Recent Posts
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Gray’s Ward 2 town hall sidesteps divisions
The warm reception given to expectant Mayor Vincent Gray at the Ward 2 Town Hall last night stood in stark contrast with the 27% Ward 2 support Gray received on Election Day. Ward 2 includes my particular Georgetown precinct which supported Gray’s opponent more than any other in DC. The event, held at Foundry United Methodist Church, was to have been 2 hours of discussion… Keep reading…
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You’re free to mow down pedestrians in Prince William
In Prince William County, apparently it’s completely legal to kill any pedestrian, anytime, if they are in the road but not in a crosswalk. All you have to do is not drive away afterward and be sober. This morning, a pickup truck driver and possibly also the driver of another box truck hit and killed a man crossing Virginia Route 234 near US-1 in Dumfries. We don’t… Keep reading…
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What will autonomous cars mean for cities?
Google revealed this week that it is working on autonomous cars, and making a lot of progress. While it’s what engineers call a nontrivial problem, making a car drive itself is ultimately just a matter of engineering, and will sooner or later become a reality. What will it mean for our cities? Will cars that drive themselves lead to more driving or less? More sprawl or more… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Smarter suburbs
Reston rising; An even better Frederick; Walter Reed is Metro-accessible; O’Malley, Ehrlich spar; VRE breaks own record; Live atop a church; Be nice, taxi drivers. Keep reading…
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Afternoon links: Percentage perspective
A tale of two cities; Car independence in DC; More stats and inequalities; Transportation service; Is Cato’s parking anti-free-market?; More sincere flattery; Sprawl, illustrated. Keep reading…
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Doctors’ Hospital, a “hotel for the sick”
It seems that as long as hospitals have been around, they’ve seemed dreary and depressing, or at times even unhealthful. The first DC hospital, for example, was a decidedly morbid place, opened at the Washington Asylum for indigents during a cholera epidemic in 1832. Medical practitioners have been trying for a long time to do better than that. One major step forward occurred… Keep reading…
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Tell Ashley Halsey cars aren’t the only users of our streets
The Washington Post’s Ashley Halsey poses this question to readers: The Washington region is notorious for congested traffic. Is one intersection worse than all the rest? If you know of one, tell us in two sentences, where it is and what makes it the worst. Send your reply to: transportation@washpost.com The biggest problem intersections I experience are those… Keep reading…
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On the calendar: Lockwood, Gray, Walter Reed, McMillan Sand, Lincoln Park CaBi, retro bikes and much more
The next few weeks have copious opportunities to weigh in on the future of DC neighborhoods. Please consider attending some of them! Tonight alone has three great events competing for your time. The Coalition for Smarter Growth is hosting “transportation celebrity” Ian Lockwood for a talk tonight at NCPC, 401 9th Street, NW. Lockwood designed the Gilbert’s… Keep reading…
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SmarTrips staying $5 for now; keep it, help riders other ways
The WMATA Board voted to “table” any decision on reducing the price of SmarTrips and allowing negative balances, which essentially means SmarTrips will stay at $5 for now, but the issue isn’t completely resolved. A few months ago, the Board voted to ask for the SmarTrip price to decline to $2.50. As we’ve by now covered ad nauseam, that was originally… Keep reading…
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Klein demands better plan for 14th & U
After reviewing the separate streetscape plans for 14th and U Streets, NW, DDOT Director Gabe Klein has asked the 14th Street project team to present a better plan for the key intersection of 14th and U that creates a more distinctive civic space. In deciding that this historic intersection will be designed by the 14th Street project team and not the U Street team, Klein is handing… Keep reading…