Photo by Pentax Q on Flickr

The GOP’s Virginia hopes

Would lifting DC’s height limit help Republicans stop Virginia’s recent blue trend? DC may have already lost some blue-leaning residents to the Virginia suburbs but housing pressures could turn Virginia solidly blue. (New Republic, Amber)  

Conservatives take on transit

A Republican bill would eliminate dedicated federal funding for biking, transit, and pedestrian projects. The bill calls for drastic reduction of federal gas tax and placing all spending decisions at the state level. (Streetsblog)  

Japan’s big maglev offer

Japan has offered billions of dollars in finance costs to build a maglev line, capable of over 300 mph, in the Northeast Corridor. The offer includes free maglev guideway and propulsion systems between DC and Baltimore. (NYT)  

Instant biking cities

Lego-style instant bike lanes could allow reluctant cities to try out cycling without building permanent biking infrastructure. These snap-in-place bike lanes cost a tenth of permanent cycle tracks. (Fast Company, Dave Murphy)  

Where are the fed jobs?

The Washington region is 4th for federal workforce concentration after Colorado Springs, Virginia Beach, and Honolulu. Ironically, red states are more heavily tied to federal employment than blue states. (Atlantic Cities)  

Monday night derailment

Amtrak and MARC’s Penn Line trains between Baltimore and DC were halted after Amtrak’s Silver Meteor train derailed in the B&P tunnel on Monday night. The train was carrying 158 passengers but no injuries were reported. (Post)  

Pentagon City Mall improvements

Arlington moves forward with Pentagon City Mall expansion plans, which include bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements. New additions will be adjacent to Pentagon City Metro Station. (ArlNow)  

Bike lanes planned for North Bethesda

New bike lanes along North Bethesda’s Woodglen Drive will link to the Bethesda Trolley Trail, Metro stations, and retail in the area. At least one lane will use sharrows while another path will be off-road. (Gazette)  

DC approves licenses for the undocumented

DC becomes the latest of 10 states to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. DC will start issuing the licenses in May, but they can’t be used for federal purposes. (WAMU)  

Around the world

Transit news roundup highlights a German city’s insanely cheap tram line, Hong Kong’s MTR expansion into Sweden, Houston’s re-emphasis on bus ridership over coverage, and Manchester’s possible tram-train network. (Next City)