Recent Posts
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The legacy of Charles Bond
Born in Saugus, Massachusetts, Charles Henry Bond (1846-1908) became fabulously wealthy and successful in the latter part of the 19th century. He made his fortune in the cigar business, as president of Boston-based Waitt & Bond, Inc., manufacturers of Blackstone and Totem brand cigars. A cameo biography of him in Samuel Eliot’s 1909 Biographical History of Massachusetts… Keep reading…
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Gray isn’t actually wrong on parking complaints
Vince Gray has made some urbanists nervous with statements criticizing recent meter fee increases and about rolling back later parking meter hours. Actually, he’s correct in recognizing the problems with recent parking policy changes, even if his recommendations don’t yet include some of the nuances and language that would satisfy parking experts. What are… Keep reading…
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Underpriced Metro parking doesn’t justify more parking
According to an article in the Sun Gazette, VDOT is pushing back on Arlington’s and Falls Church’s plans to evolve the East Falls Church Metro station from primarily a park-and-ride to one surrounded by apartments and stores. VDOT planner Thomas VanPoole told reporter Scott Mcaffrey that Arlington needs to retain all the existing parking spaces at the station. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Setting a date
Capital Bikeshare to start September 20th; Is DC pedestrian unfriendly?; DC’s neglected Civil War history; Free WiFi on the Mall; Stadiums die, debt lives on; Linking cabs and passengers; Obama infrastructure proposal, political reality at odds; Fear vs. Reality. Keep reading…
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How can DC’s third busiest bus line improve?
To determine how best to spend service improvement funds, WMATA and DDOT are jointly studying the performance of every Metrobus line in the District, beginning with the four most-patronized “priority corridors.” Among these is the 90s bus line. Officially called the “U Street-Garfield Line,” the 90s route is one of the District’s major transit… Keep reading…
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Don’t block the box… or else?
Imagine this: A driver in his car approaches a traffic light in downtown Washington. The light is green, so the driver crosses into the intersection but can’t make it all the way across before being forced to stop behind a line of other cars. Before the driver can move through the intersection, the light changes to red. Now he or she is blocking cross traffic from moving through… Keep reading…
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Robinson’s wedge politics destructive for DC
While Vince Gray is running under a mantra of “one city” and claims to want to bring all residents together, Kelvin Robinson is working hard to drive them apart. His campaign strategy revolves around inflaming divisions within Ward 6, a shameful strategy that doesn’t belong in DC. As Mike DeBonis first reported, Robinson is challenging Tommy Wells’… Keep reading…
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Which mayoral candidate is more like George Bush?
An emerging line of criticism against Vincent Gray is that people are supporting him for the same reason many supported George W. Bush: He seems like a guy you’d want to have a beer with, and that is trumping more rational and sober policy considerations. Is it? After all, according to the Washington Post’s poll, most Washingtonians approve of the direction the District… Keep reading…
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Metro’s lost passes
Thanks to the Internet Archive, we can travel back in time to see the passes Metro used to offer to the public (we can also take a look at hideous late 1990s webpage design). Let’s look at some pass ideas that for one reason or another have been cancelled. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Harping on parking
Mayoral parking debate; Cleaning the Potomac; Public meetings on Dulles rail; Pentagon City street livening up; Ride On cuts take effect; Not quite traffic calming; Broadway a haven for pedestrians; On a less serious note. Keep reading…