The Manhattan Project
Morning Roundup: Second Helpings Edition
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Fire at 17th and L NW Forces Evacuations
Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Welcome back to work, you godless heathens who had yesterday off. While you were off frolicking in the sunshine with flowers in your hair and puppies at your feet, the rest of us were here, slaving away. OK fine, maybe we spent a little time playing with our new avatar feature (read more here). But we only did it in a totally serious manner, devoid of any fun or whimsy. Speaking of fun, this ridiculous October heat wave reminds us it's high time to check in with our favorite weather blog, capitalweather.com. When will we finally get some relief? It's looking like Thursday, when a shift in weather patterns could deliver highs as low as the mid-60s (though 70s is also possible).
Taxi Drivers to Rally Against Meters: The clock is ticking until Mayor Fenty will make his decision about whether the District's taxis will change to meters or stick with the zone system (or perhaps compromise with zone-meters), and the Post takes a look at what cab drivers are doing about it. Drivers plan to rally today from 2 to 5 p.m. at Freedom Plaza in the hopes of showing Mayor Fenty just how much they don't want to change to traditional time and distance meters. Fenty has to decide what the city will do by Oct. 17.
Parking Cameras Could Be Coming: You may have gotten used to speeding cameras and red light cameras, but now those parking cameras we told you about before are back in the news today. The Examiner reports that D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray has introduced legislation at Mayor Fenty’s request to add the cameras, which would be attached to the city's street sweepers. Some city officials, including Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham, say that the cameras would help remind people to move their cars, resulting in cleaner streets. Others argue that it's only a scheme to increase revenue.
Briefly Noted: Woman finds decomposed body in Arlington Park ... Store robbery caught on tape ... Almost half of outside schools are uncertified .
This Day in DCist: Last year we were calling the Redskins "spiritless" and the year before that we were waiting for word on the fate of the embattled president of AU.
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Under federal law, special education students can be sent to outside schools at public expense if they can prove that their local public schools can’t meet their needs. It’s a program that enrolls about 2,100 children and will cost the public nearly $137 million next year.
So, lessee... $137 million... divided by 2,100 kids... carry the two... that's $65,000 per kid per year. Now, before you say, "WTF are we spending that money on?" considering that if DCPS had it's own special ed program, it would probably cost five-times as much and the "teaching" would involve handcuffing the kids to a toilet while the teacher left to go work at another job.
Who cares what the cab drivers think. They are essentially an unskilled labor pool that can be easily replaced if they walk off the job. The cab system is part of the overall transportation network of the city, not a jobs program.
Giulliani stood up to the cab drivers in New York and they always backed down. Fenty should do the same.
"Giulliani stood up to the cab drivers in New York and they always backed down. Fenty should do the same."
In all fairness, you should also point out that Giulliani first ripped the still beating hearts out of 10 cabbies, then was slowly loading his pump-shot gun before the the cabbies finally got him to announce what it was that he even wanted in the first place.
Needless to say, they were willing to comply lest he personally strangle of all their closest and distant relatives.
I'm not so sure Fenty is as flinty-eyed crazy as that.
Oops, meter would mean that they can longer rip people off!
"Oops, meter would mean that they can longer rip people off!"
Not necessarily.. I once had a VA cabbie try to rip me off by taking me from Cleveland Park to SW via Adams-Morgan, U St., and Chinatown. I won in the end since I only paid him the fare he would have gotten on the zone system instead of what the meter said (a difference of $3-4, and yeah he wasn't supposed to pick me up in the first place but I just wanted a damn cab).
I read that Post article this morning and I'm still left with one unshakable thought:
If the cabbies don't want meters, then meters must be good for customers.
The fact that our weird system subsidizes their ability to have a better worklife than cabbies in other cities does not seem to me to be a compelling argument in favor of maintaining the status quo.
So the question is, whose interests will Fenty consider: the cabbies or ours?
I know that I am always reluctant to take a taxi in DC because you never know how much it will be!
If they had the meters like every other city, I bet ridership on cabs would increase dramatically!
DC Metrocentric
James
Well I hope Fenty chooses any system that will eliminate the overcharging. I have learned the zone system because I have often had a cabbie lie about the zones. I live on V St NW and have been told the boundary was on Florida or T St (when that would be in the cabbie’s favor), not U St as it is. I am always careful which side of the street to get out.
Now if I encounter a liar, I refuse to pay anything unless we go to the police station on V St. Usually the cabbie will try to accept the accurate fare, but I still refuse to pay anything at all without seeing the police to mediate the dispute.
DC Metrocentric: Seriously? A zone system is the only way you can ever know how much it will be, because the fares are static. It doesn't matter how bad traffic is or what kind of "shortcut" the driver decides to take, your fare from point A to point B will always be the same. If the driver says otherwise, call them out on it. I can understand the argument that the zone system isn't fair to tourists (who may not be able to calculate the fare and pay accordingly), but if you're a DC resident and still can't figure it out, that says more about you than the zone system.
If they really want to enforce people not driving in the bus-only lanes on 7th and 9th Streets, why not install cameras in the front of the bus (since they're on a camera-enforcement spree)? If you're in front of the bus for anything other than turning right, you get a ticket.
That should be "Arlington park" for the decomposed body. It was Windy Run Park, in Arlington.
DC has street swwepers?
I have lived here 6 years and I have never seen one.
Maybe they'll cancel the rally if there's not enough parking.
"Not necessarily.. I once had a VA cabbie try to rip me off by taking me from Cleveland Park to SW via Adams-Morgan, U St., and Chinatown. I won in the end since I only paid him the fare he would have gotten on the zone system instead of what the meter said (a difference of $3-4, and yeah he wasn't supposed to pick me up in the first place but I just wanted a damn cab)."
I once had a VA cabbie take me from DC to Rosslyn by way of Ballston and Falls Church, just for the sake of racking up the fare. He also conveniently lost his ability to understand English when I told him we were going the wrong way.
It took 4 times as long as it normally would and wanted me to pay something insane like $40. I gave him a 20 and ran into my building before he could catch me.
mellbell: I live in the district, I understand the zone system, I don't take cabs. Call me crazy, but I generally don't enter into business arrangements with people whose goal is to rip me off. If I have to argue about the fair, I'd just as soon not take a cab. For me, clarity is the number one advantage of meters.
Question:
For those of you who have been following the Whitman Condo Blog (sorry - I know it's a nuisance...), here's your chance to do something about it. About a month or two ago, someone spammed the following comment all over local blogs. What's interesting is that it was written just like the Whitman Blog. The same comment (below) was also posted once by someone calling him/herself "Sue Ellen Robottnik", who has recently come to the defense of the Whitman Blog on dcblogs.com. One may now surmise that the Sue Ellen and the Whitman Watcher are the same person.
Here is the comment. Any ideas on the story behind this comment, please post here. THANKS!
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Speaking of disgusting, worthless landlords in Adams Morgan (as an fyi to all your readers)... BEWARE OF 1824 Belmont Road, NW in Adams Morgan, 20009.
NLRB Member Peter C. Schaumber is the owner/landlord of 1824 Belmont Road, NW Washington, DC 20009....this MESS and CESS POOL of an apartment building has had many management companies over the years and all have been terrible and provided nothing but misery to the residents.
It has been so vile and mis-managed over the years that Mr. Schaumber should be thrown in jail for sub-human treatment of residents. He has allowed his pathetic, inept management companies to get away with murder...
If you Google "Mr." Schaumber you will see he was "nominated" by President Bush for some bullshit position... he's very stupid and unethical just like "Prez" Bush so I guess that makes sense.
ALL DC HOUSING AUTHORITIES should look into his shady management of 1824 Belmont Road (THIS BUILDING SUCKS! NEVER, EVER, EVER CONSIDER MOVING INTO THIS HELL HOLE!) in Adams Morgan.
I'm sure his wife and 3 "great" children are also worthless scumbags... the apples don't fall far from the (rotting) tree!
Hey Peter....FU!
Nothing beats an irrelevant, wordy, slanderous, anonymous comment!
The crack about the kiddies is the classiest part.
Thanks, internet!
FYI, that comment was posted here once before. Just trying to discover its provenance...
http://dcist.com/2007/07/23/harris_teeters.php#comments
No meters.
They are bad for customers.
The zone system works better. Know your zones and if a driver tries to charge you something highet, call them on it!
No meters.
They are bad for customers.
The zone system works better. Know your zones and if a driver tries to charge you something highet, call them on it!
What? So you are saying that a trip from the Capitol to the White House (16 blocks) through gridlock should cost less than one from Dupont to Adams Morgan?
plus, no one should have to "call" anyone on anything in a taxi. It can create a hostile atmosphere and who has control when you are in the back of a cab? You're in the cab's hands.