Breakfast links: Taking it to court

Livable, walkable, safety, jobs

In yesterday’s links we mentioned the Post article in which Ward 6 candidate Kelvin Robinson was campaigning against Tommy Wells’s focus on livable and walkable communities, and that Housing Complex offered some advice for Wells and other urbanist pols. In an interview with TBD, Wells responds to exactly these types of questions - and offers a robust case for “livable, walkable” as priorities by making the connection between walkable urbanism, public safety and job creation.

Small crowd, Giant opposition

Opponents of the Wisconsin Giant have filed another lawsuit to try to stop the project, which is very popular with residents but has enough vociferous and well-heeled opponents to keep throwing up legal obstacles. (All Life Is Local, David Alpert)  (Tip: David Alpert)

Policy poor for Purple

UMD’s experiment closing Campus Drive to transit vehicles as well as private cars has ended, but university officials will consider whether to make it permanent. If they do this, it would interfere with the preferred route of the Purple Line, which university officials don’t want going through campus. (Post, David Alpert, Andy Peters)  (Tip: David Alpert)

Arlington still steamed over HOT lanes

Arlington County has named Federal Highway Administration chief Victor Mendez, in both his official capacity and as an individual, in its suit against VDOT’s HOT lanes proposal. The County opposes the proposal because it claims a disproportionately high impact and low benefit to Arlington residents. (TBD)

Replacing two cars with ten bikes

The Crystal City BID has a photo of Capital Bikeshare station installation underway in Arlington. It looks like this station is being installed in former parking spaces. (BeyondDC)

Get da dish on da trees

DDOT responds to Geoff Hatchard’s post about tree maintenance, including news that UFA will be renamed d.Trees, to be pronounced DDOT Trees. (d.ish)

It may be safer, but it’s reckless

A Texas cyclist has been convicted of reckless driving by a judge after he rode in a roadway’s rightmost lane instead of its broken and discontinuous shoulder. In handing down the conviction, now under appeal, the judge in Ellis County, Texas, told the cyclist, “You may be right that it is safer to ride in the middle of the lane instead of the shoulder, but it is reckless of you to do so.” A support site called Let Him Ride! is collecting money to support an appeal. (Streetsblog.net)