Washington DC

Robert Peck says he’ll gladly pay more to locate office buildings near transit – the time saved commuting makes it worthwhile.

Fifty years ago, when the rest of the country was building highways, the District of Columbia and Arlington County invested heavily in transit — and it paid huge dividends.

Rail~Volution 2011 marks the first time since 2002 that this conference for all things transit and smart growth has taken place in the nation's capital. When it comes to livability, Washington and neighboring Arlington County have some great stories to share with the rest of the country.

Last month Streetsblog asked whether President Obama would select transportation projects that reduce congestion, improve air quality, and create jobs when he picked several infrastructure investments, among those recommended by agency officials, to fast-track. The selection of these projects, intended to help spur short-term job creation, could avoid the mistakes of the 2009 stimulus program, which funneled billions to “shovel-ready” projects that will also promote sprawl. Leading up to the announcement, the president’s rhetoric seemed to indicate that the administration would opt for road maintenance and transit projects rather than newer, wider highways.

Last year, the D.C. region ran away with the dubious honor of Most Congested Metro Area. D.C. area drivers wasted 74 hours and 37 gallons of fuel sitting in traffic last year, which would have cost about $100 over the course of the year. But the gasoline cost is just the tip of the iceberg.

Readers, all that awful news about Republicans trying to kill active transportation's tiny share of federal support is getting me down. So even though I don't normally post anything new this late in the day, I just can't leave you without some good news.

Maybe we can finally lay the whole “drive till you qualify” myth to rest now.

In 2007, Boston had one city block of bike lane. It was considered one of the world’s least bike-friendly cities. But Mayor Thomas Menino set out to change all that. The Boston Globe reports that today, Menino signed an agreement to create a bike-sharing network in the style of Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare and Paris’ Vélib’.

Chicago Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel has snapped up Gabe Klein, former head of the District Department of Transportation in Washington, to head up his transportation team in the Windy City.