Photo by philliefan99

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to another beautiful day that gets us closer to spring. Remember: street-sweeping resumes in the District today, though actual ticketing won’t start until March 12. Now, the news.

Majority of Area Residents Want New Potomac River Bridge: According to a poll commissioned by WTOP, some two-thirds of area residents want a new bridge across the Potomac River. Support for a new span was highest among Marylanders (69 percent), followed by Virginians (65 percent) and District residents (58 percent). Large majorities of all area residents also opposed raising the gas tax, and most said they favored locating new growth around existing employment centers and preserving open space.

Metro Leads in Crime: You’re more likely to be a victim of crime on Metro than on comparable transit systems in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta and Philadelphia, reports the Examiner. In 2011, Metro logged 5.52 serious crimes per million riders, higher than New York’s 1.55 serious crimes and Philadelphia’s 4.5 serious crimes per million riders. Still, there are a few caveats—many thefts took places in commuter parking lots, which some other systems don’t have. Additionally, crime on Metro in 2011 was actually down relative to 2010.

ACLU Expresses Concerns Over D.C. Police Use of Tracking Technology: While cell phone tracking technology and license plate readers might make like easier for D.C. police, it’s making the ACLU nervous. The Washington Times reports that the civil liberties organization testified before a D.C. Council committee yesterday on the use of the new technologies, arguing that they allow police to too closely monitor people’s activity in the city. An ACLU representative said the council should consider legislation limiting how and when the technology can be used and how the data from it can be stored. (Also: WAMU.) In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police need a warrant before using GPS technology to track a suspect.

Briefly Noted: East Coast Rapist due in court today … The Cooch supports Virginia’s threat to withhold $150 million in funding for Silver Line over union labor … Minority communities in Maryland are spreading far and wide … Federal workers protest proposed cuts … New breathalyzer tests coming to D.C. in six months.

This Day in DCist: On this day in 2011, the Libyan embassy in D.C. swapped flags, Councilmember Marion Barry’s (D-Ward 8) car was booted and one D.C. legislator tried to get candy out of city vending machines. In 2010, Amtrak launched Wi-Fi service on Acela trains and same-sex marriage activists recounted the history of their fight in D.C.