Breakfast links: Rails and money

Speak for streetcars

Contact the DC Council to ask them to support streetcar funding. Phil Mendelson is opposing the H/Benning line because it “has no beginning and no end” even though it will if it gets money. (Streetcars 4 DC)

Metro money matters

WMATA will share the cost of new rail cars with the Dulles Rail project (Examiner) … the Post summarizes the proposed MetroAccess cuts.

Indifferent employees

A passenger brought an abandoned bag to Metro employees, who were indifferent … And at the end of her column, Petula Dvorak relates a story from a few years ago when employees brushed off a report of a person not moving and still on a train at the end of its run. (Post)

Why do people take transit?

Windsor, Ontario came up with a list (Green Life, Erik W) … Or maybe it has to do with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (Human Transit)  (Tip: Erik W)

If it’s AAA, it leads

Another WTOP story prominently features what AAA thinks about the redesign of the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes. However, Adam Tuss does ask WABA what they think, as well.

Not enough government in Maryland?

Do Montgomery and Prince George’s counties get short shrift from the GSA in leasing federal office space? Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) thinks so. GSA says there’s just less available space in Prince George’s, but they lease much of it anyway. There certainly are plenty of underutilized Metro stations ripe for some federal facilities. (Gazette)

Flip him the smiley face

A new car toy allows a driver to display an emoticon or a little message (like “Sorry” or a middle finger) to the driver behind. Good idea or horrible? It could allow better communication than an ambiguous honk, but could also create another way to be distracted. (ThinkGeek.com, Dave Murphy)  (Tip: Dave Murphy)

And…

The District can’t help you if your neighbor is ruining your party wall (Housing Complex) … The Takoma Theatre is preserved (Housing Complex) … A storage unit on H Street destroyed many of a person’s belongings and didn’t tell them (Frozen Tropics) … What was the LeDroit Park Civic Association talking about in 1881? (Left for LeDroit)