Breakfast links: Keep the blood flowing

Sign up for Bikestation

You can now sign up for membership in the forthcoming Union Station bicycle station. Memberships are $20 a year

$96 a year or $12 a month, plus a $20 annual administrative fee, and include changing facilities, lockers, and even bike repair services. The station will open in early October.

A little less Circulation

Despite Georgetown Metropolitan’s best efforts, DC is cutting the Wisconsin Avenue segment of the Circulator. According to DDOT, that section represented 15% of the cost but only 2% of the riders. (Georgetown Metropolitan, DDOT, Post)

Corner stores now healthier

The Healthy Corner Stores program is bringing fresh produce to many corner stores in Wards 7 and 8. (Beyond Bread)

Rail guns

A rider in the DOT bill requires Amtrak to allow firearms in checked luggage. New York area legislators and NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg are fighting this proposal. But that’s far from enough for the Old Dominion, whose commuter rail system voted to allow riders to carry concealed, loaded guns on the train. Erika Niedowski thinks it’s quite silly, especially since they can’t carry the guns across the DC line, where most VRE commuters end up. (Examiner, City Paper, Michael P, Ward 1 Guy)  (Tip: Ward 1 Guy)

Ethics time

DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray will introduce an ethics code of conduct today, largely in response to scandals around Marion Barry. At the moment, it’s general and has no specific teeth, but Gray sees it as a first step. (Examiner)

Reality vs. formula for rail lines

Phoenix’s new light rail system dramatically exceeded expectations. Transit opponents criticized the line before its building and still think it’s too heavily subsidized, but fail to mention the money given to highways. (New York Times, Ben) … The Overhead Wire notes that this is only the latest in a series of rail lines where the FTA formula underestimates ridership. That’s a serious problem when the FTA formula determines which projects get funding and which don’t; how many projects have localities scrapped entirely because they didn’t meet the “cost-effectiveness index” but perhaps actually did?  (Tip: Ben)

Performance parking at the beach

Santa Monica, California will try performance parking, reversing a previous policy of continuing to build parking structures and keeping the most desirable spaces closest to the beach the cheapest. That resulted in long lines of drivers circling around those garages. They’ll now set prices closer to demand and eliminate two hours of free parking, which area employees were just exploiting by moving their cars throughout the day. (Surf Santa Monica, Michael P)  (Tip: Michael P)

Rolling back parking enforcement

Residents and business leaders revolted when Oakland, California extended the hours of parking enforcement to raise revenue. This is the hazard of using parking policy as a revenue source instead of just to manage demand. … Chicago will give parkers a free minute or two after out of sync meter clocks sometimes misled drivers. (SFGate, Southtown Star, Michael P)  (Tip: Michael P.)