Breakfast links: Police at work
Metro crime down
Metro’s 2011 crime rate is down from it’s 2010 level, though is higher than many other transit agencies. The higher rate, however, could just be due to structural and reporting differences between WMATA and other agencies. (Examiner)
CaBi rider seriously injured, ticketed
A CaBi rider collided with a flat bed truck and was seriously injured on U Street Monday. Reports are conflicting on what actually happened, but the bicyclist was ticketed for running a red light. It’s only the 17th crash involving a CaBi bike. (TheWashCycle)
Virginia without a budget
The Virginia Senate failed in two attempts to pass a budget on a party line vote. Experts think a special session will be needed, where failure to pass a budget before July 1 could cause a government shutdown. (Post)
Help or hinder?
Social service agencies like Calvary Women’s Service in Anacostia can be a mixed bag on economic development. Agencies bring employees who spend money, but they also crowd out other, more profitable development. (WAMU)
County work related biking
Arlington has bikes as part of it’s vehicle pool, and having employees utilize them more could have several advantages including cost savings, health benefits, and convenience. (Patch)
Mazda stoops to even newer lows with Lorax
Not satisfied with blanketing local TV with ads coopting the environmental icon the Lorax to sell cars, Mazda is now bribing schoolchildren to get their parents to test drive Mazdas during officially sanctioned school events nationwide. (Post)
Anti neighbors are OPEC
People who oppose development aren’t being anti- sustainability, they’re just acting in their economic best interest, like an oil cartel. How can a city change the incentives? Chicago may have an answer. (Forbes)