Posts tagged Wmata Board
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Dear COG and Board of Trade: Democracy is healthy
Last week, the Board of Trade/COG WMATA Governance Task Force held a public meeting to hear ideas from stakeholders about improving WMATA’s governance. Sadly, the Board of Trade and COG continued their trend of keeping the task force quite distant from those who actually work hard to improve WMATA. The meeting was structured like a typical public hearing where public… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Welcome to July
Trackwork for July; Virginia will pay; WMATA TOD on the Web; Red no more, still little; Transparent windows = light pollution?; For streetcars before against them, or always for them?; How many taxis?; Not so protected. Keep reading…
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Jaffe, McCartney talk Metro safety, “budgetary blackmail”
For the anniversary of the Metro crash, Newschannel 8 interviewed former RAC Chair and Sierra Club transit activist Dennis Jaffe and Washington Post metro columnist Bob McCartney. Unfortunately for those of you not on Windows, Newschannel 8 only provides videos in Windows Media Player format. They discussed progress toward safety on Metro, the looming NTSB report,… Keep reading…
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If those who pay for transit should pick the WMATA Board, where are the rider reps?
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is trying to take some of Virginia’s WMATA Board seats away from the Northern Virginia counties that appoint them, and threatening to derail the federal funding for safety-related improvements unless he gets it. McDonnell’s main argument is that the state pays about half of Virginia’s share for transit, and therefore he… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Slug in the gut for Virginians
WMATA power in play; Slugged; WMATA not protecting women enough?; Dump the pump; Wolf Trap park and ride?; Room on 14th; How public is public space?; And…. Keep reading…
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WMATA governance task force distracts from real issues
On May 12, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors voted to join a task force established by the Greater Washington Board of Trade to review the WMATA governance structure. This is more a distraction than a useful exercise. There are indeed ways WMATA can and should improve. But restructuring the WMATA Board is unlikely to make any real difference… Keep reading…
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McDonnell trying to take WMATA seats from NoVA
The McDonnell administration is making a push to take some of Virginia’s WMATA Board seats away from Northern Virginia jurisdictions, which currently appoint elected officials to the Board. In a letter to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaugton wrote: With the increase in [state] funding [for… Keep reading…
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WMATA Board approves fare hikes, no service cuts
The WMATA Board just unanimously approved a budget including a large fare hike but no service cuts. The decision came very swiftly after a 3-hour “lunch break.” Oddly, when members returned to the room their bellies didn’t seem to have grown as much as one would expect for people who’ve been eating for three hours. Could they have been debating budget… Keep reading…
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Commission forming to study WMATA governance
Yesterday, the Council of Governments voted to participate in a Greater Washington Board of Trade-organized “independent review” of WMATA governance. The Board of Trade, an association of businesses across the region, will nominate some “private sector” people for the panel, and COG will select some “public sector” folks. By participating in this process, COG will not only… Keep reading…
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WMATA Board discussing budget, NextBus, and more today
I’ll be live-Tweeting today’s WMATA Board meeting. This morning, the Finance and Administration Committee will debate the operating budget and next Metro Matters agreement. There will then be an executive session followed by a special full Board meeting (PDF) to announce an executive search firm for the General Manager search and discuss the recent near-miss… Keep reading…