Recent Posts
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Is the Post too negative on Metro?
Today is the first anniversary of the Metro crash, and the Post comes out negative on the year’s safety developments. The headline says efforts have “lost momentum” and the lede says there has been “too little progress.” There could certainly have been more progress, and in particular, it would be nice if the NTSB had gotten a report out already. Keep reading…
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My least favorite streets in DC, part 1
For 30 years, I have been walking, driving, and riding the streets of the District of Columbia. For the most part, they are among the best in the country. But no city is perfect, and DC certainly is no exception. Here are 20 streets that I find to be dirty, ugly, unsafe, traffic-choked, under utilized, or just plain not doing what they are supposed to be doing. I chose to forgo the interstates,… Keep reading…
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Where does your DC Water come from?
Do you know where your water comes from? If you live in DC, it comes from one of several pumping stations, but the one that serves you might be all the way across town. On Thursday, June 17th, I was invited (along with other local bloggers) to a roundtable with the General Manager of DC Water, George S. Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins spoke about the culture of accountability he is nurturing… Keep reading…
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Commemorate the crash victims with a moment of silence
Metro is calling for a moment of silence at 10:30 am to honor the victims of the June 22, 2009 Red Line crash. Let’s all take a virtual moment of silence as you read this. Metro dedicated a plaque at 10 am and families could lay wreaths at the site of the crash. There will also be ceremonies at ATU’s headquarters in Forestville and on the New Hampshire Ave NE bridge over the… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Development chugs along
Tysons advances to next stage; Choices for Marine barracks; Narrower storefronts good, “ironic” or “parody”?; Real-time London train locations; MoCo approves trail over opposition; Bike lane blockers of the day; Do millionaires move for taxes?. Keep reading…
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DDOT ponders four decisions for Klingle Valley trail
DDOT has released the Klingle Valley Trail Environmental Assessment to build a trail through Klingle Valley. For those not familiar with the area, Klingle Valley is the tributary of Rock Creek between Woodley and Cleveland Park, where a former road washed out in 1991 and kicked off a multi-decade debate about whether to build a new road or a trail that was resolved in favor of the… Keep reading…
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Would Gray maintain or reverse DC’s momentum?
With so much happening around local budgets and WMATA, we haven’t focused very much on politics, including the race for Mayor in DC. But it’s time for that to change. As Ann Marimow discussed in Sunday’s Post, there are a lot of new voters in DC, who have decided to settle in the city because of its improving quality of life, retail options, housing choices, transportation,… Keep reading…
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Metro rider perspectives on Kojo
WMATA Riders’ Advisory Council Chair Frank DeBernardo, from Greenbelt, and Accessibility Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Phil Posner are talking about Metro on the Kojo Nnamdi show starting now. You can listen live here, and the audio will be archived later this afternoon. Keep reading…
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Why airlines charge extra to check bags
A number of Greater Greater Washington contributors have been fans of economic urbanist blogger Rob Pitingolo. When we heard he was moving to Arlington, we jumped at the chance to have him start contributing to Greater Greater Washington. Welcome, Rob! Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its intent to beef up protections for airline customers. Keep reading…
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Metro stations could get DVD kiosks and trolley tour tickets
What kinds of businesses that don’t serve food would want to pay to open locations in Metro stations? That was the big question when the WMATA Board decided last year not to entertain any bids for food-related retail, even packaged food like frozen dinners that are not geared toward eating on the system. Keep reading…