Photo by ssteege1.

Earlier today, Mayor Vince Gray presented his $9.4 billion 2013 budget, which will be officially presented to the D.C. Council next week before it undergoes two months of scrutiny from the city’s legislators.

The budget is a bit of a beast, but over the next week or so we’ll tease out some highlights and weigh the pros and cons of Gray’s spending plans and priorities. We’ve already told you about extended liquor sales hours today, and here are a few transit-related tidbits from the budget.

• 50-Cent Taxicab Surcharge: Since last year, Gray has been touting his commitment to an overhaul of the city’s troubled taxicab industry. His taxicab commissioner, Ron Linton, has already pushed a fare increase and proposed modernization of the city’s fleet of cabs. Today Gray put more emphasis on a better cab industry, saying that he’d like to see smart meters, credit card payment options, a uniform cab color, GPS technology, and security features for both drivers and riders. As part of that campaign, Gray proposed a 50-cent surcharge on every ride, the proceeds of which—roughly $1 million a year—would go to fund the operations of the Taxicab Commission.
• More Speed and Traffic Cameras: You think we have too many speed cameras around town? Just wait until next year. As part of the 2013 budget, Gray has proposed that the city get more speed cameras and traffic technology that can catch drivers doing illegal things: “MPD will acquire new photo and laser radar equipment and expand the scope of automated enforcement activity to include ‘speed on green’ cameras that capture vehicles exceeding the speed limit through intersections and mobile red light and stop sign violations. The funding will also allow for pilot projects with laser-based speed units that can be used in tunnels, gridlock enforcement and pedestrian crossing violations.” All these new “traffic calming initiatives” are expected to bring in an additional $30 million, but administration officials stress that revenue isn’t the sole point—with the city becoming more and more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians, they say, they want to find new ways to make it safer for non-drivers to get around.
• More Tickets, More Efficiently: You think we get too many parking tickets in town? Just wait until next year. Gray’s budget includes an interesting initiative that is expected to bring in an additional $450,000 a year: “Improve efficiency of traffic citation issuance.” How can the city’s already ruthlessly efficient tickets get more efficient? Segways, bicycles, and additional training.
• Those H Street NE Streetcars are Coming: Gray says he’s serious about streetcars, and he’s putting up the money to prove it. He included an additional $2.8 million for the D.C. Department of Transportation to get the H Street NE streetcar line up and running by next year. Additionally, the six-year capital funding has hit $237.3 million. Gray emphasized that streetcars will run in D.C. in 2013, though whether as three- or five-car trains is yet to be determined.