Breakfast links: Pushing business away

Perception costs Georgia Avenue

A series of break-ins and perception that the area is dangerous caused a restaurant to move away from Georgia Avenue in Petworth. Upshur Street, closer to the Metro, may benefit from the moves. (City Paper)

Bike lanes great for parking?

Some drivers are parking in the new cycletrack on First Street NE, and one driver tried to attack a cyclist who asked him not to block the lane. (DCist)

Height limit allows a camel

The House of Representatives approved a very minor change to DC’s height limit (to let already-legal penthouses include habitable space). Louie Gohmert (R-TX) warned this could be the “camel’s nose under the tent” to larger changes. (City Paper)

Oakville Triangle set for makeover

Oakville Triangle in Alexandria, an industrial area between Potomac Yard and Del Ray, could get mixed-use development, a park, and more. A citizen advisory group has been working on a plan for the area, which will rely on the new BRT line to Crystal City. (WBJ)

Pushing Silver Line over finish line

What actually needs to be done to complete the Silver Line? Problems that need to be resolved such as faulty signals, third-rail power reliability, and the “loss of speed read outs” could cause huge delays. (Post)

Don’t pass the bus

Montgomery County may double the fine for illegally passing a school bus to $250. New cameras on Montgomery County Public Schools buses captured 272 violations between January and March. (Gazette)

Breaking: our region is expensive

The Washington area is among the most expensive metro areas in the US, says a ranking based on expenses such as transportation, education, and rent. (Atlantic Cities)

Things are different in Europe

European and American cities have very different priorities. Leaders in Europe tend to worry more about unemployment and energy efficiency, while American mayors focus on government efficiency and urban sprawl or blight. (Atlantic Cities)

Worldly subways

Japan could privatize Osaka’s subway. Tehran just opened an extension to its metro, but it had to be scaled down due to Western sanctions. Madrid’s Metro is hoping to cut €120 million from its annual costs. (Next City)

And…

See new designs for the Georgetown condo project at the Key Bridge Exxon. (UrbanTurf)… A warehouse in NoMa near Union Market is potentially the area’s next redevelopment. (WTOP) … Does Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s ofice orchestrate and review scenes from CNN’s Chicagoland? (NextCity)