As the H Street streetcar meets its possible end by the end of this month, various news outlets, organizations, and businesses have confessed their own feelings on one question: to kill or not to kill the streetcar? While controversy has circled around the project since the very beginning, there are still many who hope for the development to come to fruition.
Category: CSG in the News
Government cuts hurt the economy and transit
Complicating the matter are the transit benefits. The federal government offered $250 per month tax-free to workers for mass transit. In 2013, Congress cut it almost in half to about $130. It was briefly restored in December, but once again is lower than the parking benefit.
Red Line supporters plan to rally in Annapolis
Supporters of the 14.1-mile Red Line light rail planned for Baltimore are scheduled to stump for the project Monday night in Annapolis, even as it remains under review at the state level.
Several advocacy groups including the Action Committee for Transit, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance and Red Line Now are scheduled to turn out to support the $2.9 billion rail line, which would run between Woodlawn and East Baltimore.
Purple Line supporters make pitch to Md. lawmakers
Those in favor of building the 16-mile Purple Line connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton gathered in Annapolis Monday to lobby state lawmakers. The long-talked-about light rail line is in limbo until Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan weighs in.
D.C. is spending $1 million on another study of the 16th Street NW corridor
The new 16th Street NW Transit Priority Planning Study will look in detail at a 2.7-mile stretch from Arkansas Avenue south to H Street NW, a section an earlier study noted as optimal for a dedicated bus lane. DDOT will hold a public meeting March 31 to hear from residents, transit users and other stakeholders. Once this latest study is completed, some riders and public transit advocates say they expect the city to move from planning to action.
Public transit on the ropes
As badly as the D.C. streetcar — and projects like the Silver Spring Transit Center — have been managed, transit has created enormous value for homeowners and companies. Fortune 500 CEOs are insisting that their employees have access to it. It’s safer than driving. It produces less greenhouse gas. The newest addition, the Silver Line, is already showing strong ridership numbers.
Metro’s fancy new railcars were supposed to be rolling by now
Eight of the new cars, the first batch acquired by Metro, have been undergoing tests since early 2014.
The planned acquisition of the new cars will allow Metro to scrap cars that date to the 1970s while also expanding its rail fleet, which currently numbers just over 1,100 cars, most built in the 1980s, ‘90s and early 2000s.
Purple Line goes to Hogan in May
Maryland transportation officials say Gov. Larry Hogan will get options about the future of the Purple Line in mid-May.
Caring for the Potomac: Developers have a role in maintaining and improving river’s health
It might sound counterintuitive, but the health of the Potomac River might be improving thanks to large-scale development in places like Tysons Corner and Rockville.
Metro committee delays vote on budget options for two weeks
Transit advocate groups also agree that between fare increases, service cuts or increased subsidies from the jurisdictions, only the third is palatable. “Eighty-percent of those you polled support increasing state and local investment to meet Metro’s full operating budget shortfall, rather than include $46 million in fare increases and service cuts. When we see $46 million, we think of the spending on road and interchange projects where a single interchange can cost that much,” says Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.