Breakfast links: We need to talk

Still can’t hear you

Metro needs wireless service in its tunnels for safety, says a member of the Federal Communications Commission. A commissioner says that cell service is critical if riders need to call first responders during an emergency. (Post)

Show me the money

Metro’s largest union want wage increases and to keep workers’ pension contributions down. Operating costs are rising, but the union’s president says wages have been flat for ten years and employees deserve a raise.  (WAMU)

VRE heads south

VRE’s new Spotsylvania Station will open November 16, the railroad’s first major expansion. Railroad officials expect 1,200 Spotsylvania residents will be riding the trains in six months. (Post)

Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

A new tunnel should reduce flooding in Bloomingdale, but residents say vibration from the construction is keeping them awake and damaging their homes. (Post)

McMillan again

DC Auditor Kathy Patterson says that because the McMillan development plan changed over time, there should be another competitive bidding process for the North Capitol Street project years in the works. At a DC Council hearing, opponents used this to push for further delay or to block the project. (WBJ)

Quiet down

New DC Council legislation aims to reduce noise from nightlife establishments. A new business group says the law would be difficult to enforce, and it would be hard for nightclubs and bars to comply with the regulations. (City Paper)

Party in Bethesda?

Can Bethesda become a “hip” place with active nightlife? Should it? A task force made suggestions two years ago, some of which were adopted, and that’s done a lot to help Silver Spring, but not so much Bethesda. (Bethesda Magazine)

Best bike laws?

DC Councilmember Mary Cheh’s Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Act of 2015 addresses a lot of cycling issues, such as making the “Idaho Stop” law, and has the potential to make the District a leader in bike safety. (Brief Policy Persepctives)

And…

Metro staff pinned down a robbery suspect with a gun on a Green Line train. (Post, KC) … Bike commuting in DC is up 412% since 1990. (TheWashCycle) … An international competition will be held to design New York’s new Port Authority Bus Terminal. (WNYC) … Arkansas plans to widen a freeeway in downtown Little Rock and remove the streetcar that’s already there. (Streetsblog)  (Tip: KC)