Photo by Jim Havard on Flickr.

Not National Harbor

Runners in near year’sMarine Corps Marathon will have to check in for the downtown DC race at National Harbor, 7 miles away and not accessible by Metro. Runners blasted the decision on social media. (City Paper)  

Bus lane blues

A condo association along 16th Street in Adams Morgan, and the local ANC commissioner, have preemptively come out against any dedicated bus lanes along 16th Street, saying car drivers can’t be inconvenienced. (Borderstan)  

Alexandria Dems are split

In the Alexandria mayor’s race Democrats are split between pro and anti-development candidates. Pro development Mayor Bill Euille is campaigning as a write in. Allison Silberberg is campaigning against development. (Post)  

Bikeshare for Fairfax

Fairfax County approved grant applications to purchase bikes and docks for Capital Bikeshare. The first stations will be near Reston, signifying the county’s growing approach to smart growth and transit diversity. (WTOP)  

Health Link help

Some say the DC Health Link has encouraged entrepreneurship by increasing access to afforable health insurance.  But nailing down the exact number of people who’ve used the exchange to overcome “job lock” is difficult. (City Paper)  

Convention business

DC has invested over a billion dollars since 2000 in the convention business. That’s a lot, but with a record 20.6 million tourists visiting the District annually, it’s money well-spent. (Post)  

House weighs in on DC vouchers

A bill to extend DC’s private school voucher program passed the US House. Both the DC Council and White House want to end the mandate, which applies only to DC. (Post)  

Pay the real price

User fees such as the gas tax and toll fees barely make a dent in recuperating the costs to build and maintain roads. Policy makers could take a cue from airlines and consider fees for individual trips.  (The Atlantic)  

Birthplace of TOD

In the 1980’s, Evanston, IL was among the first suburban communities to adopt transit-oriented development.  While TOD is the norm today, Evanston’s efforts to break decades-long planning trends are remarkable. (Politico)  

And…

Chris Christie was asked to leave an Amtrak quiet car for, well, not being quiet. (Gawker) … A new pedestrian bridge is coming to the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail in Fairfax. (County Park Authority) … In the wake of two pedestrian deaths, Mongomery County officials say overall pedestrian deaths have actually decreased. (Bethesda Beat)