By David Alpert (Executive Director) • February 24, 2020
Metro officials say fare evasion is a big problem, and have pushed back hard against a recent DC move to decriminalize fare evasion. But a new study from the DC Policy Center says there’s little or no evidence about how much fare evasion there is. That’s leading many to ask what basis the agency really has for claiming it’s such a problem.
By George Kevin Jordan (Editor and Correspondent) • February 24, 2020
Get in on the conversation about Baltimore’s future transportation goals, come to a book signing and happy hour about housing, learn about Thrive Montgomery, and more in this week’s urbanist events.
At the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Sweden last week, more than 140 countries, including the US, signed the Stockholm Declaration to cut the number of roadway deaths by half. However, the US issued a statement undercutting parts of the agreement. (Kea Wilson / Streetsblog)
The type of public housing in Vienna, Austria, is mixed-income, close to schools, transit, and other amenities. Some progressives in DC are leaning towards that model as well. Could it work? (Ally Schweitzer / WAMU)
A person suffered a serious injury after being trapped under a Red Line train this morning at the Rockville station. Few details were immediately available. (Dana Hedgpeth / Post)
More than 5,000 voters in DC received a mailer that incorrectly said the city’s primary election is on the “3rd Tuesday in June.” The actual date is June 2. (Martin Austermuhle / WAMU)
Seeking to bolster MPD ranks, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to increase enrollment in a cadet program for 17-to-24-year-old high school graduates from the current 107 members to 200. The increase would double the program’s budget from $1.7 million to $3.4 million. (Peter Hermann / Post)
By June, the environmental group Anacostia Riverkeeper hopes to post daily water quality forecasts for the Anacostia River by using artificial intelligence to predict bacteria levels based on known current conditions and past information. The group hopes to expand to sites on the Potomac and Rock Creek later this year. (Jacob Fenston / WAMU)
Robin Ficker, a Republican activist and many-time candidate, submitted more than 16,000 signatures on a petition for a Montgomery County ballot measure to cap future property tax increases to no more than the rate of inflation. (Martin Austermuhle / WAMU)
A Goucher College poll of 713 Maryland residents conducted in February found that although nearly seven in 10 respondents say that “public schools in Maryland don’t receive enough state funding,” 69% are unaware of the legislature’s debate over a proposed $4 billion increase in education spending over the next 10 years. (Dominique Maria Bonessi / WAMU)
Following last week’s defeat of an assault weapons ban in the Virginia state Senate, lawmakers advanced from committee seven other gun-control bills, including ones that would limit handgun purchases to one per month, establish universal background checks for firearm sales, and create a “red flag” law. (Gregory S. Schneider / Post)
