Posts tagged Cat:roads
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“Diverging diamond” doesn’t help make a walkable corridor
An almost-finished plan for the Greenbelt Metro and MD-193 area aims to create pedestrian-friendly urban nodes in northern Prince George’s. But the county has decided to push a pedestrian and bike-unfriendly interchange in the middle of the corridor. Prince George’s planners recently held their final meeting on the Sector Plan in Greenbelt. It caps months of… Keep reading…
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“My way or the highway” bill awaits VA governor’s decision
Who should decide how an area grows? Local officials and voters, or the government in Richmond? The focus on decisions would shift under Virginia’s latest transportation bill, which gives the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) new powers to supersede local planning. The bill, passed on March 10, requires local governments to revise their plans to include… Keep reading…
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How will self-driving cars change transportation?
Yesterday, I argued that we will start seeing autonomous vehicles operating on our roadways in 7-12 years. But whether self-driving cars hit the roads 5 years or 30 years from now, they will bring major changes in our transportation system and even our society. They’ll be more often in use, less often parked: Since most cars are parked for 98% of their existence, a self-driving… Keep reading…
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DDOT brain drain no more: Sam Zimbabwe to head planning
DDOT has made a very exciting choice in hiring a new Associate Director for Planning, Policy and Sustainability. Sam Zimbabwe, the director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development at Reconnecting America, will fill the hole left when Karina Ricks departed in May. Ricks is also staying in Washington: She’s been hired by transportation consulting firm Nelson\Nygaard,… Keep reading…
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Inflation, not bike sharing, is why the gas tax isn’t enough
Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) recently railed against urban bike sharing, blaming it, pedestrian funding, and more for the gas tax not covering all transportation needs. But the real problem is that the gas tax is bringing in less revenue than in the past. Keep reading…
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Zombie road rises from the dead in upcounty Montgomery
Montgomery County DOT has resurrected an expensive and environmentally destructive extension of Mid-County Highway in Gaithersburg from a dotted line on a 1960’s map. Codenamed M-83, the highway would waste scarce money from the county’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP), destroy valuable parkland and wetlands, take people’s property, and… Keep reading…
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Arlington right to close slip lane in Arlington Ridge
Arlington wants to fix a pedestrian safety flaw and slow traffic in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood. But a group of vocal neighbors is loudly protesting the move, arguing it’s worse for safety and claiming Arlington didn’t listen to their concerns. But while the safety claim might be heartfelt, the change makes complete sense for safety. As for the process argument,… Keep reading…
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Innovative, flexible car sharing coming to DC with car2go
Car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler, is looking to bring its “point to point” car sharing model to DC, with about 300 cars possibly as soon as this fall. With a car sharing service such as Zipcar, you reserve a car that lives at a certain spot, use it for a while, then return it. This is very useful to let car-free residents run errands that require cargo capacity, or take trips… Keep reading…
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White Flint interchange could have been a great place
Last week, I was invited to Boston by the Federal Highway Administration to talk about livability. Five years ago, would anyone have thought that would be possible? Less than 1% of the $30 billion-plus spent on highway funding is currently spent on pedestrians. It seems like a huge ship we have to turn around. However, federal leadership through the EPA, HUD, DOT, and their… Keep reading…
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Clarksburg day care stuck in traffic
If the Maryland suburbs held a pageant, Clarksburg might win the contest for Miss Step. A recent decision by the Montgomery County Planning Board only enhances the community’s claim to the title. According to this decision, current Clarksburg residents may not get a day care facility they badly need because future residents will generate too much car traffic for… Keep reading…