By Alex Holt (Maryland Correspondent) • November 5, 2019
This past May, Baltimore swapped a car lane for bike lanes on one of the busiest and most dangerous stretches of one of its busiest and most dangerous roads. Some local officials hope the Hamilton Business District Streetscape Project serves as a model transforming other busy Baltimore streets. Others say the freeway has been turned into a “parking lot.”
By Sanjida Rangwala (Editorial Board) • November 5, 2019
Earlier this fall, Montgomery County started to develop a Pedestrian Master Plan, which would provide a roadmap to improve safety and comfort for those getting around the county on foot or in wheelchairs, strollers, tricycles, or training bikes—that is, our most vulnerable road users. The next step is for county employees to walk every road and street in the county to take an inventory of pedestrian safety.
By David Whitehead (Former Housing Program Organizer) • November 5, 2019
The Washington region’s dramatic undersupply of missing middle housing is a serious problem. One reason it’s so severe: Arlington once banned rowhouses trying to preserve its suburban character.
By Wyatt Gordon (Virginia Correspondent) • November 5, 2019
Health outcomes in Virginia’s Gateway Region, the southern half of the Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan area, lag behind those of the rest of the state. One organization hopes to help address this by finally completing a 22-mile multimodal path called the Appomattox River Trail (ART), which will give residents a safe place to walk and bicycle.
Virginia is a blue state: Democrats won majorities in both houses of the General Assembly. They already control the governorship and both other statewide offices. Locally, Dan Helmer beat Rep. Tim Hugo, the GOP caucus chairman, and John Bell defeated Geary Higgins for an open Senate seat. (Ella Nilsen / Vox)
Remember Juli Briskman, the woman on a bicycle who flipped off President Trump and then was fired? Well, Briskman will be a Loudoun County Supervisor now after she beat a Republican for the seat Tuesday, giving her the opportunity to improve bicycling for all Loudoun County residents. (Paul Schwartzman / Post. Tip: JimT)
Seven councilmembers say Evans should step down after the publication of a detailed report of his ethical violations. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson hasn’t called for the resignation, but criticized Evans’ behavior harshly; Mayor Muriel Bowser did not comment. Meanwhile, Evans shows no sign of stepping down and has put out a long rebuttal to the ethics report. (Fenit Nirappil / Post)
With their gains in the Virginia legislature, Democrats are now able to push an agenda that is expected to contain gun control legislation, additional education funding, and raising the state’s minimum wage. (Daniella Cheslow / WAMU)
The at-large councilmember says he will not run for re-election in 2020 after serving on the DC Council for two terms. Grosso says he is proud of his record, especially in ending suspensions and expulsions based on absences in DC schools, and public campaign financing. (Rachel Kurzius / DCist)
Negotiations between Transdev and the striking Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 have stalled, while the strike has been going on for almost two weeks. Now Fairfax Connector drivers are meeting to discuss potential strike action of their own, further reducing transit routes in Northern Virginia (Max Smith / WTOP)
The WMATA board is weighing penalties for Dorsey, a board member and chair of the Arlington County Board, for failing to disclose a $10,000 campaign donation from Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 for four months. Dorsey said it was an oversight and he will recuse himself from votes involving the union. (Robert McCartney / Post)
MDOT announced that the state would no longer consider using the Intercounty Connector Alternative, where cars would use the ICC to avoid congested stretches of the Beltway in Montgomery County. County officials supported the plan in order to avoid adding lanes to the Beltway. (Kate Masters / Bethesda Beat)
A report by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the self-driving Uber car that killed Elaine Herzberg in 2018 was not designed to respond to pedestrians crossing the road outside of a crosswalk, and that the car’s system saw and could not appropriately react to Herzberg before striking and killng her. (Bloomberg)
Councilmember Brianne Nadeau announced that a group of civic organizations, residents and small businesses will form a planning group to promote equitable and community focused development on Lower Georgia Avenue, which stretches from Florida Avenue to New Hampshire Avenue. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
