Breakfast links: Justice for all
Legal fees
The Silver Spring Transit Center is finally open, but now Montgomery County is looking to sue the project’s designers and builders. County officials say they’re why the project took so long, and that they should have to pay for the budget overruns, which totaled more than $50 million. (WTOP)
Pay for safety
The DC Council says it pays to behave! The council passed a bill that’d pay stipends to offenders who don’t repeat, modeled on a successful California program. Mayor Bowser isn’t on board yet. (WTOP)
16th St bus lane
DDOT is moving ahead with plans for a dedicated bus lane on 16th Street NW. The S series, which runs there, is one of DC’s most crowded. To speed up service, the project will consolidate stops and let you pay before boarding. (Post)
Outsource MetroAccess?
WMATA may cut the cost of its MetroAccess program in Montgomery by outsourcing rides for disabled passengers to Uber and Lyft. Disability rights advocates, labor unions, and taxi drivers say it would be a bad deal. (WAMU)
Mix up on WMATA board
WMATA’s board just got a new chair, but more changes could be in the works if Transportation Secretary Foxx decides to appoint new federal reps. Of the 4 current ones, only 1 has experience in public transit. (WAMU)
A dying art?
If a warehouse art space becomes a luxury hotel, dozens of DC artists will need to go somewhere else. The building owner’s rezoning request includes some studio space, but arts supporters say it it won’t be enough. (City Paper)
Getting ahead, falling behind
Post-recession growth in the DC region lags behind other metro areas when you consider wealth and race, says a new study. The gap between DC’s rich and poor is the highest it’s been in decades. (DCist)
Slow riding is good riding?
There’s a correlation between slow-moving bikes and bike-friendly cities. When riding isn’t seen as being just for those who want to pedal fast, more people do it, and it’s easier to build infrastructure. (LEW) (Tip: LEW)