Breakfast links: Making tracks and trails

Met Branch asphalt

One new section of the Metropolitan Branch trail, just north of Rhode Island Avenue, is now paved; the segment between Rhode Island and New York Avenues is next. (Silver Spring Trails, Gavin Baker)  (Tip: Gavin Baker)

Streetcar tracks in Anacostia

Contractors have started actually laying streetcar tracks for the Anacostia line. (Barry Farm Re(Mixed) via DCist)

Are you going car-free?

Car-Free Day is tomorrow. Have you taken the pledge? Ashley Halsey covers it in the Post; AAA’s Lon Anderson still can’t bring himself to say anything positive about the benefits of reducing driving, instead defending cars’ pollution.

When will Cato criticize garages?

After a Cato blogger criticized the new Union Station bike station, Matthew Yglesias challenges Cato to also denounce publicly-financed parking garages across the nation. How about it?

HOT tempers in Virginia

Alexandria officials are weighing their options for HOT lanes. Residents oppose the lanes, but aren’t sure they want the city to join Arlington’s suit. Some don’t like the environmental justice argument in the suit, which points out that the HOT lanes would disproportionately affect Arlington’s lower income and minority neighborhoods. Alexandria may ask the state delegates to do something; Sen. Patsy Ticer says the project is “already dead,” but once a line gets drawn on a map, dead projects have a way of coming back (see: ICC). Fairfax and Arlington heads Sharon Bulova and Barbara Favola (who look oddly alike in these pictures) will meet to discuss the issue. Pat Herrity is really angry Arlington doesn’t want to let itself get paved over, both here and on I-66. (Gazette Packet, Sun Gazette, Centre View)

Ride Metro to the Redskins, no thanks to the FTA

Metro is encouraging football fans to ride the Blue Line to watch the Redskins barely not lose. They can also park at Largo and Morgan Boulevard for $25. They can’t run a shuttle from Landover, as they used to, because federal rules prohibiting transit agencies from doing anything a private company could do still block the possibility. (WMATA, Examiner)

Americans loving cars a little less

From 1991 to 2006, the number of people calling their car “something special” declined from 43% to 23%. 79% of people said they “liked to drive” in 1991, compared to 69% in 2006. 69% also called driving a “chore.” (Pew Research Center, Michael P)  (Tip: Michael P)