Image by The Transport Politic.

Maryland is a “deadbeat”

Beverley Swaim-Staley just met with the Post editorial board to try to sell her spin for cutting WMATA repair funds, but Bob McCartney sure isn’t buying it. In an excellent column, he says O’Malley’s interest in fixing Metro’s problems is laudable, but “doesn’t justify Maryland reneging on its commitment,” and “where’s he been for the past three years?” Amen. (Post)  

Debating “peak of the peak”

Yonah Freemark doesn’t think that transit agencies should pursue a congestion pricing/“peak of the peak” pricing strategy, arguing that it discourages clustering employment in the center, won’t solve congestion, and going downtown is the “primary use” for a rail system. (The Transport Politic) … Jarrett of Human Transit disagrees.  

Republicans for tolls and against new lanes

Fairfax Supervisors are interested in exploring tolls on congested roads to pay for faster buses and light rail, and Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) seems to like the idea. (Examiner) … A Republican voter in Woodbridge argues against HOT lanes, which as he notes include financial penalties for carpooling. (Inside NoVA) … Despite the psychotic behavior of Congressional Republicans like Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), good transportation is not a partisan issue.  

Bad times on some buses

WMATA fired a W2 bus driver who “struck a pedestrian” in April in Fairlawn (Examiner) (And the article says the “driver struck” the pedestrian!) … Youths fighting on a U2 bus around Garfield Heights led to one shooting another. (Post)  

Free streetcars? Maybe some places

DDOT Director Gabe Klein mused about making streetcars free in some areas, like Portland’s streetcar “fareless square.” (WTOP)  

Your friendly bike lane PSA

A viral picture going around shows cute stencils on an Australian bike lane (location unspecified) that read, “This one runs on money and makes you fat” (next to a picture of a car) and “This one runs on fat and saves you money” (next to a picture of, guess what). (Buzz Feed)  

Eyes on the street FTW

Two NYC street vendors were the ones who alerted police to the strange Pathfinder in the recently-foiled bomb plot. The vendors regularly report pickpockets, hustlers, and other strange occurrences; their familiarity with the area means they know when something’s wrong. Jane Jacobs was right. (NYT)