Washington DC
Basics
Can Transit Expansion Produce Sprawl Like Highways Do?
Here in the Washington, D.C. area, our Metro system is expanding. A new Silver Line will go all the way to Dulles airport and beyond, into exurban Loudon County. The projected station stops are named for highways, not neighborhoods or landmarks: Reston Parkway, Route 28, Route 606, Route 772. Ten of the 11 new stations will be outside the Capital Beltway, almost doubling the number of metro stations outside the unofficial boundary of D.C.’s urban territory.
March 18, 2011
NRDC Names 15 Smarter Cities
How long do you have to wait for a bus in your city? How much does it cost? Does every family on your block have two cars? And tell us about your bikeshare program…
February 24, 2011
House to Vote on Deep Cuts to Essential Transportation Programs
The House is still voting on amendment after amendment to the continuing resolution that will fund the federal government for the rest of FY2011. Just a quick recap as we go into the weekend. The “base bill” of HR 1 – not the amendments – would do the following:
February 18, 2011
“Anti-Livability” Bills Threaten to Clip Arlington’s Wings
A pair of bills making their way through Virginia's House of Delegates threaten to slam the brakes on smart growth and livability efforts in Arlington and throughout Northern Virginia.
January 28, 2011
Republicans Propose Spending Cuts Targeting Amtrak, Transit Funding
A new Republican proposal would eliminate federal subsidies to Amtrak; kill New Starts, the primary federal transit funding program; and make painful cuts to dozens of other federal programs. It’s a plan by the Republican Study Committee, which is trying to keep alive House Speaker John Boehner’s campaign pledge to reduce the budget by $100 billion. Boehner himself has been backing off from the pledge, given the popularity of many of the programs the Study Committee is now proposing to axe.
January 21, 2011
The Capitol Hill Streetsies, Continued: The Best and Worst of 2010
Check out our first installment of the Streetsie winners for who will be missed, who will be a hero, and the best ideas and legislation that didn't come to pass.
January 4, 2011
Dutch Planners School U.S. Cities on Bikeability
In the Netherlands, 30 percent of trips under five miles are by bike.
November 18, 2010
How the Information Age Can Make Streets and Transit More Efficient
In Pittsburgh, elderly para-transit riders get automated phone calls with the precise arrival time of their vehicle. Bus priority lanes and preferential traffic signals in the Twin Cities are improving on-time service. Here in Washington, DC, stored value on SmartTrip cards pays for Metro parking, train and bus, and it can sync with pre-tax employee transit benefits. In San Francisco, dynamic pricing varies parking rates based on supply and demand, reducing traffic and helping people find available parking spaces.
October 7, 2010
Obama Administration Helps Jump-Start Two New D.C. Housing Upgrades
The federal government has long taken heat for giving short shrift to cities, and the Obama administration -- which recently lost its urban affairs chief after months of lackluster progress -- is no exception.
May 10, 2010
Senators Warn of Possible ‘Federal Intervention’ in D.C. Transit System
Four senior members of the Senate Banking Committee today warned Washington D.C.'s transit agency that "direct federal intervention" in the local Metrorail system could be the next step if officials did not move to remedy an "unacceptable" safety record that includes a series of recent crashes and near-misses, capped by a derailment 10 days ago.
February 22, 2010