Posts from July 2012
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Spingarn remains the best option for streetcar barn
A group of residents in the Carver-Langston neighborhood of Ward 5 have successfully lobbied councilmember Kenyan McDuffie to oppose a streetcar maintenance facility in the southeastern corner of the ward. If they succeed in blocking the planned facility at that location, the city is left with few options that aren’t very viable. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie… Keep reading…
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Metro proposes too low a bar for minimum service levels
A proposal before the WMATA Board tomorrow would define a new, formal standard for the minimum acceptable service level. But it sets the bar far too low: 15 minutes during peak times, and 30 minutes off-peak. Another proposal would a establish passengers per car loading thresholds of 120 people maximum and 80 people minimum. Having a standard is a good idea. It formalizes… Keep reading…
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Wheaton will redevelop with or without BF Saul
Unhappy with getting a smaller slice of downtown Wheaton than they originally hoped for, developer BF Saul has pulled out of Montgomery County’s redevelopment scheme for the area. Residents impatient for new investment will be frustrated, but Wheaton’s revival is already underway, and it’ll continue with or without BF Saul. Two years ago, County Executive… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Taxis and corruption
Council passes taxi bill, spares Uber; Harris pleads guilty; Bring more power lines underground?; Amtrak eyes larger Union Station; Designing smaller apartments; Map DC’s abandoned bicycles; Takoma Park mulls municipal power company; And…. Keep reading…
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In Uber fight, Silicon Valley & Washington philosophies clash
DC Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3) stepped into a firestorm yesterday when car service Uber claimed that the council was about to forbid lower prices for its service. This fight resembles so many policy debates around technology, because it’s a choice between two fundamental philosophies. Should a market have a number of rules which define ahead of time what companies… Keep reading…
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Then and now: Dulles sprawl
NASA’s Earth Observatory site shows how sprawl in the Dulles Airport area has grown through a comparison of 2 satellite images, one from 1984 and one from 2011. $(window).load(function() { $(’#container’).beforeAfter({ animateIntro : true, introDelay : 1000, introDuration : 1500, introPosition : .5, showFullLinks : true, beforeLinkText: ‘Show… Keep reading…
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1950 plan shows never-built freeways
The 1950 plans for DC show massive efforts to remove people from so-called “blighted” neighborhoods, and give more fascinating and scary insights into the urban development mindset of the day. They also include a full-color map showing the many freeways then planned for DC: Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Make it high speed
Make the NEC high-speed, gradually; California moves ahead with high-speed rail; Uber would be legal, but have to stay pricey; McDuffie opposes car barn; Cafritz project approved; Gray election consultant charged; DC breathalyzers may return; And…. Keep reading…
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MPD gets law correct in minor SUV-bike collision
DC’s police have gotten some deserved criticism for misunderstanding bike laws and misapplying them in a few recent crashes, but that’s not always the case. Some officers get it just right. Reader Corey wrote in: My friend Abe and I went for a ride yesterday. We were in the bike lane on 4th St SW between M and I, Abe in front and me trailing, when a guy in a crossover SUV tries… Keep reading…
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Was your neighborhood “obsolete” in 1950?
The National Capital Park and Planning Commission, forerunner to today’s NCPC, declared most of Shaw, Mount Vernon Square and Triangle, Capitol Hill, Southwest, Buena Vista and other neighborhoods “obsolete” in 1950. Yes, amazingly, they really used that term. Keep reading…