Photo by lakewentworth.

Ask Catoe about NextBus or the budget: Metro General Manager John Catoe is doing a live chat at noon. You can submit questions ahead of time or during the chat. New Columbia Heights is encouraging riders to ask why Metro can’t ask NextBus to turn the beta back on. You could also ask him to consider market-rate parking at Metro stations to help close the budget gap, or other suggestions he should consider.

Ask Wells about reducing trash: Councilmember Tommy Wells will appear on the Kojo Nnamdi show, also at noon, to talk about the bill to reduce bag trash and incentivize using reusable bags. Call in and express your support.

Our own Soviet bread line on the interstate: Infrastructurist notes that our insistence on keeping roads free, despite supply far exceeding demand, creates the same long lines as Communists had to suffer through to get food. Why do we put up with this in America?

Who needs the light? Traffic at West Broadway and Grand Street in Manhattan flowed more smoothly, and pedestrians and cars coexisted more peacefully, when the traffic light went out recently. (How We Drive)

More pedestrian friendly in Arlandria: Alexandria plans to improve two intersections for pedestrians by adding crosswalks and bulb-outs. (The Arlandrian)

When will newspapers drop the self-righteousness? Themail has a nice rebuttal to traditional reporters’ chronic arguments that they are objective and better at reporting on in-depth issues. Newspapers aren’t really more objective, writes Gary Imhoff, “but that web sites and blogs are usually more open and explicit about their viewpoints.” I’d also argue it’s not just about left vs. right; the Post also leans pro-suburbia and pro-traffic, for example. More importantly, Jeff Jarvis argues, as we see fewer Metro reporters digging into government actions, the best solution is transparency. If votes and development filings and hearings are online, bloggers absolutely can cover them quite effectively.

And: A new hybrid species of tree found in Wales is named the “no parking whitebeam” (official name: Sorbus no parking) after the “No Parking” sign nailed to the one scientists discovered … Is DC a suburb of New York City? Or are Beltway reporters just extrapolating from their very narrow social circles? … The Georgetown Apple Store is finally approved, though technically only in design concept.