November 14, 2006
Morning Roundup: New Metro Manager Edition
Well, D.C. How's your Emergency Tuesday shaping up so far? It looks like there's some more exciting Emergency Legislation on the table for the D.C. City Council this morning. Apart from the pay raises we mentioned yesterday, the council's agenda for the day includes a total of, yes really, 40 emergency bills, including another that would provide for exemptions to the liquor license law that currently prohibits anyone from selling liquor within 400 feet of schools. With 39 other exciting Emergency Tuesday bills, there can only be more fun in store for us at the end of the day. Don't change that channel.
Metro Picks District Native to Head WMATA: The Post is reporting that John B. Catoe Jr., deputy chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has been chosen to lead WMATA. The position is not final, as the contract is still being negotiated. Catoe is a D.C. native, the son of a taxi driver who grew up in Northeast and Southeast public housing complexes and graduated from Spingarn Senior High School. Considering the Post mentions that L.A. is the third-largest public transportation system in the U.S., one might think that such experience makes him a good fit for running WMATA. Then again, if one had ever actually tried to use the L.A. County MTA, one might have some serious reservations. DCist will have more on this news as details are released.
The Stadium Deal That Keeps Giving: The bad news is that developer Herbert Miller has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the District over the termination of his development agreement for a mixed-use development in the new stadium area in Southeast. Miller is now trying to block anything else from being developed there until he can resume his own plans. The good news (maybe?) is that the D.C. City Council may today approve a parking plan for the new baseball stadium that would include two free-standing garages just north of the ballpark.
Briefly Noted: Chesapeake Bay isn't in such great shape ... Taneytown passes English-only law ... In Fairfax County, daughter comes home to find mother dead ... Boy dies after being hit by van.
This Day in DCist: Way back when, it was all about baseball. In 2004, we mentioned how the new stadium would probably cost a lot more than estimates. In 2005, we talked about the never-ending woes of the Nats.
Photo by Bsivad
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It's ironic that Taneytown would pass the English language-only law, given that many of its earliest settlers spoke German.
regarding the pay raise for council members, i find it interesting that i posted a public question to councilmember graham on the ward one message board yesterday asking him to explain why he's sponsoring this bill, but he hasn't replied. usually, he's very quick to reply to people's queries. this doesn't pass the smell test.
i am excited to hear about the liquor license exemptions. does this mean that i'll finally be able to have a glass of wine with dinner at vegetate?
imgoph--
Do they not have a BYOB policy? In my experience, restaurants without liquor licenses often do.
Metro Picks District Native to Head WMATA
This is outrageous. LA is a city with some of the worst traffic and poorest public service in the country. I don't understand the logic behind this hire, other than the fact that this man grew up here. Goodness, when was the last time he actually lived here? The District has changed radically in the last 5 years alone.
It's pretty sickening how mismanaged our nation's capital is. DC, as a capital city, is more on par with Abuja or Brasilia than it is London, Paris or Madrid.
Metro suffers from some very basic problems:
1. Lack of regular and proper maintenance of facilities (how many times must the Georgia Ave escalator be broken; I don't even wanna know about SE stations)
2. Neglect of those people who need to use Metro the most
3. Failure to provide services that might actually promote more public transport use (ie a MONTHLY PASS A LA NEW YORK'S MTA)
I saw some people from Taneytown interviewed on the local news this morning. One guy (with fewer teeth than most) emphatically said, "If you get paid with George Washingtons, you need to speak English. Period." I would wager that he literally gets paid with George Washingtons.
Why is the above ground parking option "good news"? I thought the underground parking option was the best for not cluttering the area.
I thought New York City was granted the "worst traffic ever" award?
I grew up in Los Angeles County and yes, the traffic sucks, but that's because not enough people use public transportation. Southern California has a car culture unlike anything I've experienced out here.
My only problem with L.A. County's public transportation, or specifically the Metro, is that the stations are too far apart and there aren't many of them. But that is probably because it's a fairly young system compared with cities like New York, London or Paris.
Fenty said the Lerner group has promised to work with the city to potentially tear down the garages in future seasons if a solid mixed-use development plan is proposed.
Brilliant plan: this is truly “good news (maybe?)” Instead of spending $56 million to do it right the first time, let’s spend $36 million and tear it down at some ambiguous date in the future.
One of many reasons why Seattle is superior to DC.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/13/us/13seattle.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
For those curious about the potential new manager at Metro, DCist will be commenting on him in depth tomorrow. Stay tuned, transit geeks and bus riders alike...
Why is being a DC native even considered an advantage? Can you imagine applying for a job in Poughkeepsie and being told they'd prefer a Poughkeepsie native? The Post and DCist give more prominence to his poor DC background than actual qualifications.
You say he went to Spingarn Senior High School - whoopie. Can we presume he had some sort of education beyond high school that might matter...?
How important were the railways to Great Britain?
There was a growth in the capital market: many people who had never invested before did so with railways.
The industry employed large amounts of labour. However there were peaks and troughs. It could go as high as 250,000 but dip as low as 40,000.
This increased spending power then led on to the multiplier effect as it created jobs for bankers, lawyers etc.
The demand the railways had for iron and steel was huge, and it also encouraged the technological development in the iron industry. With a steady increase in demand at home the overseas markets could be developed. This was vital for the growth of the South Wales iron and steel industry.
The demand for coal grew, and so did the services required from the mechanical and civil engineers.
The miles of track available went from 6,000 miles in 1850 to 13,500 by the late 1860s. Every mile of track needed more than 300 tons of iron.
The huge fruit and veg industry around the Vale of Evesham in central England grew rapidly as the produce could be inside the major cities within hours.
Obviously the canal operators/investors and the owners of coaching inns suffered. Coastal shipping was also hit.
The suburb became the feature of the city. Railway towns like Swindon and Crewe grew, and the working class became more mobile as there was at last a cheap form of transport other than walking.
The growth of the railway was largely unchecked throughout the period. There was regulation in an act of 1844, but little thereafter, in spite of concerns about safety and company concentration.
There was a Royal Commission in 1865, which reported in 1868, recommending few changes.
With over 200 MPs and Peers involved in railways, as directors and so on, there was little likelihood of demand or desire to reform.