Breakfast links: Build, don’t kill

TOD proposed for Tysons

Tysons has its first proposal for an urban, mixed-use development, in this case adjacent to the planned Tysons West station. The Tysons planning committee hopes the project will illustrate what Tysons could be. (Post, Eric) … Eric notes that there’s another development planned nearby, which isn’t as mixed-use.  (Tip: Eric)

DC office space pricier than NY?

DC office prices are declining much slower than elsewhere, and might soon become the nation’s most expensive, beating out New York, at least according to one measuring firm (another disagrees). (WSJ, Joey)  (Tip: Joey)

Driver kills one of NYC’s oldest

A driver killed 104-year-old Joe Rollino in Brooklyn. The driver faces no charges, just a ticket for a “defective horn,” since she was not speeding or intoxicated. The Times reporters doesn’t bat much of an eyelash about that, nor their persistent writing that “a minivan” killed Mr. Rollino. (NYT, Dan)  (Tip: Dan)

Speed while rich? Pay up

Several European countries are fining speeders in proportion to their income, to avoid wealthy drivers simply paying the tickets and not changing behavior. A Swiss court recently handed down a 203,180.83 euro ticket to a millionaire driver. (AP via Freakonomics)

Free bags at farmers’ markets

Plastic bags are still free at area farmers’ markets, and The Slow Cook wonders why. (ah) It’s worth noting that the bags you put produce in at supermarkets are still free, too; are these more analogous to those than the bags at checkout?  (Tip: ah)

Topping the hot list

Infrastructurist lists the four most wasteful east coast highway projects. Number one is Virginia’s I-95/395 HOT lanes from the Pentagon to Spotsylvania County, whose purpose could be much better achieved by improving rail in the corridor.

Acela II

Amtrak’s capital plan includes improvements to curves and tunnel approaches that will cut the trip between DC and NYC by up to 30 minutes, and interior improvements including WiFi on the Acela Express. (Railway Age, Wired, David C)  (Tip: David C)