Breakfast links I: Peds, bikes, trees and parks
Don’t walk in Florida
A new report by Transportation for America ranks metropolitan areas by pedestrian safety, weighing both the fatality rate and the numbers of people walking. The Post article has good quotes from local groups and notes that the Washington area comes in around the middle of large metros, the four worst of which are in Florida. Generally, post-WWII auto-centric areas especially in the Southeast rank worst, while older cities do better by pedestrians. (merarch) (Tip: merarch)
Bike lane posted
DDOT has completed the 15th Street protected bike lane with reflective posts to keep cars from parking in the lane. From the pictures it doesn’t look like there are posts in the areas cars aren’t allowed to park for visibility near intersections; will cars and trucks park there anyway? Keeping that clear a vital safety measure for the lane. (ReadySetDC) … DDOT has fixed the “Yeild” misspelling, but not yet the “Trun” error.
Fenty’s training rides break various laws
Continuing their zeal to expose all manner of traffic lawbreaking by everyone except car drivers, WTOP filmed Mayor Fenty and his bike training group running red lights and stop signs and using roads not open to bikes. The important outrages are that police are blocking off roads just for the Mayor to train and, as the Examiner’s Bill Myers wrote last year, costing a lot of money in police detail. Fenty also changed his ride to avoid reporters. As for the stop signs, would Fenty now support the Idaho Stop? (WTOP, Examiner)
Park View or just Private Golf Course View?
The Armed Forces Retirement Home development debate is back. The Park View blog called for considering AFRH in the new CapitalSpace plan, which used to be open to locals as a park but has been more recently closed. An AFRH consultant responded to Prince of Petworth about their plans, which involve selling off some land in the southeastern corner along North Capitol and Irving but not, at the moment, anything next to Park View, though it was part of an initial proposal.
Pepco’s lumber subsidiary
Apropos of our wire debate yesterday, Pepco wanted to cut down a lot of trees in the Palisades, because falling limbs caused numerous power outages recently. But residents protested, Fenty intervened, and now Pepco is willing to just do some pruning. (City Paper)
Parking Depot
Home Depot has realized their parking lots are too big, often 12-15 acres per store. Needing money, they are selling off pieces of their lots to other stores. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Michael P) (Tip: Michael P)