Recent reports show sea level rise will contribute to flooding of our Monumental Core. Reports on the impacts of climate change are increasingly dire. We are the nation’s capital, the capital of the most powerful nation the world has ever known, and this region is collectively wealthier than 99% of the rest of the world. If we don’t lead on this issue from this region, who will? What will it take to get the leadership we need?
The 2014 CLRP performance assessment makes clear that while COG’s regional climate goal is to reduce emissions 80% by 2050 below 2005 levels, that the list of regional transportation projects, if built, will cause emissions to rise rather than fall. We have on our hands a Transportation Emissions Gap – a major discrepancy between our goals, and our regional plans. Our question is, how can we work together to close that gap now? Because transportation decision take so long to implement, getting started now is critical to make the changes needed.
The Friends of White Flint displayed the designs next to what the Sector Plan recommended. Together with the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Friends group encouraged supporters of a more pedestrian-friendly road design to write to county officials. So far, more than 350 people have written emails calling for an Old Georgetown Road design that matches the Sector Plan, according to the group.
Stewart Schwartz of the DC-area’s Coalition for Smarter Growth contested the idea that street redesigns have to be put on hold. ”The traffic engineers are nervous about the interim period,” he said. “They don’t recognize that congestion always provides a feedback signal. If there’s congestion, people change the time of day of their commute; they change the mode of their commute; and you’re likely to see more transit riders. What this points to is the need to move faster in redesigning these places and incentivizing redevelopment.”
As property owners, residents, advocates and concerned citizens within the White Flint area and the rest of Montgomery County, we appreciate your steadfast support for our shared vision of the community’s redevelopment. That vision, as articulated in the White Flint Sector Plan, is for a vibrant, walkable, sustainable community, one that will provide economic growth in the county for decades to come. Now however,…
We are submitting comments in support of the Bicycle and Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Amendment Act of 2014 and for Council member Grosso’s amendment to cover pedestrians in addition to cyclists with this bill. The District of Columbia’s continued use of contributory negligence presents major barriers for cyclists and pedestrians alike to recover damages in the event of a collision, and widespread misunderstanding and uneven enforcement of bicycle and pedestrian laws only compounds the problem.
We are submitting comments regarding ZC 08-06A Subtitle C – Vehicle Parking, related to two matters:
(1) further support for “1 per principal dwelling when alley available” for one family dwellings
requirement; and (2) evidence regarding the added cost from parking minimums that raise the price of
housing and make new housing unfeasible.
By 2017, officials want D.C. to be a World Health Organization-defined “age-friendly” city for older adults. A report released by the Coalition for Smarter Growth today finds that, while the city has policies in place that work toward this goal, there are many improvements to pedestrian and transportation infrastructure needed.
The city has made strides in recent years to improve public transportation and the street environment for both pedestrians and cyclists with new bike lanes, improved crosswalks and new forms of transportation. CSG finds there is more work to be done, especially when it comes to accommodating older adults who make up 11% of the current population and will soon be joined by the aging cohort of Baby Boomers who account for 17% of the D.C. population.