Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor
Dec 30, 2009

U.S. DOT launches new website to promote campaign against texting while driving (Det. News)

New Deal skeptic Amity Shlaes thinks infrastructure stimulus might be worth it … and points out the downside of the interstate highway system (Bloomberg)

Transit advertising can play a crucial role in D.C. advocacy groups’ PR strategy (NYT)

Washington D.C. begins work on a new bridge spanning the Anacostia River, with pedestrian as well as bicycle and trolley paths (WJLA)

Hutchison’s transportation plan for Texas includes high-speed rail and restrictions on toll roads, with few details on how to pay for it (AP)

Several Minnesota cities are in contention for stops on the midwest’s proposed high-speed rail line (Post-Bulletin)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Volunteers installed a ghost bike for Dave Saloesh on Florida Avenue NE. Photo: Erickson Young on Twitter

Death in D.C. Highlights Constant Danger

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 22, 2019

Before he was killed on an unprotected street on Friday, Dave Salovesh warned that D.C. needed to do more to protect cyclists.

Streetfilms: D.C. DOT Director Talks ‘Transportation Freedom’

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Jul 2, 2009

Meet Gabe Klein, who was appointed to direct Washington D.C.’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) in December 2008. With a background that includes four years working for Zipcar, Klein was brought in to look at the city’s mobility problems from a fresh perspective. As he says: Cars are a part of our daily life here in […]

DC Insurers Try Scare Tactics to Avoid Paying Victims of Reckless Driving

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 27, 2016

If a driver strikes you while you’re walking or biking in D.C., there’s a good chance you won’t be allowed to sue for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering under the law. That’s thanks to a legal standard known as “contributory negligence” in effect only in D.C. and a handful of states. Contributory negligence holds that if a […]

U.S. Transit Agency Issues Safety Warning After D.C. Metro Crash

By Elana Schor | Jul 14, 2009

Following quickly on the heels of a National Transportation Safety Board warning about the D.C. Metro’s crash-prevention system, U.S. DOT regulators are asking transit agencies nationwide to ensure they have safety backups in place. As Peter Rogoff, chief of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), wrote to officials [PDF] late yesterday: We are asking that all […]

Happy 35th Birthday, D.C. Metro

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 28, 2011

Highlights from the Streetsblog Network today: commentary on how transit investment and demographic change are shaping cities. D.C.’s Metro as a Case Study in Urban Redevelopment: Happy Birthday, D.C. Metro! Washington’s transit system turns 35 this week. Yonah Freemark at the Transport Politic takes the opportunity to examine the system’s effect on urban development patterns. […]

A Look at D.C.’s Contraflow Cycle Track

By Elizabeth Press | Mar 23, 2010

While we were down in Washington D.C. for the National Bike Summit, Streetfilms got the chance to check out some of the innovative bike infrastructure. Tops on our list: the city’s first protected, contraflow lane for bicyclists. The D.C. DOT has redesigned 15th Street NW between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue to accommodate two-way bike […]