Get There Archive: Transportation Politics
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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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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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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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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Today's read: Controlling cars in Montgomery
County draws car-free blueprint: Most suburban growth plans -- including Montgomery's, until Tuesday -- discourage development in congested areas, including those near public transit, and encourage construction in more sparsely populated communities, on the theory that new developments should arise where traffic is still tolerable. Montgomery's new growth policy will also give the county an opportunity to improve its bus system and encourage more people to take the bus or subway. (Miranda S. Spivak) Council also backs I-270 HOT lanes: The County Council unanimously endorsed a plan to add reversible rush-hour lanes on parts of Interstate 270 and make solo commuters pay to use them. (Miranda S. Spivak) Metro to let monitors on tracks: Since spring, the agency had barred monitors from the body that oversees safety at Metro from getting onto the track bed while trains were in operation. "We are reversing that, we are rejecting that, we are...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 11, 2009; 9:22 AM ET |
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Driving
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Transportation Politics
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transit
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Today's Read
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Reminder: Taxi Cab Boycott in Adams Morgan
Some District taxi operators say they will refuse to pick up passengers in Adams Morgan in the early morning hours on Saturday and Sunday to protest their continued opposition to the new metered fare system, and to a bill from council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) that would have overhauled the city's taxi industry. Graham withdrew that bill this week. But they're going on with the strike anyway. The proposal from Graham could have led to a medallion system, which drivers worried might require them to pay a monthly fee to operate in the District. Protest organizers said that, on Saturday and Sunday between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., taxis will not pick up customers north of U Street NW, east of Connecticut Avenue NW, south of Harvard Street NW or west of 16th Street NW. It was unclear how many taxi drivers planned to participate in the protest,...
By
James Hohmann
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October 2, 2009; 7:52 PM ET |
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Transportation Politics
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Today's Read: Metro Chief Faces Challenge
The Metro board is likely to discuss the contract of General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. at its regular meeting today, Lena H. Sun writes in today's Post. He has solid support, but after months of turmoil in the rail system, some angry riders are calling for his resignation. Columnist Robert McCartney shares his experiences with Car-Free Day. Metro transit police officers have arrested more than 260 juveniles this year on offenses including robberies and assaults. (Yamiche Alcindor) Chevy Chase will wait two years, or until more detailed design work is finished, before deciding whether to file a lawsuit against the Purple Line transitway project. (Katherine Shaver) Drivers using the Intercounty Connector could pay toll rates of up to 35 cents per mile during peak commuting times. (Katherine Shaver)...
By
Robert Thomson
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September 24, 2009; 6:53 AM ET |
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Commuting
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Metro
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Transportation Politics
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transit
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Today's Read
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Today's Read: Metro Safety, Transportation Politics, Taxis
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued urgent safety warnings about track circuits to Metro and the federal agencies that monitor rail safety, Lena H. Sun and James Hohmann write in today's Post. The warnings are part of the investigation into the June 22 Red Line crash. Meanwhile, Hohmann writes that the Metro board on Thursday is likely to approve a contract to repair all the doors on the 1000 Series rail car. These cars, the oldest, make up about a quarter of Metro's fleet. Since April 2008, Metro train operators have manually opened and closed the doors after four incidents in which the doors opened on the wrong side of trains. Construction of new 11th Street bridges could get started next month following D.C. Council approval of a plan for the federal government to transfer some of the needed property to the District, Tim Craig writes. And on the...
By
Robert Thomson
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September 23, 2009; 7:50 AM ET |
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Metro
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Transportation Politics
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Today's Read
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