Breakfast links: Transit inches forward

Still waiting

Streetcars won’t return to DC until late summer or even fall. Historic preservation slowed the car barn at Spingarn High School. Once complete, DDOT still has to test the service, then give federal officials up to 90 days to certify that it’s safe. (WTOP)

Super stops get cheaper, better

A new design for Arlington’s “Super Stops” along Columbia Pike will cut each station’s costs by 40% while also making the canopies better keep out rain and snow. They will now be called “transit centers.” Arlington will cut out WMATA, which leaders said added cost and delay on the previous version. (ArlNow)

NYC looks up to DC

New York mayor Bill de Blasio could be using DC as inspiration for policies, including universal pre-kindergarten and inclusionary zoning. (Post)

Speed camera slowdown

DC’s speed cameras are not issuing as many tickets as they once were, because drivers are speeding less past the cameras. Are they slowing down everywhere or do they just hit the brakes near the cameras? (WAMU)

Even more tourists

DC saw over 17.4 million tourists from within the United States in 2013, a record high. Tourism is DC’s 2nd largest industry, and 2013 tourists spent $6.7 billion while here. (City Paper)

Not a level playing field

While the Taxi Commission has required all taxi services to collect a 25¢ surcharge and disclose data about where they pick up and drop off passengers, Uber doesn’t do either one, which competitors argue is unfair. (WAMU)

Advertising is good for air

Scientists at Peru’s University of Engineering and Technology developed a billboard that can filter and purify the air. The device can clean 100,000 cubic meters of air a day. (Atlantic Cities)

Out with the old

A recent survey shows that the majority of Americans prefer new versus old homes, citing preferences like modern construction features and being the first occupant. (UrbanTurf)

And…

An abandoned, garbage-filled lot in Anacostia

Bellevue will soon house the world’s largest urban greenhouse. (Atlantic Cities) … Alexandria ranks #1 on a list of the 10 greenest mid-size cities. (MyLife) … Jaime Fearer and Geoff Hatchard get a DC statehood-themed California license plate, reading “51ST★DC.”