Weekend links: The grand plan
Photo by Kenya Allmond on Flickr.
Downtown BID thinks big
Finishing the K Street Transitway plan, implementing performance parking, and establishing financing for a homeless shelter are among the items DC’s downtown BID wants to accomplish with a $0.07
Bye building, hello parking
Capitol Heights can’t afford to fix up a historic building once slated as its new city hall, so it will tear it down for a paid parking lot instead. (Gazette)
Car2go launches
Zipcar gets some competition this weekend with the launch of car2go, which offers one-way car sharing. Sign-ups are free for the weekend. (Washingtonian)
Arts get a budgetary boost
The proposed DC budget would increase arts funding by at least $4.4 million, with more funds contingent on federal money not really increase arts funding at all, but just reflects a shift of a program from federal to DC control. The proposed arts budget Even with the federal shift, the local arts budget, at $7.6 million, is still only half what it was in 2009
VRE will raise prices
VRE will raise fares 3%, to cover inflation. The railroad enjoys a nearly 100% on-time rate, happy customers, and a relatively cheap fare. (Post)
Cyclists are best customers
Cyclists bring more economic activity than drivers, due to moving slower through an area, taking up less room to park, and more. Localities can use bike infrastrure and ciclovias to attract economic activity. (Streetsblog)
Better map for the Bay
The San Francisco Bay Area’s balkanized transit system sprawls over the gigantic region without any unifying transit map, leading to some very confused riders. One unofficial unified map is starting to make waves. (Atlantic Cities)
And…
With Michelle Rhee gone, private grants to DCPS have evaporated. (Post) … Charge for parking, rather then rides, for San Francisco ferries. (Greater Marin) … Batman isn’t a good driver. (DCist)