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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Breakfast links: Anything for security
MARC will sniff your bags; Park Service reluctantly accepts trees in their bollard preserve; More on the Mall; Quick, build strip malls before we decide not to; Resident discounts for ICC tolls?; Boyds for transit; Way ahead of us in Germany. Keep reading…
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Do “we have to do something” about traffic but not transit?
Why do many of our leaders in suburban jurisdictions see new roads as necessary and inevitable, but new transit as difficult and unlikely? I’ve been meeting with elected officials in the region about transportation and development issues. One representative from Montgomery County recently expressed a general sentiment among area leaders that “we have to do… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Speak for transit
Support streetcars tonight; Rail safer than driving, in numbers; More purple and green for PG; Pennsylvania Avenue L’Enfant’s way?; Tysons’ free lunch shuttles; Day off for killing a kid; From Raleigh to Sprawleigh. Keep reading…
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Get a cheesesteak in the future
Geoff and Jaime recently tried out a new Philly cheesesteak shop near 14th and U. They noticed something very odd about the Metro map on the back of the menu: Keep reading…
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DDOT to start 15th Street contraflow bike lane next week
DC will soon have its first protected bicycle lane. DDOT is ready to begin construction on a protected, contraflow lane for bicyclists to ride south on 15th Street NW between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue. By placing the lane adjacent to the sidewalk, buffered from high-speed traffic by parked cars, this will create a more comfortable environment for cyclists. According… Keep reading…
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Gaylord agrees to restore original NH1 route
Gaylord National Hotel, the convention center operator at National Harbor, has joined HERE Local 25 in asking Metro to restore the NH1 bus to its original route along Southern Avenue. Keep reading…
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DDOT unveils vision for eight streetcar lines
DC could one day have eight streetcar lines, spanning all eight wards from Takoma to St. Elizabeth’s, Woodley Park to Benning Road, under a long-term vision unveiled last night. A large sign near the door read, “There are no crazy questions,” and DDOT officials meant it. Director Gabe Klein said that sometimes the crazy questions are the best ones, and DDOT even offered a free one-month… Keep reading…
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Dinner links: Suburban mentality lives as some suburbs die
War protestors for hard-to-find parking; Is Jack Evans too car-centric?; Washington’s exurbs crumbling; What would make you stay in Detroit?; It could be a lot worse; SmartBenefits will get “bins”; Not the Department of Highways. Keep reading…
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San Francisco parking data has lessons for Washington
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority recently finalized an extensive on street parking management and pricing report. The study team put together some neighborhood case studies that are relevant to DC, Arlington, and other parts of the region. Some interesting findings from the report: Resident permit parking fees are $76 per year, more than five times as high… Keep reading…
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How has Metro responded to NTSB recommendations?
WMATA has had a few rough months with worker deaths and bus-pedestrian collisions, and with the June 22 Metro accident still fresh in our minds, the agency has come under fire for its safety record. Dave Stroup recently wrote the second installment in his “Price of Safety” series looking at WMATA’s safety culture. Some of the comments there wondered about WMATA’s… Keep reading…