Category Archives: Transportation

The Housing Crisis Is Intertwined With The Transit Crisis

Posted on January 2, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

They intersect, if you will. Even though many low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia have available mass transit, many people still use cars (boldface mine): Throughout many Philadelphia neighborhoods, cars are the most common commuting choice, but that is particularly the case … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Transportation | 1 Comment

Unwilling To Truly Combat Global Warming: The WaPo Transit Edition

Posted on December 12, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

While this Washington Post editorial would appear to be about a minor transit issue, it represents the kind of failure that we must end if we’re serious about stopping climate change (boldface mine): WHEN GOV. Larry Hogan (R) last year … Continue reading →

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Climate Change And Disasters

Posted on November 21, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Over the last few years, every time there is a large scale climate-related catastrophe, there are renewed calls to do something (e.g., the Malibu inferno). But all of the proposals miss something important. Here’s a Vox summary of the Green … Continue reading →

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WMATA/Metro Unveils New Plan To Win Back Riders

Posted on October 30, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

And it doesn’t suck. Here’s what Metro is proposing: Extended frequent service. Trains would run at rush hour frequencies (every eight minutes) until 10 am instead of 9:30 am. In the evening, trains would run rush hour service until 8:30 … Continue reading →

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“Metro Is A Public Service — Its Leaders Need To Run It Like One”

Posted on October 21, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

So says Greater Greater Washington, in pushing for riders (and others) to sign a petition echoing many of the themes I’ve written about D.C.’s public transportation system (boldface mine): Several members of Metro’s Board of Directors appear to have given … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Global Warming, Transportation | 2 Comments

Millenials Are Killing Metro

Posted on September 26, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Which means they’re upset about crappy service, just like everyone else (boldface mine): Just as a new Metro study points to poor service as the key cause of its faltering ridership, an outside analysis paints a profile of the commuters … Continue reading →

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What Is Wrong With D.C.’s Metro In One Tweet

Posted on September 23, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Brought to you by veteran D.C. reporter Tom Sherwood: As alternatives to Metro proliferate, constricted Metro service adds to its irrelevance. It's mostly a commuter system now. Despite some reform efforts, its management/workforce/infrastructure is stuck in a 1970s view of … Continue reading →

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Fairness And D.C.’s Traffic Fines

Posted on September 21, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Last week, the Washington City Paper ran a story about D.C.’s speeding cameras that implied and argued that D.C. is using them to generate reveunue (it accounts for about 1.3% of D.C.’s gross revenues). There are some problems with D.C.’s … Continue reading →

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Oddly Enough, Bad Service Leads To Less Mass Transit Use

Posted on September 14, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

While the Washington Post seems to harp on the payment of $460,000 to consultants to point out the obvious*, those involved with the governance of Metro (such as it is), D.C.’s mass transit, might actually be getting it (boldface mine): … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Fucking Morons, Transportation | 1 Comment

In Houston, You Are Far More Likely To Be Killed By A Car Than A Person

Posted on September 12, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

This is true nationwide as well, but I digress. The Houston Chronicle observes (boldface mine): We drive past the crashes, numbed to their frequency, by how they add up. But they do: 640 people a year die on Houston-area roads, … Continue reading →

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