Weekend links: It’s all about security, or something
Bike lane now a security threat?
A New York TV reporter warns about a new 2nd Avenue bike lane which “is next to the Israeli consulate. Imagine if the man on the bike was [sic] a terrorist!” (Streetsblog)
Gawker writes, “We did imagine a pack of Huffy-riding suicide bombers bearing down on soft targets throughout the country, and it was terrifying.”
Amount of Capitol parking is secret
Congress won’t say how much parking there is at the Capitol complex. Because clearly terrorists could use the exact number to… or maybe they consider criticism of bad urban design to be a “security” issue. (City Paper)
Congressman discovers life without a car
Freshman Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) takes Metro “quite frequently” and didn’t buy a car, since it’s expensive to pay for parking (at his home, presumably, since it’s free at the Capitol). (Left In Alabama, Nolan) (Tip: Nolan)
Unlikely alliance opposes federal transportation cuts
House Transportation Chair John Mica (R-FL) proposes cutting federal transportation spending by 33% and removing dedicated bike and pedestrian funding. (Streetsblog) … Reactions have been fiery and even the AFL-CIO and the US Chamber of Commerce, which rarely agree, are both critical of the plan. (Reuters, the Hill)
NY state assemblyman micromanages parking
Assembly Member James Brennan (D-Brooklyn) wants to require more parking at the Atlantic Yards project, even though the area enjoys some of the most extensive transit service in the nation. (Streetsblog)
New York discovers single-line maps
The NYC subway is installing single-line diagrams in stations, much the way WMATA did many years ago. (NYT)
Waistlines explode
Just 20 years ago, no state had an adult obesity rate above 15%. Now, national average expanded to 66%. Among states, DC had the second-lowest rate, at 21.7% while Virginia and Maryland had rates of 25.9% and 27.1% respectively. The racial disparities are especially wide in DC. (Post)
Alexandria suspends taxis
Alexandria suspended 68 taxicabs for missing required inspections. Drivers say the inspection window is too short and times too inflexible, limiting each one to a certain day of the week. (Alexandria News, Alexandria Times)
And…
California finds that cutting the state car fleet is easier said than done. (Sacramento Bee) … WMATA has a sense of humor. (TBD) … San Francisco converts more street parking spaces into beautiful parklets. (Streetsblog)