Breakfast links: HOT for cars, cool on bikes

USDOT wants HOT lanes

Virginia will receive $20 million in TIGER money for its controversial HOT lanes on I-95, while a MWCOG request for bike and pedestrian fixes around Metro stations didn’t win. (Examiner)

New Metro cars delayed

The first of Metro’s 7000-series rail cars will be delayed by five months.  WMATA attributes the delay to supply disruptions caused by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. (Post, Steven Yates)  (Tip: Steven Yates)

Affordable condos aren’t always

Condos bought as affordable housing can be rendered unaffordable by high condo fees, leaving residents in a bind: they can’t afford the fees, but they can’t sell the affordable units. (DCentric)  (Tip: David Edmondson)

DC gets faster

The District has significantly decreased its response time for service calls, from an average of nearly 90 days a decade ago to 5 days over the past several months, despite an increase in the number of calls made.  (Post, Steven Yates)  (Tip: Steven Yates)

WMATA pushes bus safety

Metro plans to install plexiglass shields on 51 buses following a rash of incidents of violence against drivers. The shields will be a safety pilot, but some board members are concerned it will hinder customer interaction. (Fox 5)

Hotels see construction boom

A boom in DC hotel construction could add 3,000 new rooms to the city, much of it without government funding. This is on top of 28,000 existing rooms. (City Paper)

Detroit swaps light rail for buses

The Motor City ditched its planned downtown light rail for much larger BRT to the suburbs. Downtown businesses favored rail, but the city couldn’t afford the $10 million estimated annual operating costs. (WSJ, T. Goodman)  (Tip: T. Goodman)