Recent Posts
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Capitol Hill community rallies for Ward 6 unity
Today the DC Council’s Subcommittee on Redistricting releases their much-anticipated proposal for new boundaries for the eight existing city wards. Yesterday, community members from around Ward 6 (as we know it) came together for a Rally to Keep Capitol Hill Together. Keep reading…
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Budget released; good for transportation, worse for others
DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown released his proposed budget last night. Many transportation priorities will get funded, despite removing graduated RPP. The income tax is replaced with a tax on out-of-state bonds. And many services for the less fortunate remain in limbo. Brown’s budget proposal maintains transportation programs funded in Mayor Gray’s budget… Keep reading…
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Bikeshare intensity maps can inform expansion choices
Tomorrow evening, DDOT is holding their public meeting on Capital Bikeshare expansion. Where should new stations go? Maps showing the current usage patterns can help us think about how to expand the system. To what extent should CaBi add stations in the core, where current usage is heaviest and stations are most often empty or full? What about at the periphery, where usage is light… Keep reading…
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Map contest winners, part 1: The clean, contemporary design
1,304 people voted in our map contest, and our jury has made their choices. Thanks so much to all 17 people who submitted maps, everyone who voted, and to all of our jury members. The consensus among readers differed in some interesting ways from the jury’s picks, but one map placed highly on both lists. The #1 choice among readers, and the #2 choice for the jury, was Map C, by… Keep reading…
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WMATA can learn from the New York MTA’s tweeting
Early on the morning of May 17, the New York subway experienced a derailment which snarled service in Brooklyn. Instead of trying to cover up the incident, the MTA tweeted about it, including photos of the re-railing: .bbpBox70690254549561344 {background:url(http://a0.twimg.com/profile_background_images/127784203/Twitter_NYCTSubwayScoop2010.JPG) #000000;padding:20px;}… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Begging for big boxes
Wegmans at Walter Reed?; Outlets a good fit for transit-poor megacomplex?; Mixed-use or move out?; Brown considering tax switcheroo; Metro to investigate excessive force; Metro still running reds; Peds struck in hit-and-run; Maryland may exclude Keolis; Bike bits. Keep reading…
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Transitways can run on top of grass
Transitways don’t have to be ugly. They don’t even have to be paved. There are many examples around the world of grass-track transitways for light rail or BRT, and a lot of local interest in using them here. Maryland is actively considering grass tracks for the Purple Line, and the idea could theoretically be applied to the Corridor Cities and Crystal City transitways… Keep reading…
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No 2:00 am budget surprises please, Kwame Brown
DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown should release his final budget proposal at least 24 hours before the final vote scheduled for Wednesday, May 25. Greater Greater Washington has joined 40 organizations and individuals in a letter asking Chairman Brown to take this step toward greater transparency and accountability in the DC government. Recent budgets haven’t been… Keep reading…
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WMATA considering policies for shorter station names
Metro might take a harder line against sprawling station names like U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo in the future, under a policy WMATA’s Board will discuss on Thursday. The problems with Metro’s station name sprawl are not new. But with the Silver Line and “Yellow and Orange Line Service Increase” coming, Metro will have to redo… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Rough on the powerless
Metro Transit Police injure disabled man; Gray for affordable housing but his budget isn’t; Taxi medallions help just a few; American tries to satisfy neighbors; Taking the T out of TOD; Alexandria shrinks Potomac Yard zone; Future BRAC phases loom; Bike bits; It’s not the talk-loudly-for-16-hours car. Keep reading…