By Nick Sementelli (Board of Directors, Advocacy Committee), Conor Shaw (Guest Contributor) • April 22, 2021
Six years in, DC’s Vision Zero program can only be described as a failure. While there have been some marginal improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure, it has been nowhere near enough to slow the number of deaths on our streets — in fact, they’ve been increasing. If we are going to engage in a genuine effort to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries, we need bold, system-wide solutions that tackle the District’s biggest safety concerns. We must disrupt an inequitable, environmentally unsound, and car-centered status quo.
With its recent discretionary funding request to Congress, the Biden administration is seeking to expand its housing voucher program. The proposal would add $5.4 billion to the program’s budget, bringing it to a total of $30.4 billion and creating vouchers for an additional 200,000 families, beyond the 2.3 million existing voucher holders.
A DC Auditor report found that DC’s swift coronavirus measures, from mask mandates to eviction moratoriums, led to the District having among the lowest case and fatality rates in the US. (Amanda Michelle Gomez / City Paper)
Many development meetings involve neighbors complaining a new building blocks their view. This time, Arlington residents actually WANT to see Amazon’s Helix building from their neighborhoods, and are concerned that its planned placement favors views from DC. (Jonathan Capriel / Business Journal)
A draft Vision Zero plan for Montgomery County includes lower speed limits, bike lanes and sidewalks, and speed and red light cameras as an effort to end traffic deaths by 2030. The county will collect feedback on the plan through June. (Briana Adhikusuma / Bethesda Beat. Tip: Chester B.)
Metro’s new Investigations Review Panel, created to oversee complaints about Metro Transit Police, released its first report, recommending internal investigators conduct more interviews and officers improve some procedures. Critics say the report demonstrates that the new board has no teeth. (Justin George / Post. Tip: Chester B.)
Discriminating against voucher holders is illegal in DC, but it still happens. Bozzuto has settled a lawsuit alleging source of income discrimination, a result some say could show landlords the practice has consequences. (Ben Gutman / Street Sense)
The House passed a bill 216-208 Thursday that would make DC the 51st state. The bill’s chances in in the Senate, however, are slim. (Clare Foran / CNN)
