Breakfast links: Economic solutions, bureaucratic problems

Sluggers not hot on HOT

Sluggers, who carpool with strangers to commute as HOVs from Virginia, are happy about the HOT lane postponement. They think the new lanes would induce many people who now slug to switch to driving single-passenger vehicles and paying a toll. That’d make slugging harder for everyone, and increase the number of cars on the road. (Connection)

Yes, pricing existing lanes would be better

Ryan Avent wishes I would emhasize that while the current HOT lane proposal is garbage, the concept of pricing lanes in general isn’t. Ryan is right. As I’ve written on occasion, tolling some existing roads, where transit alternatives exist, would significantly improve congestion. New tolled lanes are a bad use for the billions of dollars they cost to construct. Plus, the Fluor-Transurban contract, with things like penalties if people carpool, is bad. Also see what Michael Replogle said about congestion pricing: tolling is good when the money funds transit alternatives, bad if it just funds more lanes. (The Bellows)

Get paid to move closer to work?

The District Department of the Environment is considering using stimulus money to pay people to move closer to work or transit. However, this won’t increase the supply of housing, and good housing in the city or near transit is already expensive, so the people newly living close to transit will just be there instead of someone else. Helping make homes more energy efficient is better. (Washington Examiner)

Washington Gas renegs on Capital City Diner

The folks trying to set up a historic diner in Trinidad have had a rough time. In May, an architect scammed them, leaving them with an illegal foundation. Now, Washington Gas promised to give them a free installation, but said the DC Public Service Commission wouldn’t allow it. When PSC said go ahead, WashGas suddenly changed their mind.

New private roads still create “silos”

VDOT’s new rules may deter cul-de-sacs, but many new developments still have a “neighborhood silo” design that limits all traffic in and out to a single point, forcing pedestrians to go the long way around or cut their own path. The new rules don’t apply to private roads. (Fairfax Suburbanista, mooniker)  (Tip: mooniker)

Too much work to listen?

A woman was sexually harassed at Friendship Heights Metro last week. In order to report it, she’d have either had to wait a long time for police to show up in person, or go to the station. It’s understandable that the police like complete, in-person reports, but it also deters reporting of incidents. (Holla Back DC)

Now vs. then’s view of now

Silver Spring, Singular compares concept sketches from 1969, envisioning the Silver Spring of today, with the actual Silver Spring of today. Dave Murphy wrote while submitting the tip, “As a Silver Spring native, I think we fared pretty well.”  (Tip: Dave Murphy)