Dinner links: Representatives speak up

Three-quarters for transit

18 of the 24 Montgomery County state delegates signed a letter to Governor O’Malley urging the state to study transit on the 270 corridor as ACT recommends. Five of them also signed the letter supporting the Corridor Cities Transitway and widening 270; they might not be sure what they want, or just support any public works project sight unseen, or maybe, like Saqib Ali, they signed because of the CCT without fully realizing it also endorsed the widening. (Maryland Politics Watch)

Reopen E Street

Among the discussions over the proposed Vermont Avenue farmers’ market is a great suggestion from Councilmember Jack Evans: Reopen E Street past the Ellipse. It really doesn’t serve much of a security purpose, and with E and Pennsylvania closed, east-west congestion is terrible, including for buses. Evans says, “Today, it is being used as a parking lot by the people who work at the White House … which is not a security issue.” (WTOP)

NYC Councilmember calls for MTA openness

New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer, who also chairs the Technology in Government Committee, sent the MTA a letter recommending they embrace openness and innovation instead of hoarding their schedule data and legally threatening people who want to help riders find transit options. Gale was also my Councilmember for the last two years I lived in New York.

Not the church reserve

A Frederick resident argues against the proposed megachurch on the Frederick-Montgomery border. The project will bring substantial traffic into the Agricultural Reserve, as few of the members live in Damascus, Maryland. (According to the Montgomery Countryside Alliance, most members live in Silver Spring, where the church is now located.) (Gazette)

15 minutes of time savings worth more than a movie ticket

An IBM online poll found that most people would pay about $10-20 for each 15 minutes they could save on their commute. At a conference, a former FHWA official made the analogy to movies: What if you could see all movies anytime, for free, but then the government took an indeterminate amount of money from you at tax time to cover the theater costs regardless of how many movies you saw? (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)

Another island, another parking debate

St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, is considering charging for parking. But many residents oppose the idea for the usual reasons. Some suggested just charging during the high demand season, which is very sensible. (Jacksonville.com)

Terrorist right on only one thing: freeway policy

Mohamed Atta, who piloted a hijacked airliner into the World Trade Center’s North Tower, had previously earned a Master’s degree in Urban Planning. His thesis focuses on rebuilding the damage to the traditional “Islamic-Oriental” city done by American-style freeway building and redevelopment. (Slate, Matt’)  (Tip: Matt')