Breakfast links: WMATA announces changes intended to reduce Metrobus delays
WMATA seeks to improve bus experience for riders by reducing delays
The Clear Lanes proposal would add ticket-generating cameras to buses to target drivers who block bus stops and bus-only lanes. Other changes that may be coming soon, if funding can be found, include the ability to board via the rear door and more buses on some 24-hour bus lines. The changes are all aimed at reducing bus delays and increasing the number of people riding Metrobus, which has rebounded much faster than Metrorail from its pandemic slump. (Justin George / Washington Post)
Arlington has created new affordable housing, but residents cite major maintenance issues
After losing 20% of its market-rate affordable housing in the first decade of the 2000s, Arlington has managed to grow the number of income-restricted affordable units available by almost a third in just two years from 2020 to 2022. Most of those units are in older buildings, and residents have raised concerns about maintenance issues and inadequate county oversight. (Margaret Barthel / DCist)
79 ANC commissioners ask Mayor Bowser to direct traffic camera revenue to road safety projects
The Mayor’s budget includes the revenue, which totals close to $500 million, in the general fund. The commissioners are requesting, in an open letter that is still collecting signatures that it instead be earmarked for projects that will improve traffic safety, as dictated by DC law. (Jess Arnold / WUSA9)
Maryland General Assembly adding more speed cameras to Route 210
The three new cameras will bring the total number of cameras on the highway to six. Route 210 is one of the region’s deadliest roadways, but data suggest that the existing cameras do not ticket the fastest speeders and between April and October 2022 generated tickets for fewer than half the drivers that were committing citable offenses. (Tracee Wilkins / NBC4)
Mayor Bowser wants to add funding to city’s homebuyer assistance program
The DC Mayor’s budget is requesting an additional $8 million dollars for the homebuyer assistance program, which helps DC residents become homeowners by giving them up to $200,000 towards the purchase of their first home. Additionally, the city is purchasing more vacant properties and flipping them to market them to potential homeowners who would use the program to help purchase them. (John Domen / WTOP)
Town of Vienna is updating its requirements for multifamily housing
The Town Council is considering a number of changes to their requirements for multifamily housing complexes, including requiring bike racks and loading docks, new outdoor lighting standards, and parking lot landscaping and screening. The rethinking comes as part of a larger review of the town’s zoning codes, which have been in place for over 50 years. (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)
Community outdoor space joins Apple Store, other shopping at The Crossing Clarendon
The horseshoe-shaped shopping center, home to a Crate and Barrel and an Apple Store, among many others, now also sports a public park. There is a fenced-in play area for children, sculptures, and Adirondack chairs for lounging, among other amenities. The property owner committed to a public gathering space on the site in 2021, shared plans with the community in 2022, and the park was finally opened in the last week. (Matt Blitz / ARLNow)
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