Happy New Year, Greater Washington! We've made it through our first work week of 2022 — and it was a snowy one. And for urban planning nerds and active transportation advocates, snow means one thing: sneckdowns. Sound fake? Read our overview of these patterns in the road revealed after snow that show where curb cuts and wider sidewalks could easily be added.
If all this snow has you setting aside dreams of getting anywhere by bike for the rest of the winter, not so fast: cycling can happen in the winter too! But of course, just like motorists, cyclists and the municipalities that serve them need to prepare, from plowing bike lanes to gearing up properly.
If that sounds a little too cold for you, you may be inclined to head underground to a Metro station. You won't be seeing any 7000-series trains down there, though. An effort to start bringing back the beleaguered fleet had to reverse course after Metro changed a safety process.
Metrobus has struggled this week too with snow and operator shortages due to the pandemic. But advocates say the bus could see brighter days ahead as DC implements its newly released bus priority plan.
Finally, this week we reflected on the January 6, 2021 insurrection, one year later. Deputy Director Caitlin Rogger takes a look at the public space Washington residents have reclaimed in the past year.
By Stephen Repetski (Editorial Board Alum) • January 4, 2022
Metro’s 7000-series railcar fleet has been grounded, again, after problems with wheelset inspections caused the agency’s safety oversight body to reverse a plan to return them to service.
