Get There Archive: Transportation Politics
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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Categories:
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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Today's Read: Metro Funding Bill Passes Congress
Now the transportation bill that includes the funding needs to get through a conference committee to work out differences in the House and Senate versions before going to President Obama. The $122 billion transportation bill includes $150 million for the first year of the decade-long Metro funding program, which must be matched by the regional jurisdictions that back the transit authority, Lena H. Sun writes in today's Post....
By
Robert Thomson
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September 22, 2009; 9:05 AM ET |
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Metro
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Transportation Politics
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transit
| Tags: Congress oversight, Dr. Gridlock, Metro funding, Today's Read
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Metro Talks About Possible Fare Increases
The transit authority staff today is presenting the Metro board with a preliminary outline of an operating budget for next year that would include a fare increase and no service cuts. There's a long way to go: The staff won't present a formal budget for fiscal 2011 until December, and then the board will get a crack at making significant changes, as it did last year. But today's meeting provided a look at some of the issues ahead. A fare increase, which would be the first in four years, would not close the budget shortfall if it were pegged to the rate of inflation, the staff said. The staff and board are not discussing a specific proposal at this point. For next year, the staff is assuming conservative growth rate on bus and rail ridership of 1 percent, as well as a drop in advertising revenue. After 10 years, the...
By
Robert Thomson
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September 10, 2009; 12:40 PM ET |
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Categories:
Metro
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Transportation Politics
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transit
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Metro fare increases, Metrobus, Metrorail
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O'Malley Backs Light Rail For Purple Line
Maryland governor said today's announcement is part of a long process. (Thomson) Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley picked light rail over a bus rapid transit system for the 16-mile transitway between New Carrollton and Bethesda. He also endorsed plans to follow the route of the old Georgetown Branch railroad right of way through Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the largely above-ground route through downtown Silver Spring. Maryland is "moving forward with our plan to develop the light rail option," O'Malley said. The next step, he continued, will be to submit a request for federal approval. "It's a process," he noted. "Some would say we've had 50 years of discussions." "Among our citizens, there have been disagreements," he said, stressing that the decisions he has made about the Purple Line follow "the locally preferred alternative" backed by Montgomery and Prince George's county leaders. The governor made the announcement this...
By
Robert Thomson
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August 4, 2009; 9:05 AM ET |
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Categories:
Purple Line
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Transportation Politics
| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, bus rapid transit, light rail
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