According to Irish lore, finding a four-leaf clover in nature is a sign of good luck. However, finding a similar symbol—the cloverleaf interchange—within the fabric of the city can be a rather unlucky occurrence. A cloverleaf interchange is an unfortunate urban condition and, represents an area that, with a little vision, is ripe [...]

The truly awesome national transit blog Transport Politic has been spending a lot of time covering the DC area lately, with posts on the Corridor Cities Transitway, the proposed DC Streetcar system, the Purple Line, and the Silver Line. Now, they’ve taken the favorite local hobby of creating fantasy Metro maps to the next level [...]

Photo: Neighborhoods.org
As the DC’s streetcar plans begin to take shape, most of the debate seems to be centered around the question: “Will the system use overhead wires?”
We’re big fans of streetcars at ReadysetDC, and would be happy to see DC’s system built, wires or no.  That being said, despite a current ban on overhead wires [...]

Video by Streetfilms
Treehugger.com profiled Gabe Klein, DDOT Director, a few months ago. Klein and Mayor Fenty recently announced calls for entry to artists and designers for the Urban Forest Project.  More information about the project can be found at DDOT’s website.

If there is one major difference between the DC Metro and the great urban subway systems in cities like NYC, Tokyo, Paris, London, etc., it would be the focus of the system. In these cities, the subway is designed to move people within the city. Metro is designed primarily to get suburban commuters into downtown. [...]

Commuter Connections recently announced a cash incentive program for DC area drivers. Commuters will have to register at Commuter Connections, a transportation network organized by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to participate in the program.
Commuter Connections has been successful in providing alternative driving options for the capital beltway’s commuters since 1974. This pilot project [...]

Image: District Department of Transportation
Last night, DDOT revealed their new proposed streetcar system plan at DC’s Transit Future meeting in Ward 6, the first of eight meetings- one for each ward. New materials were also posted online.  Given the slow progress that’s been made over the last few years and the increasingly low expectations, the [...]

[ October 22, 2009; 7:00 pm; October 26, 2009; 7:00 pm; October 27, 2009; 7:00 pm; October 28, 2009; 7:00 pm; October 29, 2009; 7:00 pm; November 2, 2009; 7:00 pm; November 3, 2009; 7:00 pm; November 4, 2009; 7:00 pm; ]
Photo: Wikipedia

DDOT will be holding open houses in all 8 wards to “engage residents and businesses in the implementation of improvements proposed for the transit system for the city, including streetcars.”

Schedule (All meetings run from 7:00-8:30pm)

Ward 6: Thursday, October 22, 2009
J.O. Wilson Elementary, 660 K Street, NE

Ward 1: Monday, October 26, 2009
Columbia Heights Education [...]

Left to right: The mobile website. The new iPhone app.

Words by Chris and Justin.
YEAS: It’s very convenient, quick and interactive compared to the mobile website.
NAYS: It still has bugs, and occasionally freezes and crashes.
BOTTOM LINE: It’s great when it works.
Living without owning a car in DC became very convenient since Zipcar launched here back [...]

Photo: Wikipedia
DDOT will be holding open houses in all 8 wards to “engage residents and businesses in the implementation of improvements proposed for the transit system for the city, including streetcars.”
Schedule (All meetings run from 7:00-8:30pm)

Ward 6:  Thursday, October 22, 2009
J.O. Wilson Elementary, 660 K Street, NE
Ward 1: Monday, October 26, 2009
Columbia Heights Education Campus, [...]

Photo: WashCycle
DC Mud posted an interview with District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein last Thursday, chock full of tantalizing hints about DDOT’s new priorities and upcoming projects. According to Klein, he’s  “gotten his feet under him” during his first 6 months as Director, and has led DDOT in assembling a strategic vision that [...]

A streetcar passes the once ubiquitous Peoples Drug Store on 14th Street, NW, one of the District’s busiest streetcar lines, circa 1935
I just recently came across this set of historic streetcar photos on the DDOT site. They show a DC that was growing at the time, up to a peak population of over 800,000 residents [...]

If you haven’t been out to Tysons or Dulles lately, you’d probably be surprised at how far the construction of the Silver Line has come in the past few months. Massive concrete supports are now taking shape near the West Falls Church Metro. A 2,400 ft. tunnel in Tysons Corner is well underway. Perhaps most [...]

Yes, that is a rendering of a streetcar to Georgetown. Do we have your attention now?
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has been kicking around the idea of reconfiguring K Street since 2004, but is just now putting the project on the front burner thanks to the lure of federal stimulus funds. K Street’s current [...]

[ October 17, 2009; 9:00 am; ]

Bike DC is your one opportunity each year to enjoy our Capital, our community in a very special way–by bicycle on car-free streets. See the expected in a new light: the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the White House, Embassy Row, the Pentagon, the Marine Corps and Air Force memorials.

And explore the unexpected: the George Washington [...]

Photo Source: James Fletcher
Tree Hugger ranked DC’s metro map as number eight in their list for the world’s most impressive subway maps.  Although the map is “impressive”, the WMATA should take more initiatives to fix the system.
Washington, D.C.’s Metro has one of the world’s most distinctive maps, due in part to its playful design. With [...]