Posts about Roads
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Newell Street in Silver Spring is closed to cars — but for how long?
In September, Montgomery County got its first “playstreet” when the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) closed down one block of Newell Street, and effectively doubled the size of a small park near Silver Spring’s Metro station. Now, residents who have loved riding bikes, eating picnics, and walking their dogs in the expanded open space are afraid it may be taken away. Keep reading…
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How roadway capacity and safety intersect with Vision Zero goals
The goal of Vision Zero initiatives is to have no deaths or serious injuries from traffic collisions. This is an important target for the municipalities in the region that have adopted a Vision Zero policy. One challenge to meeting this marker is to address two dual needs for transportation — capacity and safety. Keep reading…
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18th Street in Adams Morgan was a pedestrian zone for one weekend in June. What happened?
On the last weekend in June, 18th Street NW was fully closed to vehicle traffic to create a full pedestrian and bike-only space between Kalorama and Columbia Roads. Between the end of June and now, neighborhood leaders and businesses have asked for the pedestrian zone to continue, but nothing has happened. Why? Keep reading…
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Here’s how the Washington & Old Dominion railroad created Northern Virginia’s suburbs
Today, the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) is a paved trail used for fun and commuting across Northern Virginia. Of course, originally the Washington & Old Dominion was a railroad — one with a long and convoluted history that helped form Dunn Loring, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, and other communities that still exist to this day. Keep reading…
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Bicyclists tell us what their commute in Tysons is really like
Some of them fall, and get back up. Some of them get hit, and get back up. Some of them navigate scenarios that would make most of us give up. Nope, we’re not describing boxers, but rather people bicycling around Tysons, Virginia, a notoriously car-oriented “edge city.” Keep reading…
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How cities can revamp streets for kids during COVID-19
Cities need to keep their youngest residents safe, healthy, and learning in their own neighborhoods, thanks to a pandemic that is putting roughly 80% of US students on remote learning platforms — and a national group is offering a toolbox. Keep reading…
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Tysons wants to transform into a bona-fide city. It won’t be easy.
What would you do if you were tasked with doubling the number of jobs and raising the number of residents from about 14,000 people to 100,000 in a city? Plus you need to add 113 million square feet of new construction (for reference, Tysons mall is two million square feet). And that city needs to be a bustling urban center at all hours. Keep reading…
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DC’s bicycle commuter movement was activated 51 years ago
People in Washington, DC have been biking to work, and for work, for more than a century, but the bicycle commuter movement in DC celebrates something of an anniversary this year. It was in 1969 that the District Council held the first hearing on bicycle commuting and the the District subsequently installed the first bicycle route for commuters. Keep reading…
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Here’s why Arlington’s streets have the names they do
Did you know there’s a rhyme and reason to how Arlington County’s streets are named? Here’s an explanation of Arlington’s street-naming system. Keep reading…
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Bloomingdale’s traffic calming plan gets some new updates
Some additional traffic calming measures are in the works on First Street NW, including adding striping to the bump-outs and new higher-visibility LED stop signs. However, flex posts from all but one side street have been removed. Keep reading…