Breakfast links: Suburban traffic engineer follies
Fairfax proposes deathtrap at Wiehle
To “improve” the area (read: help drivers drive faster) around the planned Wiehle Avenue Metro station, Fairfax DOT proposes letting drivers turn without stopping, a clear recipe for pedestrian and bike crashes. (FABB)
MCDOT speeds cars, makes area unsafe to walk
MCDOT removed a stop sign in Germantown, leading drivers to speed and kids unsafe walking to school. The chief traffic engineer says the sign is inappropriate because drivers won’t expect it. (Gazette, Ben Ross) (Tip: Ben Ross)
Arlington making Glebe safer
Arlington will eliminate several slip lanes at intersections along Glebe Road, to create safer pedestrian crossings. Arlington will use some federal funds; the state won’t contribute even though Glebe is a state road. (ARLnow)
Tourmobile going, eventually
National Park Service director Jon Jarvis says “there’s got to be a lot of other options” for Mall transportation than the Tourmobile. No word on how long NPS will take to get moving on any such other options. (City Paper)
Wells hits deer
Tommy Wells hit a deer while he was driving his wife’s car in Minnesota. The car was totaled, stranding him in the state with his dog. (Post)
NYC bike lane survives lawsuit
A judge has thrown out the epic lawsuit against New York’s Prospect Park West cycle track on the grounds that it wasn’t filed early enough. Is this the end of the “bike backlash”? (New York Observer)
Park ideas bloom
Landscape architects will mingle with the public and re-imagine spaces using easels and chalk today from 12-1 across the nation. DC locations are the FDR Memorial, Dupont Circle, and the Museum of the American Indian. (ASLA)
In mob news
A “flash mob” loots a 7-11 in Germantown (ABC) … BART shuts down cell service (possibly illegally) to hinder protests against police brutality (LA Times, Examiner) … Are European protests the result of having more organizers, permissive supermarket zoning, or Blackberry pricing? (Post, Guardian, RPUS)
And…
Scott Kubly will follow Gabe Klein to Chicago … Turnover among principals has decreased at DC public schools (Examiner) … Vienna residents want more bike routes (Patch) … See the L’Enfant Plan’s ancestors. (Archive of Affinities, Neil)