October 17, 2007
Morning Roundup: Taxi Transformation Today
Good morning, Washington. Can you feel the excitement in the air? That's right: it's Taxi Decision Day. Will District residents get a shiny new meter system, or have to make our peace with zones for the foreseeable future? Or will we be treated to a metered zone hybrid/abomination? It'll be just a few hours until we find out.
Immigration Measures Elicit Passion, Lawsuits: The Post reports on the scene in Prince William County, where a meeting on a measure to deny county services to illegal immigrants drew over a thousand attendees and lasted more than twelve hours before resulting in the initiative's approval. And in Manassas a group of Hispanic residents has filed a lawsuit related to that municipality's anti-immigrant initiatives, as the AP (via WTOP) relates. Specifically, the suit alleges that the school system illegally provided police with information from student records during a brief period when Manassas had introduced limits on the number of residents that could live together in a household.
Sen. Warner Hospitalized Again: The soon-to-retire senator is back in the hospital, according to WTOP. As you might remember, Warner was hospitalized two weeks ago for surgery to correct a heart fibrillation. Another hospitalization so soon after the first certainly sounds like bad news, but it's apparently just due to a relatively minor complication related to the first surgery.
Briefly Noted: Youth coach who brandished gun is three-time felon... Fenty pledges that all schools will have heat this winter... Montgomery County girl missing... Virginia General Assembly race fundraising proceeding at record pace...
This Day In DCist: A year ago we remembered Count Gore De Vol and visited the German Gourmet. Two years ago the new panda cub was officially dubbed Tai Shan and we considered the denim tuxedo.
Image by Flickr user Pete Southwood, used under a Creative Commons license
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Hey - can't find any mention of the police activity at Farragut Square last night. Around 7 the south exit of the Farragut North metro and the streets in w/in a 1 block radius were all shutdown. What was going on?
Textbooks in the schools. Air conditioning in all buildings, eventually. Heat in the schools during the winter. I guess these are the "building blocks" for DCPS?
No comment on the Salisbury University president's salacious Facebook? Come on.
Did all of the schools end up getting those textbooks that were misplaced? I heard a lot about it in July but then nothing in September...
So, I hear it's going to be time-and-distance meters.
Woo-Hoo!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101700802.html?hpid=topnews
Meters win!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101700802.html
Thank you Mayor Fenty. Not for meters or whatnot, the zone system never really bothered me.
But, I can FINALLY stop hearing from Ward 4 friends about their freakin' "Ward 4 tax".
This is bittersweet. I'm all for meters but now I'll have to find something new to leave over-long comments about.
Has anyone complained about Dos Gringos lately?
My predictions on the results of switching to time-and-distance meters:
a) reduction in the number of cabs, when those on the low end can't afford to install the meters,
b) increased cab fares for DC residents taking cab rides of any distance,
c) increased cab fares (due to time-in-traffic charges) for anyone attempting to travel during rush hour, and
d) decreased cab fares for tourists going from their downtown hotel to the Smithsonian, and
e) slightly decreased cab fares for Columbia Heights residents taking drunken late night cab rides from Adams Morgan.
But, boy, it'll be a lot easier to deal with for people who can't do math, read maps, or bother to learn the zone system. Thank goodness for digital readouts.
my prediction: all of my fares, except maybe to H Street, NE, will be cheaper. I never take a taxi ride longer than 5-8 minutes.
Heck, even if my fares are the same or $1 more, I'll be happier with the meter.
No longer will I hesitate to take that taxi from R Street to adams morgan just because I cross U.
"But, boy, it'll be a lot easier to deal with for people who can't do math, read maps, or bother to learn the zone system. Thank goodness for digital readouts."
This is what I keep saying!
This is great news and I thank Fenty for his decision. I am especially thankful that Senator Levin forced the DC government to act on this, despite years of inaction.
I will miss my cheap cab rides from 16th and U NW to Capitol Hill, but not having to fight with liars about the zone system is worth it.