Transportation
Greater Greater Washington writes about how people get around the Washington region, whether on Metro, buses, streetcars, driving, walking, biking, or any other method.
One of the region’s strengths is the wide range of options for travel. There are many walkable places in DC, Maryland, and Virginia where people could choose transit, walk or bike, or if they don’t have their own car, grab a shared vehicle or hail a ride. This reduces the need to own cars, saving people money and reducing traffic congestion.
As our region grows, it is imperative to continue to make these options safe, economical, and available to even more people. It is imperative to ensure safe sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure, expand transit options, and add housing near existing transit stations.
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Virginia Board members stand up for openness
Amid the budget debates at the WMATA Board yesterday, three of the Virginia members took an important stand for transparency and public involvement by pushing for early release of the proposed budget. Keep reading…
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WMATA releases preliminary budget, gap now $190M
There’s no time to rest. Just hours after the WMATA Board approved a resolution to the FY2010 budget, staff released the General Manager’s preliminary budget for FY2011, which starts July 1. According to the report, the recent labor arbitration and a continued decline in revenues have pushed the budget shortfall to almost $190 million, about $15 million more than… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: How to spend federal money
$8 billion, high-speed; 9.6% of trips, 1.2% of money; Money for less free parking; Indian freeway turns town square into barrier; Challenge BikeArlington; 3-foot passing closer to passing; Urbanist Republican(s) for Planning Board. Keep reading…
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Board approves no service cuts
The WMATA Board just approved a FY2010 budget plan much like Option 4, with no service increases reductions and an across-the-board fare surcharge of 10¢. Arlington’s Chris Zimmerman created a resolution that modified Option 4 based on what he and other members heard last night. Among them was a directive to make more administrative cuts in lieu of some use of capital… Keep reading…
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Is MoCo DOT stacking the BRAC deck for an underpass?
The Montgomery DOT is kicking off a NEPA study of the Medical Center Metro area, and at a meeting last week, officials insisted that all options are on the table, including underpasses, overpasses, elevators, pedestrian-only crossings, pedestrian and vehicle crossings, and more. The end goal is to modify the Rockville Pike/MD 355 area between NIH and Navy Med (soon to be Walter… Keep reading…
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Follow the Board meeting on Twitter
The WMATA Board meeting has just started. I’ll be Tweeting any interesting developments @ggwash. You can also listen to the live audio stream. There are a lot of items before the budget, so it might be a while until they get to it. Keep reading…
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Riders pack efficient hearing to push for Option 4
Over 170 riders gave their opinions of the WMATA FY2010 budget at last night’s hearing. Almost all argued against service cuts, and among those who picked one of the four options, they overwhelmingly recommended Option 4, the 10¢ 4-month fare hike. Many noted the difficult choice Metro faces; both the Examiner and WAMU quoted Rodney Green, who analogized the situation… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Fight for your rights in the states
Vienna sides with pedestrians; 3 feet today in VA; Maryland’s bills; What Metro needs; How to fight the state DOT; Design the next Golden Triangle bike rack; Not so sure on Wheaton Costco; Who’d win in a fight, Montgomery or Fairfax?. Keep reading…
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Advocates say fares, jurisdictional contributions both too low
Tonight at 5:30 pm is the budget hearing at WMATA HQ, 600 5th St NW. Please sign up to speak if you can attend, or submit written comments, at public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com. Transit First! issued a statement opposing the service cuts in Option 1 and recommending a mix of fare increases and preventative maintenance to close the FY2010 budget gap. MetroRiders.Org and… Keep reading…
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Where’s Google Transit? January 2010 edition
Several people have emailed recently to ask what’s going on with Google Transit and WMATA. Keep reading…