Photo by woodleywonderworks.

Ehrlich would kill Purple, Red lines

Maryland gubernatorial candidate Bob Ehrlich has confirmed what most suspected: If elected, he would scrap the light rail Purple Line in favor of buses and kill the Baltimore Red Line as well. Ehrlich also opposes high ICC tolls, but doesn’t explain what he’d do to pay for their share of the road’s cost. (Baltimore Sun)  

Bam

A cyclist got doored by a taxi passenger, and the police gave the cyclist (and the taxi driver) a ticket, but passing as the cyclist did isn’t illegal (WashCycle) … A hit-and-run driver hit a youth and ran in Deanwood (Post) … Tonight is the “Ride of Silence” to honor bicyclists killed in the line of riding. (Post)  

Damn kids!

Andres Duany, father of New Urbanism, talks about how he and the movement got started… and then sounds like a cranky old man complaining about Millenials who aren’t buying in cities but driving in to hang out and “loving [cities] to death.” (The Atlantic via @BeyondDC) … Mammoth rebuts. (Alex B.)  

Red Line passenger expires

A man died of natural causes on a Red Line train, and was discovered after the train was parked at Shady Grove (Post) … The Examiner is upset WMATA won’t release the name (“out of respect for the deceased”) and calls it “the latest example of Metro failing to release information.” Okay, but how about also watchdogging some road safety, pedestrians and bicyclists getting hit, HOT lanes, and other non-Metro areas where information isn’t getting released?  

$40 million bus stop?

Seattle wants to build a $40 million median bus stop on I-95

5 to access a park-and-ride. Fairfax is considering similar freeway Bus Rapid Transit, whose primary challenge is their similarly expensive infrastructure. (Seattle P-I)  

Francoise car-rier?

The Montgomery County Council unanimously selected Francoise Carrier as the new Planning Board chairman. (Post) But she was the only one to give vague non-answers to traffic and transit questions on ACT’s questionnaire.  

Stuff getting built with DC public money

DC proposes to give a nonprofit a vacant lot in Brightwood for $10 to train people in construction, HVAC and similar trades … A mixed-use project in Bellevue that got an $8.8 million TIF is getting a Council hearing on the related alley closing … and the Council approved $5.1 million for the United Negro College Fund to locate in Shaw, the start of a larger push by the Fenty Administration to attract nonprofits. (Housing Complex)