Good morning, Washington. At 10:30 a.m. at the Taxicab Commission in Southeast, Mayor Adrian Fenty is expected to explain exactly how and by what date he plans to have meters installed in every D.C. taxicab. An appeal from the group of taxi drivers who filed the original law suit is expected, and with it a likely request that the judge place another delay on meter implementation until a final decision is reached. But with no way of knowing yet about how the final legal chapter might go down, Fenty has reportedly been considering pushing back the May 1 installation deadline to give drivers a bit more time to comply with the law. The Examiner also reports that Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham, who has opposed time and distance meters in favor of zone meters, has asked the Taxicab Commission to consider using $280,000 in out-of-state taxi driver fees to subsidize the cost of meter installation for drivers. Meters cost between $300 and $500 to purchase and fully install.
Georgetown Metro? Are You Joking?: WTOP’s Adam Tuss is generally a serious-minded transit reporter, so we’re having a hard time wrapping our heads around this story in which he says the specter of a Georgetown Metro line has returned. According to Tuss, Metro’s board actually discussed the possibility of a new Metro line, possibly one that would run on an elevated track, that would go from Rosslyn across the Potomac, through Georgetown and connect with the Red line at the top of the District. Metro is apparently willing to discuss such unlikely schemes because of a recent report that suggests the transit system will start hitting its capacity in 2015. But color us skeptical that this idea is anything other than a pipe dream. Metro may need to add capacity, but if you think the Tysons Tunnel debate was fierce, we dare you to try adding an elevated track through Georgetown. (Side note: please refer to this post before you write anything about the history of Metro in Georgetown in the comments).
Fired DDOT Official Files Suit: The Post reports that Stephen Amos, formerly chief of staff for D.C. Department of Transportation director Emeka Moneme, has accused his former boss of firing him because he exposed what he said were improper contracts, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. Amos claims that he was fired in January after he tried to convince city officials to take action against two District companies that he believes collaborated to qualify for funding preferences for disadvantaged firms even though they were just fronts for a third-party contractor that did the work.
Briefly Noted: District to pay $1.75 million to prevent lawsuit over alleged schools fraud … Eastern High School PTA urges staff shake-up … Gasoline theft scam may be on the rise.
Photo by Samer Farha
