By Stephen Repetski (Editorial Board Alum) • May 11, 2020
Metro bus and rail service might not return to normal until next spring, according to a plan released by the agency on Monday. Trains will continue running every 20-30 minutes “likely for the rest of the year” while the region responds to the coronavirus pandemic. Metro staff plan to present the plan to the agency’s board of directors on Thursday.
By George Kevin Jordan (Editor and Correspondent) • May 11, 2020
Want to ask Ward 2 council candidate Patrick Kennedy a question tomorrow? Also, join the Young Professionals in Transportation and GGWash for a discussion about the role transit will play the region’s recovery post-coronavirus, and more in this week’s urbanist events.
By Matt Johnson (Editorial Board Alum) • May 11, 2020
From A Street to Verbena Street and from Half to Sixty-Third, DC’s lettered and numbered streets make it difficult to get lost with their logical progressions. But DC’s transverse diagonal avenues confound everyone from tourists to suburban motorists.
Much of our greenhouse gas, especially in cities, comes from buildings. To fight climate change, cities are pushing for buildings that don’t pollute. In the Washington region, a few are showing the path forward in urban and suburban areas.
Having received a request from officials representing the city of Alexandria and Fairfax, Arlington, Prince William, and Loudoun counties, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam confirmed Monday that he expects to keep Northern Virginia out of the gradual, “phase one” reopening of the rest of the state set for later this week. (Michael E. Miller, Gregory S. Schneider, and Fenit Nirappil / Post)
Citing a “personal matter,” Bob Snyder, a veteran highway engineer who was hired out of retirement to serve again as Baltimore’s traffic chief, resigned last week after less than five months on the job. He is being replaced by Charles Baker, chief of the city tow yard, who has previously served as interim traffic chief. (Colin Campbell / Baltimore Sun)
The National Multifamily Housing Council found that 84% of renter households in the Washington region made at least a partial rent payment in May, compared to 88% a year ago and 71% last month. The increase since April may be due in part to more renters having secured payment plans with their landlords. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
About 85 residents at a men’s homeless shelter on New York Avenue and five security officers, including one who died, have tested positive for COVID-19. A lawyer with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless said these numbers should be part of the DC government’s daily updates. (NBC4, Justin Wm. Moyer / Post)
As part of a class-action lawsuit against the DC Department of Corrections over coronavirus-related conditions at the DC Jail, a court-appointed inspector told the federal judge the inmate population has declined from 1,020 to 989 by May 7, with 364 in the Correctional Treatment Facility. (Dick Uliano / WTOP)
Citing both a long-term decline in the number of solo car commuters since 2001 and the steep decline in car commuters because of the coronavirus pandemic, Washington region parking company PMI filed for bankruptcy, seeking relief from the court on liabilities of $7.2 million and the elimination of a dozen unprofitable parking garage leases. (Daniel J. Sernovitz / WBJ)
A nationwide surge since March in the number of drivers speeding and exhibiting reckless behavior on emptied roadways has led to a disproportionate increase in speed-related crashes and road fatalities. Virginia State Police cited two speeding incidents this weekend on I-395, including one where the driver was ticketed for going 115 mph. (Luz Lazo / Post, ARLnow, Martin Weil / Post)
