Newsroom

May 20, 2011

11,000 commuters took to the streets on two wheels today, celebrating Bike to Work Day 2011. The impressive turn-out was the largest in the regional event’s history and helped spread the message of finding alternatives to driving in single-occupancy vehicles. Coordinated by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), the event was attended by dozens of state, local, and federal dignitaries and elected officials who spoke to crowds of cyclists at pit stop celebratio​

May 19, 2011

Taxes are designed to two things: 1) to raise revenues to fund the government and/or to 2) incentivize a desired change in behavior. Part one is obvious. The government provides services such as public education or national defense that costs money and it collects taxes to cover those costs. That’s fairly straight forward. Of course it’s the politics – the what and how much government does – that gets tricky but that’s another topic.

May 18, 2011

In anticipation of Bike to Work Day this Friday May 20 we’re devoting this post to a discussion on the growth of bicycling in the District and the region.

May 17, 2011

To kick-off Foster Parent Appreciation Month, celebrated every May, nine outstanding foster families from around metropolitan Washington were honored at Nationals Park on April 30, 2011. For their exceptional job caring for abused and neglected children in our region at a moment’s notice, these nine families have been given the auspicious title of “Foster Family of the Year.”

May 17, 2011

It’s been a busy day but we still wanted to get in a short post and share with you an article we read recently to get your reaction

May 16, 2011

The Yardstick has been chock full of great information this spring and since it’s been awhile since our last round-up of some of our favorite posts we put together an updated collection. Now’s a good time to get caught up on anything you may have missed. Happy reading!

May 12, 2011

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) today launched the full service of the District of Columbia’s first wheelchair accessible taxicab pilot project, rollDC. Today’s launch caps the successful testing phase of the program that saw a seven-fold increase in use by people using wheelchairs. rollDC’s full service includes a fleet of 20 accessible taxicabs, provided by Royal Cab and the Yellow Cab Company of D.C., to serve people with disabilities using wheelchairs in the​

May 12, 2011

Funding Transportation Matters. It’s a really simple notion that bears repeating. As American roadways become more and more clogged we desperately need to be investing in alternative ways for getting around. Even if the environmental and climate impacts of traffic congestion – such increased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – aren’t a top priority for you certainly reduced economic activity is. That’s your wallet we’re talking about. For years we’ve known that traffic congestion r

May 11, 2011

Earlier this week we noted the dilemma environmentalists often find themselves in when they contemplate putting the effects of environmental degradation into economic terms. By essentially putting a price on nature environmentalists are confronted with the unpleasant notion of placing the earth and its ecological benefits on par with other things that we stick a dollar value on. Like French fries or magazines. However disconcerting we argued that it may sometimes be necessary to make this c

May 9, 2011

Putting things like clean air and water into economic terms is a bit grating on the nerves for many environmentalists . The fact that a clean stable environment is positive for our health and the health of the planet should be enough. Unfortunately it’s often not.