…
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Metro will look at the “invisible tunnel” “later this year”
The idea of a virtual tunnel between the two Farragut stations on Metrorail was the subject of several posts on CommuterPage and here about two years ago. The idea is to allow passengers to exit one Farragut station and enter the other within a set period of time, counting the whole thing as a single trip rather than two trips. Given that Metro is currently making significant changes… Keep reading…
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The Seven Corners pedestrian bridge: one year later
A pedestrian bridge across Route 50 near Seven Corners in Fairfax County opened in May of 2009. Last year I posted twice about this feature. I recently went back to visit and do another count of bridge users. Here are the results, along with the counts from 2009. Each entry in this table represents one hour of counting during the middle of the day. The weather… Keep reading…
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Metro responds to Orange Line shuttle suggestion
Metro responded to my suggestion for Orange Line shuttle buses during the Memorial Day weekend while Orange Line service was suspended between East Falls Church and West Falls Church. I had forwarded it to Mr. Sarles as commenter John Bennett suggested. Here is the reply: Dear Mr. Offutt: Thank you for your May 25, 2010 email message to Richard Sarles, General Manager… Keep reading…
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A better strategy for Orange Line shuttle buses?
Metro will suspend service between East Falls Church and West Falls Church on Memorial Day weekend and the following two weekends for work on the Silver Line. Instead of shuttling passengers between these two stations, Metro could run sets of shuttles between East Falls Church and each of the three stations to the west. There are three stations west of East Falls Church on the Orange… Keep reading…
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How many barriers is too many?
The concrete planters around the Hirshhorn Museum helped slow a wayward truck that crashed into the museum last week. This crash was not a deliberate attempt to attack the building. It was a totally freak incident which had never happened before. Although this will probably spur efforts to increase the security measures around the building, it really should be… Keep reading…
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Park Police overprotect on Earth Day
The National Park Police had a large, disruptive and unnecessary presence at the Earth Day rally held on Sunday, April 25. A couple of contributors who attended the rally felt the Park Police’s actions seemed at best silly or, at worst, oppressive. The rally was held on the National Mall between Madison and Jefferson Streets just a little bit east of the carousel. … Keep reading…