Photo by Daquella manera.

Building a hotel? Build a bike station too

DDOT has been pushing bike sharing stations as part of new developments’ Transportation Demand Management agreements. Ryan Avent thinks that’s a great idea. Richard Layman has been pushing for comprehensive TDM practices including bike sharing for a long time. (DCmud)  

Council holds land deals

DC Councilmembers Mary Cheh and Kwame Brown have delayed approving various land deals that use public property. They will take them up in the fall. This includes the Minnesota-Benning intersection, where they should reserve a public easement or right-of-way for a planned future street connection. (WBJ, Jaime)  (Tip: Jaime)  

Spoil the land for the greater good?

Today’s Robert McCartney column endorses the Purple Line, which will help inner suburbs grow and be the “antidote to suburban sprawl.” However, he frames it in terms of trees vs. transit, basically saying that it’s worth it to “bulldoze 17 acres of mature forest and spoil an enchanting walking and bike trail to protect the environment.” That’s an unsettling frame, which leaves out that the Purple Line will allow Maryland to complete the trail in the eastern segment. (Post)  

Hope Park?

Words of WITte agrees with our commenters who panned Jim Graham’s idea of renaming the park at 14th and Girard “Barack Obama park. Instead, he suggests “Hope Park”, which evokes Obama’s central themes without actually using his name.  

Don’t close ‘em, add concessions

Virginia is moving ahead with its plans to close many rest stops due to budgetary constraints. Delegate Bob Marshall is asking Congress to instead temporarily suspend the law prohibiting restaurants and gas stations at the rest stops. If Virginia were allowed to lease space to such businesses, as is common on I-95 in Maryland or the New Jersey Turnpike, they could easily pay to keep them open. Why not just ask them suspend that law permanently? (Virginia Tomorrow)  

Old buildings are green

It’s much more environmentally friendly to just save an old building than to build a super-efficient, LEED building and replace it every 40 years. Steve Mouzon argues that’s why architects should design “lovable” buildings, which people actually want to preserve. (The Original Green via @DG_rad)  

Parking around the globe

The Economist compares parking prices in various cities. Notoriously terrible cities like Oslo, London and Amsterdam drive business away by charging over $50 per day, while driver’s paradise Chennai charges less than $1.  No word on how families are able to get around with such expensive parking. (The Economist, Michael P via @ryanavent)  (Tip: Michael P)  

Just a little bit

The Metro operators union is asking riders to be respectful of bus/rail operators, in the wake of recent incidents. (WTOP, Froggie)  (Tip: Froggie)