Weekend links: Hold it

A matter of personal dignity

Metrobus drivers typically don’t have time for bathroom breaks, and when they do have time there’s often no place to go. Not only is it uncomfortable, but holding it so long can lead to health problems. (Post)

ICC beats projections

Intercounty Connector usage exceeded expectations by about 1,000 cars per day for the first two weeks tolls were enforced. The freeway is projected to take 30,000 cars per day around June. (Examiner, Dan Reed)

Micro living for the masses

For only $850 per month, Vancouver renters get 291 square feet of their own in the downtown core. The apartments show just how much demand there is for urban living. (Grist, Dan Reed)

Our suburban presidential candidates

All but one of the Republican candidates for president have elaborately decorated McMansions in the suburbs. Jon Huntsman, the exception, owns a Kalorama rowhouse. (NYT, Dan Reed)

Closing bars for safety’s sake

Mood Lounge is closed for 96 hours — including the New Year’s holiday - following a double stabbing Friday night. Chief Lanier used her emergency liquor license suspension powers to close the club. (Post)

Purple Line moves ahead

Maryland’s Purple Line received $69 million in state funds for preliminary engineering work on Thursday. The line could start construction in 2015, but much more funding is still needed. (Examiner)

Bluetooth travel time

Arlington wants a real-time travel system on Highway 50 with displays showing how long it will take to drive from one point to another. The system would work by measuring how long it takes Bluetooth signals to travel from one detector to the next. (Business Journal)

Redevelopment agencies lose fight

Most of California’s redevelopment agencies will be shut down after losing their court fight against Governor Jerry Brown’s austerity budget. The agencies captured property taxes to fund themselves, which the Governor said was a drain on local and state budgets. (LA Times, Pacific Sun)

And…

Arlington is on track to have its first murder-free year since 1960. (ARLnow, Miles Grant) … A pedestrian struck in a crosswalk dies. (Post) … DC’s office market isn’t quite so hot. (Business Journal) … 8 of the 10 busiest Metro days were Nats game days. (Patch)