Breakfast links: Advocates say Uber and Lyft are “useless” for people who use wheelchairs
Ride hailing companies aren’t accessible
A New York legal group reported that wheelchair-accessible Uber and Lyft rides are hard to come by. Many times proper vehicles are not available, and when they are the wait time is substantial. (Frederick Kunkle / Post)
A blind woman slipped and fell between Metro cars last week
A woman fell on the tracks at Van Ness station on Friday while trying to board a train. This is the latest in a series of injuries to blind Metro riders, as the new 7000-series trains lack adequate protective barriers between cars. (Max Smith / WTOP)
Howard County’s historic Ellicott City was hit with a massive flood — again
Flash floods overtook Ellicott City's historic main street after intense weekend rains, and one Maryland man is missing in the aftermath. A similar flood hit many of the same residents and businesses in 2016, and they returned and rebuilt in their old locations. (Bill Chappell / WAMU)
DC’s Armed Forces Retirement Home will be opened up to redevelopment
The General Services Administration requested development proposals for a large swath of land from the 272-acre Armed Forced Retirement Home property. The proposed development area would have 15 acres for residential development, plus additional space for retail, offices, and medical uses. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
Metro will pilot a cash-free bus service on one line
The Metro board okayed a six-month pilot program for the 79 bus on Georgia Avenue where riders can only pay with SmarTrip cards. They hope to reduce how long the bus has to wait at each stop and speed up service on the whole line. (Martine Powers / Post)
Arlington is adding new affordable housing
A nonprofit development group will tear down the old Berkeley buildings and replace them with two new buildings, totalling 256 affordable housing units. The apartments will be rented to people making 40-80% area median income. (Katie Arcieri / WBJ)
What have we learned from the fatal self-driving Uber crash?
The preliminary report found that emergency systems did not kick in while the car was in autonomous mode, and that there was no notification for the driver to brake. How do we combat driver distraction and computer error to keep everyone on the road safe? (Laura Bliss / CityLab)
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