Breakfast links: Long time coming

Autoload for all

WMATA has now made SmarTrip autoloading available to everyone. It will charge riders’ credit or debit cards once the balance gets to $20, a threshold riders cannot change. (Examiner)

Good parking minimums

New regulations, which took 5 years to write, would require all DC apartment buildings of more than 8 units to provide some secure bicycle parking, either covered or indoors. (WBJ)

Ecodistrict starting already?

The GSA wants to redevelop 5 buildings around L’Enfant Plaza, including the huge Forrestal Building. (Post) … The recent Soutwest Ecodistrict plan made recommendations for how to redevelop this area over time.

Unmarked crosswalks get noticed

Too few news stories about collisions between pedestrians and cars acknowledge the existence of unmarked crosswalks. This omission can shape perceptions of who is at fault. (Stop and Move, Ben Ross)  (Tip: Ben Ross)

Subdue the subsidy

WMATA board member Alvin Nichols says we have to get away from using the word “subsidy” to talk about investments in transit. (Kogod Now)

Bike sharing for all, but not in Denver

Denver’s B-cycle bike sharing only serves dense neighborhoods, stirring criticism that it doesn’t serve poor or minority areas. (Denver Post) … DC made the opposite choice, factoring equity into location decisions.

Development in the developing world

While the move to cities is usually seen as an environmental positive in the US, increased urbanization in developing countries carries many environmental risks, though good planning can mitigate them. (Time)

And…

Several area bus routes will see changes, including some new express routes. (Examiner) … Bombardier will run MARC’s Camden and Brunswick Lines. (Examiner) … The iconic and environmentally-hazardous Alexandria power plant has closed. (Post)