Breakfast links: Bikes, cars, hate and crime

Parking dispute turns into arrow shooting

A Trenton, NJ man shot a neighbor with a bow and arrow over “a parking dispute.” None of the news articles illuminate what the dispute was, however. (The Trentonian)

Charges coming for Oxon Hill crash

After doing doughnuts in an Oxon Hill parking lot, a driver drove onto a sidewalk, smashed into various objects, and critically injured a pedestrian. Police are pursuing vehicular manslaughter charges, and dropped some initial, lesser charges so they could re-file more serious ones after the crash report comes in. (Post)

Bike hate in the B’s

Michael Dresser’s Baltimore Sun column has hosted some vehement bicycle debates recently. An Elkridge women wrote in about the driver who killed her husband in a hit and run, and a Timonium man says Baltimore drivers are “worse than Texas.” … Boston has been having its own debate  about whether cyclists need to “earn” respect. (Streetsblog Network)

Private trolleys once again?

Christopher Leinberger suggests bringing back privately-built streetcar lines to connect neighborhoods and reach new areas for development. To fund them, neighborhoods could vote in special real estate tax assessment districts based on the increased property values it would bring. A few changes in federal transportation law could make that possible. (The Atlantic, Ben T)

WMATA back in the hole

A 10¢ fare hike was supposed to close WMATA’s FY2010 budget gap, but the snowstorm and related ridership losses have brought it back, and larger than before at $54.2 million. WMATA has no reserve fund left; it could bill jurisdictions for the money over two years. (Examiner)

Ride On back on, parking fees off

The Montgomery County Council voted to keep Ride On service and raised parking fines, but declined to raise parking rates in Bethesda and Silver Spring. The County also cut the pedestrian safety program, which as run by MCDOT wasn’t doing much for pedestrian safety anyway. (Examiner)

Pro-transit on the purple route

Last night, the College Park City Council considered a letter to UMD asking them to keep transit vehicles on Campus Drive (Rethink College Park) … the MTA wants to build a Purple Line stop at Dale Drive and Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, which Montgomery officials have wavered on. (Gazette)