We noted over the weekend that a CSX train had pushed an empty, parked car into the Anacostia River, but it took us a minute to realize that this report of a car ending up in the river was actually a second, totally different incident. The Post reports that at just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, two people were in a small car when it somehow ended up in the water, near Half Street SW….

All our sympathies go to the SWDCBlogger’s roommate who was intentionally struck by a driver while riding late last Friday night on 14th Street SW near Constitution Avenue. Witnesses to the incident picked up the driver’s tags, so the hope is that justice will catch up with that automomaniac. Anyone else who was hanging around the Mall after 1 a.m. and saw the incident should get in contact with the blog’s author. This writer, too,…

You may have read Eric Weiss’s story in Sunday’s Washington Post, which described the District’s attempts to improve pedestrian safety and encourage walking and mass transit use as a “war against workers who drive into the city.” There’s not much more to say about it that David Alpert and Ryan Avent haven’t already said. This sums it up nicely (from Avent):Essentially, Eric Weiss went around the suburbs asking folks to bitch about the District’s efforts…

Over at the Examiner, Scott McCabe points us to the rage of L’Enfant Cafe co-owner Christopher Lynch, who was reportedly arrested and jailed for several hours last week after being caught riding an unregistered scooter. After hearing similar stories from a friend and a pizza delivery driver who works nearby, McCabe posted a rant on the door to his restaurant, decrying the mixed up priorities of the MPD, who in his view are aggressively targeting…

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. I got a kick out of New York’s reaction to a report released back in April, showing that carbon emissions in the city had increased by about 8 percent since 1997. The news stories were alarmist and the leaders angry, promising to do whatever it took to reverse the trend and reduce emissions within 25 years. Admirable sentiments, but it made me…

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. I asked in a post last week that developers not go out of their way to accomodate cars and that residents not go out of their way to drive. Reasonable propositions. Still, as a number of commenters noted, you can’t suggest something along those lines and then expect Washingtonians to be heroes, throwing knapsacks over their shoulders as they head off on…

Jagshemash! Borat is a hit. It’s grossing millions and definitely the most quotable thing we’ve seen in ages. But Borat himself seems to have missed most of the -ist cities, and we were all wondering how the film would have been different if he’d made his way around the world on the -ist tour. In Shanghai, Borat would be observing Inane Learnings of Penis Photos for Make Benefit Glorious Flat World of Handmade Toy…

If there is one thing that the U.S. can learn from Europe, it’s how to best balance urban living, transportation needs, and environmental consciousness. If there is one car that can best make that point, it’s the Smart Car. Smaller even than the popular Mini Cooper, the Smart Car has become all the rage in many European cities where parking is scarce and gasoline expensive, and according to the New York Times, the Smart Car…

Yes, it’s Friday. And yes, this column is most often featured on Tuesdays or Thursdays. What can we say? It’s been a slow week in transit-related news. Our numerous sources scouring the city for scoops on planes, trains, and automobiles were held up in the perfect storm of Red Line delays, heavy traffic, and 15-minute waits at distant metrorail stations. Trust us — the folks over at WMATA will be hearing about this. The…