Breakfast links: Fighting transit, paying for roads

Streetcars on the TV

CNN featured DC’s streetcars, interviewing Tommy Wells about the promise of streetcars and Marcel Acosta about the overhead wire debate. Gabe Klein shows off the tunnel near Union Station and talks about the hybrid option.

thecranks@dcwatch

Richard Layman respects its good government work, but themail@dcwatch is also a great place to see the crankest antis react to policy issues. This week features a streetcar diatribe that resurrects the “planners hate cars” argument (Gary Imhoff, the editor, loves them), and which Layman rebuts, along with some ad hominem attacks on the Barnes Dance, Mary Cheh tax proposals, and more.

Barnes Dance barn dance

On a lighter note, several people forwarded plans to stage a “barn dance”, “complete with overalls, plaid and straw hats,” tonight at the new Barnes Dance in Chinatown. (Facebook, Bossi)  (Tip: Bossi)

Community, students won’t stop UMD anti-transit stance

UMD officials are still unmoved in their determination to close Campus Drive to buses and cars, calling it a trial and saying the closure will help them determine the effect. However, they’re closing it in the summer, which is very different from other times. (The Diamondback) … To understand why UMD behaves this way, see this profile of retiring President Dan Mote, who tenaciously pushed for new road connections to UMD while simultaneously opposing the Purple Line transit connection.

Virginia can’t afford new freeways

Freeway building is just plain really expensive. The McDonnell administration is trying to keep I-95/395 HOT lanes alive, but besides Arlington’s lawsuit, the state may not have the money to pay for its share, which was massive for the Beltway lanes. And state officials say counties may have to pay for new interchanges, since the state can’t afford to. (Examiner, Leesburg Today)

Tysons “piecemeal” street grid?

Fairfax County staff are concluding that the street grid has to be planned “piecemeal,” which doesn’t sound like a recipe for a very good street grid. The community also debated counting affordable housing in units or in bedrooms, the minimum size of projects (20 acres, which is a lot), and whether to leave parks wild or build ballfields and other recreation. (Connection)

And…

Aren’t city dwellers “ordinary people,” too? (Post, Topher Mathews) … Congressional Republicans blocked a proposal to increase teleworking because it will cost $30 million now, but others say it would pay for itself through increased productivity (Baltimore Sun) … Frank Gehry calls LEED ratings “political” and “bogus.”  (Tip: no credit)