Breakfast links: Stand up and be counting

Entitled Driver Syndrome alive and well

BeyondDC finds this PostSecret postcard which reads, “When I see cyclists in the middle of the road on my way to CHURCH, I’m tempted to knock them down!” Meanwhile, some drivers in Boulder, Colorado plan to drive really slowly on the wrong side of the road to interfere with an organized bicycle ride. (BeyondDC, WashCycle)

Count bikes and peds Thursday and Saturday

Arlington is doing another round of counting bicycles and pedestrians, this time on July 2 and July 4, “one of the busiest times of the year for active transportation.” GGW readers helped Arlington out with previous rounds, and they could use our help again. They need volunteers for 2-hour shifts at 7-9 am or 4-6 pm on Thursday, July 2nd, or from noon-2 pm on Saturday, July 4th. They perform the counts at roughly 20 locations across the county. If you’re interested, email bikepedcounts@arlingtonva.us.

Safeway Avenue, NW

Last weekend, Safeway held a “Barbecue Battle” in downtown DC. This involved closing Pennsylvania Avenue to traffic between 9th and 14th Streets, along with several side streets. Pedestrians couldn’t cross the site unless they paid the entry fee. Reader Dan was trying to walk from the Folklife Festival to Metro Center, and had to wait 15 minutes for a Metro train at Federal Triangle instead. Should we be walling off large parts of downtown for private events?  (Tip: Dan)

Maryland may actually start being smart

The chair of the Maryland House Environmental Matters Committee wants to put some real teeth into the state’s Smart Growth law. Currently, there’s a policy of promoting development near the state’s urban areas and transit infrastructure, but it isn’t really being followed. This year, a new law started tracking development, but the legislature dropped the part of the law that would have required 80 percent of development to go in “priority areas.” (Gazette)

Development updates

The Montgomery Planning Board approved 2.2 million square feet of development right at Twinbrook Metro. This second phase, mostly comprising office buildings, will add to their existing residential projects in the area. (DCmud) However, zoning laws are also forcing them to build more parking than the market will demand, supplanting additional housing. On the other side of the Beltway, Prince George’s has approved the 6 million square foot Westphalia development, another mixed-use but auto-dependent “enclave” next to Andrews AFB. (WBJ)

Metro morsels

A Post editorial calls on Congress to provide the $150 million a year in dedicated funding that they promised (Gavin Baker) … A person jumped in front of a Metro train yesterday at Forest Glen, again shutting down the beleaguered eastern Red Line. The line is open again this morning. (Gazette, Post)  (Tip: Gavin Baker)