Breakfast links: Roosevelt Island is about to get better for cyclists and boaters
Image by xmeeksx used with permission.
Hikers, bikers, and boaters will have better access to Theodore Roosevelt Island
The National Park Service will fix up the Swamp Trail on the island, add new docks for canoes and kayaks, and totally redo the chronically slippery boardwalk stretch of the Mt. Vernon trail between the Roosevelt Bridge and the Island. (Alex Koma / ARLnow)
Uber will start offering more wheelchair accessible vehicles in DC
Uber partnered with paratransit firm MV Transportation to offer wheelchair accessible ride hailing in six east coast cities including DC. Uber promised no more than a 15-minute wait for WAV rides and to keep fares on par with UberX fares. (Faiz Siddiqui / Post)
A driver struck and killed a pedestrian in downtown Gaithersburg
The driver of a Nissan Rogue hit and killed a woman from North Potomac as she was crossing Summit Street in Gaithersburg. The fatal crash occured right beside the Gaithersburg MARC station. (Bethesda Beat)
DC moves to limit raising rent in vacant rent-controlled units
The Council voted unanimously to approva a bill that would limit the amount that a landlord can raise the rent on a vacant rent controlled apartment between tenants. Currently the rent can go up 30%, but this bill would limit it to 10% or 20% if the previous tenant had been there at least a decade. (Morgan Baskin / City Paper)
Amazon’s problems are not new concerns for local urbanists
Amazon coming to the DC region isn't good for income inequality equality and housing affordability, but those were already serious problems before the tech giant selected Crystal City for HQ2. (Alex Baca / Vox)
Amazon picked two cities with a good transit base and a less certain transit future
New York and DC are two of the only major cities in the US whose mass transit systems can absorb the 25,000 new riders that Amazon could bring. However, both WMATA and the MTA have a lot of improvement to do on their aging systems for both current and future riders. (Laura Bliss / CityLab)
Metro disagrees with DC’s decision to decriminalize fare evasion
WMATA has publically pushed back against the DC Council's recent vote to decriminalize fare evasion, eating in stations, and other infractions. WMATA argues that fare evasion costs the system millions each year, and that decriminalization is not fair to its paying riders. (Natalie Delgadillo / DCist)
Purple Line blasting in Bethesda will be delayed until next week
Construction crews had planned to start blasting an elevator shaft for the Purple Line on Tuesday, but will delay until 9:30 Monday morning in order to give more notice to neighbors and to coordinate with WMATA. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
The DC Council tries to tackle “pay to play” campaign contributions
A bill that would prevent companies who are bidding for high dollar city contracts and their senior executives from contributing to politicians who had any role in the selection process recevied a first of round of approval in the DC Council. (Peter Jamison / Post)
Fast food places, convenience stores, and Wal Marts are risky places for pedestrians
A study from the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research found that fast food places, discount stores like Family Dollar, and Wal Marts are associated with more pedestrian crashes in low-income neighborhoods. (Angie Schmitt / Streetsblog)
Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.