Get There Archive: transit
D.C. transportation chief's chat is illuminating
Entrepreneur-turned-District transportation czar Gabe Klein opined on everything from bike sharing to streetcars during an hour-long online chat Friday, the first in a monthly series of chats he plans on transportation topics. Klein took questions and requests from the public for more than an hour. Some people wanted more tree boxes on public sidewalks; others complained about unrepaired utility cuts; another asked when streetscape improvements to Pennsylvania Avenue SE would start (within the next month). It's clear that Klein has a host of innovative projects on his plate to enhance biking, parking and walking and to get traffic moving faster in the city. Funding and bureaucracy could slow some big projects, like the ambitious network of eight streetcar lines the Fenty administration envisions covering 37 miles along K Street through downtown, H Street and Benning Road, Georgia Avenue/14th Street/Seventh Street, and Rhode Island Avenue/U Street. For a text of...
By
Gene Fynes
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November 20, 2009; 3:02 PM ET |
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Categories:
Biking
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Commuting
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Congestion
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Construction
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Driving
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Transportation Politics
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transit
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Metro to postpone SmartBenefit changes
The changes that would have affected transit benefits for many thousands of riders will be delayed for a year, according to Metro officials. The revisions, which caused widespread confusion among riders and among the employers responsible for administering the benefits, were to take effect in January. Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. had signaled that the transit authority was rethinking whether to go ahead. During an online chat Nov. 6 on Metro's Web site, he said: "Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard a lot of comments from customers about this change in SmartBenefits. I've decided that we need to rethink the changes that we are making." This morning, the iMetro blog reported that Catoe had said at a Wednesday night meeting in Prince George's County that the changes would be postponed. The transit authority said the changes were necessary to comply with IRS guidelines on how...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 19, 2009; 11:15 AM ET |
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Categories:
Metro
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transit
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, SmarTrip, SmartBenefits
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Today's read: Montgomery likes light rail, not tolls
Corridor Cities Transitway: The Montgomery County Council endorsed building a light rail line and adding two reversible highway lanes to ease traffic congestion along the Interstate 270 corridor. (Katherine Shaver) Tolls too high, says council: It's just a recommendation, but the Montgomery council also is writing to the Maryland Transportation Authority saying the toll rates proposed for the Intercounty Connector would be too expensive for many motorists and would leave the highway with too few users to justify its costs. (Katherine Shaver) The 60-day public-comment period on the toll plan ends at 5 p.m. Monday. Comments can be submitted on the project's Web site, at www.iccproject.com or sent by mail to: ICC Project Office re: ICC Tolls 11710 Beltsville Drive Suite 200 Beltsville, MD 20705...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 18, 2009; 8:00 AM ET |
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Comments (2)
Categories:
Transportation Politics
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highways
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intercounty connector
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transit
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Today's Read
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Your Traffic and Transit Nightmares
I recently asked my readers in my new Taken for a Ride forum to share their worst commuting nightmares. Now I want video proof. Watch my call to action below and submit footage of your own personal commuting hell. Remember: safety first, don't shoot and drive! $(function () { var ytd = new Ytd(); ytd.setAssignmentId("6"); ytd.setCallToAction("callToActionId"); var containerWidth = 350; var containerHeight = 550; ytd.setYtdContainer("ytdContainer", containerWidth, containerHeight); ytd.ready(); });...
By
washingtonpost.com editors
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November 16, 2009; 11:31 AM ET |
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Categories:
Commuting
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Driving
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Weather
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transit
| Tags: Robert Thomson, YouTube, user video
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VRE now plans full service Monday
VRE announced this evening that it plans to operate full service on the Fredericksburg Line on Monday. VRE had been warning riders to expect limited and slow service along that route for the entire day because CSX would be working on the line. But VRE now says that CSX has told the rail service it expects to finish its weekend-long work Sunday evening. As a result, VRE says, trains will be able to operate normally. So VRE will run its full schedule on the Fredericksburg Line and does not anticipate any delays. Manassas Line trains also will operate on their full schedule....
By
Robert Thomson
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November 15, 2009; 5:27 PM ET |
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Comments (2)
Categories:
transit
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, VRE
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Update on Anacostia streetcar construction
Construction continues on the first of the new D.C. streetcar lines, the one in Anacostia scheduled to open late in 2012. Travelers are well aware that traffic through the intersection at South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue was reduced to one lane in each direction for the first phase of construction, but the District Department of Transportation sent out an advisory about new restrictions in effect this week. Traffic from the Naval Annex on Defense Boulevard can't turn right onto southbound South Capitol Street from Defense Boulevard. All outbound traffic from the Naval Annex to southbound South Capitol Street is being directed to this half-mile detour: Go through the intersection on Firth Sterling, turn Left on Barry Road, then right on Firth Sterling, then left to go south on South Capitol Street. This phase of construction should be done by about Nov. 21, DDOT says. But additional work will...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 11, 2009; 11:01 AM ET |
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Categories:
Commuting
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Construction
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Driving
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transit
| Tags: DDOT, Dr. Gridlock, streetcars
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