Breakfast Links: The Metrobus system received a D grade on new report card
A new Metrobus report card gives the system a D
The report says that only 60% of buses on the highest ridership routes are on schedule, with an average bus speed of 9.5 mph. Some routes perform better than others: Buses in Anacostia and Congress Heights were usually faster and more reliable than ones on 14th Street NW, Pennsylvania Ave, and Georgia Ave. (Luz Lazo / Post)
US laws made driving the easiest form of transportation
Car ownership and driving is normalized in US law, from minimum parking requirements at offices and tax writeoffs for hybrid vehicles that subsidize the cost of cars, to bigger issues like car insurance rules with lower liability requirements and lesser criminal charges for “vehicular manslaughter” that reduce consequences for drivers after crashes. (Gregory Shill / The Atlantic)
The DC Council stripped Evans of his finance chairmanship
The DC Council voted to strip Evans of the Finance and Revenue Committee chair position, and allowed them to appoint a law firm to investigate Evans’ possible conflicts of interest going back to 2014. (Caroline Jones / City Paper)
DC has a shortage of affordable housing for families
A new study found that while a third of DC’s housing units are “family sized” with three bedrooms or larger, only 5,000 of those units count as affordable and only 4,000 rent at 30% of the area’s median income, even though there are 6,500 families in need of affordable four-person units in DC. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
MoCo finalizes an accessory apartment bill for a vote
The County Council will vote on July 23 on a bill that would permit accessory apartments in parts of the county. The bill says accessory apartments can’t exceed 10% of a lot or 1,200 square feet, and must have a parking space if they are more than a mile away from a rail station. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
Climate change will only make the region’s flooding worse
Rising sea levels and more intense thunderstorms will increase the likelihood of floods from local rivers and creeks, as well as rain that overwhelms drainage systems like we saw on Monday. (Jacob Fenston / WAMU)
Monday’s flooding caused major damage across the region
Monday’s record setting rain caused an estimated $3.5 million in damage to county property in Arlington, while a few roads in DC and Potomac, Maryland developed sinkholes and cavities. Many businesses and residents also faced power outages and indoor flooding. (DCist)
Office vacancies are growing in DC and shrinking in Virginia
DC office vacancy rates rose to a new record of 13%, and the amount of empty office space is likely to grow due to new office building construction. Northern Virginia has a higher office vacancy rate than DC at 19%, but that rate is falling, in part because of Amazon’s HQ2 arrival. (Jon Banister / Bisnow)
The Virginia State Assembly won’t act on gun control before elections
The Republican-controlled legislature adjourned a special legislative session to discuss gun control after 90 minutes, without any debate on proposed bills. The legislature referred measures to an independent crime commission to review, and will not convene again until after the November elections. (Post)
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