Breakfast links: Out of batteries
Less money from cameras
DC faces a $40 million budget shortfall partly because traffic camera revenue declined. But it’s not because drivers are obeying the law more; instead, the police couldn’t replace the batteries during cold weather. (Post)
Watch out for drivers
This year has already seen 29 pedestrians and cyclists struck by drivers in DC. Cyclists say that many crashes are caused by drivers using bike lanes. (City Paper)
Black gold in Virginia?
The Obama administration is proposing to allow offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic, including in areas off the coast of Virginia. State officials support the plan, but environmentalists plan to fight it. (Daily Press)
Broke in Bethesda
The Bethesda Parking Lot District is going broke. Revenue from meters and property taxes don’t cover all of the debt costs for the new garage at Woodmont and Bethesda avenues and other costs. (BethesdaNow)
Homeless hotels
DC is using 370 motel rooms to house homeless families this winter. The city had hoped to provide permanent housing to the homeless and not rely on motel rooms this year. (City Paper)
A county underwater
The foreclosure crisis hit black homeowners in Prince George’s especially hard. Black families lost more wealth than families in majority-white suburbs. (Post)
Boost biking
Prince George’s County is rewriting its zoning code, and recommended changes include more bike parking in all areas of the county. The county is also considering better complete streets standards. (TheWashCycle)
Bowser meets Boehner
Mayor Bowser paid a visit to House Speaker Boehner. He was not interested in marijuana legalization in the District, but showed more concern for the school voucher program. (Post)
Dig into Metro ridership
Metro released detailed ridership data for October 2014. Data geeks, what can you glean from the data? (PlanItMetro). If you find interesting patterns or create a visualization, let us know!
And…
How much does it cost to shut down New York’s subways? (NYTimes) … What are the downsides to all that salt on the roads? (Vox) … Nashville’s Amp BRT project is dead. Or is it? (Nashville Business Journal)