Photo by No|More|Saviours on Flickr.

Alexandria braces for BRAC

Alexandria is preparing for its own “carmageddon” as employees move to Alexandria’s Mark Center from Metro-accessible offices. The lack of restaurants within walking distance will further drive up car traffic, just as Tysons’s lunchtime traffic exceeds its rush hour traffic. (Post)  

Restaurateur afraid of riots

A downtown restaurant owner fears that a youth program Friday will devolve into London-style riots. The city is hosting the event to supervise and occupy youth. (Examiner)  

Parking lot to become DC skatepark

Part of the huge parking lots around RFK will get a more active use: a skatepark, complete with “freedom ledges” (really). It’ll be built for a skating competition in September, and then will stay permanently. (City Paper)  

DC challenging Census numbers

The District is challenging its 2010 census numbers, but Harriet Tregoning expects only minor revisions.  Census data, for instance, show people living in street medians. (Post)  

Homicide stats diverge

So far in 2011, DC’s homicide numbers declined 11% and robbery numbers declined 7%. (Post) … Meanwhile, Prince George’s County is seeing an increase in homicides. (Washington Times)  

WMATA culture gradually crushes innovation?

A culture of discouraging people from making suggestions gradually induces “learned helplessness” in WMATA employees, argues the anonymous former employee blogging at Metro From the Inside Out.  

Metro morsels

Metro is preparing for the Aug. 28 MLK Memorial dedication by prohibiting bikes and shutting down escalators. (Examiner) … See how workers replace ties and weld rails. (TBD) … What happened to the benches at Gallery Place? (DCist)  

Spatial grid shows Tube distortion

The London Tube map, like our Metro map, distorts space for readability. How much? To help visualize it, one resident overlaid a spatial grid on the map. It’d be interesting to see the same for WMATA… anyone?  

And…

Borderstan interviews Mike DeBonis … Federal budget cuts might mean fewer farmers’ markets (WAMU) … A cyclist was hit in Rosslyn at a place slated for ped/bike safety fixes in 3 years (ARLnow) … The Prince George’s council doesn’t broadcast the important discussions between members, just formal votes. (Gazette)