Breakfast links: Less of a benefit
Transit benefit going down
As feared, transit benefits will shrink next year. Drivers, meanwhile, get slightly more parking benefits. (Streetsblog)
Breakdown strands passengers
A brake component fell off a Metro train yesterday, stranding 300 for 3 hours. There were no injuries, but passengers complain of poor communication. (WUSA9)
Apartments held up by Metro
A Shaw church sold a small bit of air rights to WMATA in the 1960s for a “token fee.” Now they have to pay more to get it back because FTA rules require WMATA to seek “fair market value.” (DCmud)
Ethics bill passes
The DC Council approved new ethics legislation to will strengthen financial disclosure requirements and cut but not eliminate constituent service funds. Tommy Wells, the lone vote against, felt the bill didn’t go far enough. (Post)
New bike lanes scarce
DDOT installed less than a mile of bike lanes in 2011. DDOT is falling far short of its goal of 10 miles a year. (WABA)
Old Jeff Davis gets fixes, new name
Old Jefferson Davis Highway will see major improvements in 2012, including sidewalks, bike lanes, and trees. It will also get a new name: Long Bridge Drive. (ARLnow)
Make it safe to bike to Target
Fairfax is studying fixes to the Route 1 corridor. GGW contributor Froggie says he’d rather bike to Potomac Yard than the closer Beacon Hill Target because of poor bicycle facilities. (Patch)
Bus isn’t really cheaper than Silver Line
Loudoun is considering pulling out of the Silver Line. They’d save hundreds of millions, but if they built a BRT system to connect to Metro, they wouldn’t save much at all. (Examiner)
And…
WMATA tops DC’s Google searches; SEPTA is #6. (HuffPo) … DC encourages university employees to live near work. (RPUS) … Ride On adds green buses. (Examiner) … Mary Cheh gives bicycle-themed gifts to her fellow councilmembers.