Breakfast links: A better ride
A sick route
The 80 bus serves 3 hospitals and many patients on its long route. It should run every 15 minutes but often leaves riders waiting 30 minutes. WMATA is looking for ways to speed up the route, but has no funding to do so. (Post)
Reliable railcars
Metro’s railcars are not as reliable as WMATA would like, with the 4000-series breaking down most often. Fortunately, the agency has made great strides and in the last three months, meeting its reliability goals. (Examiner)
Kubicek leaves WMATA
WMATA’s number two, David Kubicek, is resigning next month. Kubicek headed operations during the Red Line crash and more recently pushed for the greater weekend shutdowns to speed repairs. (Post)
War on non-cars continues
The Examiner editors continue their quest to enrage drivers (and drive up their advertising revenue) with another inflammatory cover and “war on cars” article that’s riddled with errors. (WashCycle)
US drives less
Americans drove fewer miles on average in 2012 than 2011, continuing an 8-year trend. Experts think baby boomers retiring, gas prices, millennials’ apathy about driving, and the rise of walkable neighborhoods all play a role. (Streetsblog)
Hampton Roads only gets roads
A rider in the Virginia transportation bill prohibits Hampton Roads from funding anything other than roads from its regional transportation fund and specifically bans that fund going to “public or mass transit.” (Pilot)
Brown in the clear
Michael Brown says he’s no longer the subject of a federal investigation on $100,000 missing from a previous campaign. (Post)
Check out the new library
DC’s libraries are more than just places for books; they are community hubs, computer centers, and even refuge for the homeless. (City Paper)
A hero to save us
One man in Mexico dresses up like a wrestler and defendes pedestrians from vehicles encroaching on the crosswalk. (Atlantic Cities)
And…
A Boston architect wants to build apartments without parking, but will the city let him? (Atlantic Cities, Gil) … Developers revise plans for McMillan. (bloomingdale) … The list of possible developers for Shaw’s Parcel 42 is down to 3. (UrbanTurf) (Tip: Gil)