Breakfast links: The FTA could hamstring Metro funds over safety concerns if it restores late night hours
WMATA Brookland CUA Station by MW Transit Photos used with permission.
The FTA is worried about safety if Metro restores late-night service soon
The FTA may not approve a new local Metro safety oversight group, which will stop WMATA from accessing federal transportation money, if DC does get the Metro board to go back to full late night service. FTA says that expanded hours of operation will cut into maintenance time and create a safety risk. (Robert McCartney / Post)
DC is pushing Metro to return to late-night service
The Mayor and the Council Chair want Metrorail to run full night and weekend service, and DC representatives on the Metro board may force the issue in February. Metro GM Paul Weidefeld and the other Metro jurisdictions oppose expanding hours, saying it will cost money and cut into maintenance time. (Jordan Pascale / WAMU)
A new DC bill may expand collision protections to scooters and e-bikes
DC law says that if a pedestrian or cyclist is not primarily responsible for a crash with a car, they can recover damages, like the cost of medical care. Councilmember Mary Cheh introduced a bill last week to extend those legal protections to people on scooters and e-bikes as well. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
Democrats in the Transportation Committee are interested in smart growth
The new chair of the House Transportation Committee Peter DeFazio supports reinvigorating the Safe Routes to School program, dedicated funding for alternative transportation options like walking and transit, and building public infrastructure for electric vehicles. (Angie Schmitt / Streetsblog)
Virginia is adding three new miles of toll lanes
The state is partnering with Transurban, the company that built the existing toll lanes, to extend lanes on I-495 to the American Legion Bridge and the ones on I-95 to Fredericksburg. (Luz Lazo / Post)
How do you start a grocery store in a food desert?
Philip Sambol and Kris Garin opened Good Food Market in Woodridge by doing community surveys with neighbors and forming parternships with DC nonprofits to fund and staff the store. Now with a grant from the city, they're opening a new store in Ward 8 (Emily Nonko / Next City)
Pothole repair requests have skyrocketed this year
The District Department of Transportation has double the usual number of pothole repair requests through 311 as last year, after a rainy 2018 and a cold snap have caused asphalt across the city to freeze and crack. (Rachel Sadon / DCist)
More Montgomery County women are below the poverty line than in 2007
The Montgomery County Commission for Women published its 10-year report showing that the number of women living below the poverty line climbed 66% between 2007 and 2017. Other findings show a high level of academic achievement and local political representation. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
Arlington reverses an earlier decision to restrict residential parking in Forest Glen
A two-year fight over whether or not to remove resident-only parking in Forest Glen from 2016 had neighboring communities arguing over litter, steet safety, and exclusion. Ultimately the board did away with the restrictions, saying they were installed without following the proper process. (Alex Koma / ARLnow)
A young woman in New York died after falling down the steps to the subway
Malaysia Goodson fell down the steps to Seventh Avenue MTA station while carrying her daughter in a stroller. She died in the fall, but her daughter survived. Commuters and advocates have pointed to the inaccessibility of the New York subway, which has elevators at only about one quarter of its stations. (Michael Gold and Emma Fitzsimmons / NY Times)
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