Dan Reed has been involved with Greater Greater Washington in some fashion since 2009. Now he has a new role: regional policy director. 

Don’t sign petitions to put recalls for Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau on the ballot. Tell your friends and neighbors to decline to sign, too.

This post makes the case for residential parking passes in DC being worth far more than what the District charges for them. How much revenue is the city losing out on, what could be done to align the...

The 100 block of King Street has been closed to cars for over a year, and now the city is looking to make the change permanent. At an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Planning Commission is...

Erin Palmer gets it: the Council Chair could do more to reach DC’s housing and sustainable transportation goals. We think she’s the one to take that on. 

WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke started his job with a simple goal: to ride literally every train. As service has improved, his performance has slipped.

Green-painted bike lanes make cycling safer, by reminding car drivers to watch out for cyclists when driving across bike lanes. That’s a great benefit, and it works, but it’s not the main reason so...

Data shows new Maryland bike lanes make streets safer and do not negatively impact vehicle travel times, a boost to the vision laid out in Montgomery County’s Bicycle Master Plan.  

The District has more than 50 CVS stores, and most of them are in one-story buildings. While the city would benefit from new housing above each and every one, some are more worthy than others.

The case for closing more of Rock Creek Park to cars.

After a competitive primary and special election in June, the November general election will be the third competitive race in the past six months for Ward 2’s representative on the DC Council. The...

The Washington region needs more–a lot more–Metrorail coverage if we’re going to achieve substantial gains in mode shift to transit. What changes could make the biggest difference?

Though 1 in 100 Americans will die in a car crash, traffic violence routinely suffers from a lack of resources and urgency to stop it. When someone you know is a victim, public policy indifference is...

Richmond’s City Council is working on an amendment to its zoning code that would eliminate parking requirements. 

Patrick Maynard makes a case that now’s the time to plan an extension of the Green Line, to take advantage of other major developments in the region. 

We asked Maryland voters what they think about Governor Wes Moore’s bill that would juice home construction across the state. They like what’s in it–and they want state leaders to make a move,...

Illicit license plates–whether fake, expired temporary, or shaded–protect dangerous drivers from facing any penalties for risky behaviors by making it impossible to identify them. Meanwhile these...

Within six to twelve months, once we can set up a new leadership structure to succeed me, I’ve decided to step down from Greater Greater Washington.

The Metro system is the foundation the Washington region needs to build a pleasant, sustainable, equitable future. Transforming its parking lots into transit-oriented development can increase revenue...

WMATA faces a drastic budget gap, even though the DMV region has the money to support a world-class transit system. In part one of a series, GGWash looks at the causes of WMATA’s fiscal challenges....

Parker is in our lane on the issues.

While many state Departments of Transportation insist on larger lanes for safety, new research continues to demonstrate that  wider lanes are more dangerous.

In July, I announced I would step down from leading Greater Greater Washington, and work to recruit a successor. Today, we’re taking the next step on this path, with me stepping down from day to day...

Transit fare evasion gets headlines, but tackling it won’t fill WMATA’s budget deficit, and detracts from wider transportation problems that need solutions.

Hi, I’m Ronald Thompson, Jr. (most people call me Ron) and I’m the new Transportation Equity Organizer at Greater Greater Washington. My family has been in the Washington region for likely as long as...

The Georgetown Business Improvement District has decided to do an inventory of its own backyard, amid reports of retail and restaurant closings in D.C. this year.

If you’re curious about where candidates running for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) seats in DC’s 2022 general election stand on issues, look no further than our handy interactive tool. 

Six years after Mayor Muriel Bowser committed DC to the goal of ensuring that “no lives are lost on our streets or at our intersections,” DC is on pace for its deadliest year of traffic violence in...

A measured endorsement for Muriel Bowser, with some hope for Robert White.

Data exposes a hole–and an opportunity–in DDOT’s infrastructure plan.

Despite opposition from the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, DC will build a protected bikeway on P Street SW, completing a missing link in the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore wants housing to be a big priority this year, and he’s saying all the right things. Let’s take a look at what we’re calling “Moore Housing,” which promises to build more...

DC’s Historic Preservation Review Board protected a non-historic parking lot in Chevy Chase. The decision indulges the desire (of some) to use historic preservation to override zoning and prevent...

On August 21, approximately 30 volunteers took positions along the new H and I Streets NW bus-only lanes to get a sense of how often other vehicles block them. They recorded nearly 300 violations...

15th Street is DC’s first protected bikeway, and it gets heavy use. It may be time to widen it to four lanes, two in each direction, for bikes, e-bikes, scooters, and more.

CaBi broke all-time ridership records in 2023, with riders logging 4,469,358 trips. This month’s Bikeshare Beat digs into that record-breaking data and ridership highlights from the holiday season.

Voters will choose an at-large member of the DC Council in November to replace David Grosso, who is not running for re-election. The Greater Greater Washington Elections Committee recommends voters...

Unpacking the “historic preservation”…of segregation: Historic districts in DC are 62 percent white and 15 percent Black. Outside of historic districts, the District’s population is 49 percent black...

With through-running service, trains from Maryland and Virginia would continue through Washington to the other jurisdiction. Just as Metro allows riders to travel from Northern Virginia to the...

Two men were arrested for working for WMATA and Amtrak—on the same shifts. The DC Council chooses to fund property tax cuts over homelessness services. Arlington and Alexandria leaders are still...

The soaring cost of DDOT’s Circulator bus electrification plan threatens the continuation of the Circulator service itself, ultimately undermining the District’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction...

When it comes to reducing gasoline-powered travel, what gives states the most bang for their buck? David Edmondson finds that e-bike subsidies are 2.9 times more effective per dollar at displacing...

As Montgomery County combats a housing crisis, some residents continue to try and keep affluent neighborhoods from opening up to new homes and new people.

GGWash chose not to endorse Chelsea Allinger when she ran for ANC 1D05 in 2018. We’ve taken a second look, and today we are thrilled to announce that she will become our new executive director.

We treat Georgia Avenue NW like a commuter thoroughfare to shuttle cars in and out of downtown DC, but data shows most people traveling on Georgia are treating it as a destination. What if we...

A waterfront street in Baltimore, normally reserved for cars, was instead filled with tables and diners for the inaugural Fells Point Al Fresco on June 12. Fells Point is a historic waterfront...

Last year cyclists in the commonwealth scored a big win in the General Assembly as part of a coalition backing a hands-free law to prevent distracted driving. This year the state’s bike lobby is...

In December 2023, the Charlottesville City Council unanimously passed sweeping pro-housing reforms that abolished mandatory parking minimums, modernized the permitting process, legalized duplexes...

The Washington region leads transit recovery in the US in terms of ridership gains, with Metrorail, the DC Streetcar, and VRE at the head of the pack.

Often, Montgomery County’s public transit system seems like a poorly-executed retrofit to a car-centered community. This is especially true during snowstorms. While roads get lots of attention and...

In Montgomery County, there’s just not enough housing opportunities or enough diversity in types of housing in the places where people want to live. To combat this, the county could embrace missing...

An unlikely coalition has formed to push for an extension of MARC’s Brunswick line to Hagerstown, and they’re eyeing a long-abandoned rail branch to make it happen.

In the recent past, the DC area typically saw 20 or more Code Red days every summer. What changed?

Last month, the DDOT dockless vehicle-share pilot hit its one-year anniversary, and the participants look vastly different than they did this time last year. In 2017, all dockless providers operated...

Some Restonians are opposed to making a local public plaza nicer over fears that the improvements will lead to more teenagers and vandalism. But Reston's public spaces such as plazas are what helps...

Achieving the targeted one million Metrorail trips per day will require a new era of operational and service enhancements. This is part 8 in a series about how DC can achieve its Vision Zero and...

Earlier this month, WMATA’s Board approved the elimination of the transfer penalty for riders switching from rail to bus, amid a slew of service improvements and fare reductions.

Lisa Gore is the best challenger for a Council seat that needs change.

The DC Department of Transformation—not to be confused with the District Department of Transportation—is helping cyclists and pedestrians one plunger, or traffic cone, or ad hoc handstand, at a time....

At first, I was glad to see the media at the emplacement of the ghost bike at Florida Avenue NE & 12th Street NE. I wanted them to hear the hurt in the cycling community, to see our tears and our...

The DC of the 1980s & '90s was a dramatically different place than the DC of 2017. Photographer Michael Horsley documented the era with a fascinating series of photos.

Fifty-six percent of Washington area residents think it’s a good idea to change some lanes on the roads into bus-only lanes at rush hour, according to a poll released Friday by the Washington Post....

The Metro system opened on March 27,1976 with five stations on the Red Line. It now has 91 stations on six lines. In (slightly belated) honor of this birthday, we're reposting and updating our...

DC is in many ways a pro-child city. But one area where the District and many other cities could perform better is designing public spaces that prioritize children over cars.

DC Transportation Equity Network (DC TEN), a coalition of Greater Greater Washington and more than a dozen DC-based organizations, will advocate for transportation policies that achieve mobility...

The applicants who filed the nomination have made it clear that it mostly isn’t about history at all. A historic district nomination, at this time, is simply their latest entree in a long-running...

The NRP Group and Marshall Heights Community Development Organization proposed a 127-unit project between the Department of Transportation and The Yards.

When Sam Zimbabwe left to head Seattle’s Department of Transportation, he left some big shoes to fill. That position will now go to Ellen Jones, who is currently Deputy Executive Director of the...

The King Street Pedestrian Zone was officially expanded to reach Waterfront Park on Saturday (Nov. 12). Council voted unanimously and without discussion on the permanent conversion of the unit block...

DC residents deserve the truth about what it will take to eliminate traffic deaths.

What happened when the “How’s My Driving” app analyzed data before and after protected bike lanes were installed along 1200 First Street SE?

The Nats won the World Series! WAAHOOOOOOO! And now, ever on-watch for the urbanist angle to a story, GGWash is here to shamelessly embed all of the mocking tweets the DC Council’s Twitter account...

GGWash chose not to endorse Chelsea Allinger when she ran for ANC 1D05 in 2018. We’ve taken a second look, and today we are thrilled to announce that she will become our new executive director.

Bikeshare Beat is a new monthly column highlighting Capital Bikeshare ridership trends, and it’s kicking off on a high note: CaBi set all-time ridership records in October.

A technical specification that changed how the 7000-series trains’ wheels were put onto their axles appears to be a possible contributing factor to the Blue line derailment outside Rosslyn last week. 

“We cannot pave our way out of congestion.” With that declaration, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a historic 3.7 billion dollar rail deal with CSX on Thursday that will allow the Commonw...

A few hundred people rallied in front of the John A. Wilson Building at noon on Friday to demand “streets that don’t kill people” in the District. Protesters laid down on Pennsylvania Avenue and...

Find out how many more Capital Bikeshare trips took place this February than the same time last year. How does our Bikeshare system compare to those in other cities? Plus, we’re loving the Bikeshare...

Cyclists surged through wide temperature swings in January. What’s the path to 5 million rides?

Opinion: A group of clergy makes the case for an inclusive, growing future for Chevy Chase, DC.

On March 13 and 14 road safety advocates and leaders gathered to discuss the District's progress on Vision Zero, its committment to eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by 2024. The initiat...

Nathan Ballard-Means asks his father almost every day to “promise“ that he won’t get hit by a car again after a driver in an SUV hit the 4-year-old last month. Since that time, his father has tried...

Six local trails for walking and biking across Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland and in Washington, DC, will see improvements over the next few years through the rehabilitation of...

The reasons why you can’t safely or legally swim in the District’s rivers could be resolved within the next several years. That would open new outdoor recreation opportunities city-wide and enhance...

Using an AI called DALL-E, artist Zach Katz has worked out a method to turn photos of real-life car-dominated streets into pedestrianized nirvanas, with amazingly cool results. 

Pedestrian deaths are attributable, first and foremost, to road design. So why do the New York Times and other publications keep missing out on this core cause of traffic violence?

The future is now: After years of planning and challenges, Metro’s Silver Line extension finally opened to the public this week, providing much-needed transit access for residents in Loudoun County,...

Find out how many more Capital Bikeshare trips took place this February than the same time last year. How does our Bikeshare system compare to those in other cities? Plus, we’re loving the Bikeshare...

The DC Transportation Equity Network and GGWash invited public officials in the District to commit to the National Week Without Driving (October 2 - October 8). Here’s why we’re organizing this...

Quiet, unassuming Ride On’s ridership ranks higher than many big-city peers.

In an effort to speed up bus trips, WMATA has proposed a $0.25 fee for actions which slow down boarding, including paying with cash and reloading SmarTrip cards onboard. While speeding up bus service...