What Free Market?! The Taxi Cab Cartel in Prince Georges County!

According to a report entitled "Dispatching Injustice: Cab Drivers' Struggle in Prince George's County", a cartel of cab companies which control taxi business in prince georges county hinders competition, leading to long hours and low pay to those that you hire to take you wherever you need to go. What even worse, is that there are many companies who still have taxi cab licenses, but never reliquished them when they gone out of business. What's interestingly is that Silver Cab and Taxi-Taxi, the county's central taxi dispatching service, share the same owner.

I'm watching this story as it develops, and I need to read the report to see what is going on.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072902528.html

Trains, Subways, and Bikes

Today's Story: Why Can't the Virginian Commonwealth Government Step Up in Funding?

Yesterday it was announced that without major changes from the Federal Transit Administration, the Dulles Rail Link will be put on the back burner. The Project needs $900 million dollars from the Administration. What's a Commonwealth to do?Here's private equity to the rescue! In the form of the Carlyle Infrastructure Fund. Yet with private funding, part of the project and the end resulting Rail Link will be owned by Carlyle.

But there is a better idea, why not the Virginian Government gives up many of its road buliding projects for the Rail Link? We have too many roads any way and the more we build, the most traffic will come. Why not build a rail track that reduced road traffic?

Trains, Subways, and Bikes

Do you know why 40% of DC residents don't own a car?

It's reasonable to assume that this occurs in part because in the region, Washington and Arlington enjoy the richest set of non-automobile based transportation and mobility assets--plus in many areas, walkable communities. . .

Here's another reason why public transit is more efficient than cars.

In one hour, one road-mile of road-lane can accommodate about 2,000 cars on a limited access freeway, and from 800 to 1,300 cars in various non-freeway situations.

The same lane mile can accommodate 6,750 people riding buses, 10,000 people riding bus rapid transit, a minimum of 15,000 people riding light rail, and up to 65,000 people in heavy rail (subway).

Another great reason why Congress should make funding for public transit more readily available than highways and airports.

Subways, Trams, and Bikes

"We are going to get this right. You get only one shot with the Federal Transit Administration," he told the state House Appropriations subcommittee.

That is what John D. Porcari, the new Secretary of Transportation, said when referring to three major public transit projects that will not go forward to public hearings as planned.

• The Baltimore Metro Red Line, which will run from Woodlawn to the Fells Point-Canton area.

• The 14-mile Metro Purple Line connecting New Carrollton with Bethesda in the DC metropolitan area. This is the same line that would have a stop directly on the University of Maryland campus.

• And the Corridor Cities Transitway in Montgomery County's Interstate 270 corridor that would extend transit service past the Shady Grove Metro station into northern Montgomery.

The primary reason is for the Department of Transportation to collect more accurate information about transit ridership in the area. While this is good, I would rather have these projects expedited. Public Transit in Baltimore, just plain sucks. There's only one underground rail line and one light rail line and dozens of bus lines. Oh, and don't forget the threat of rising car ownership that contributing to global warming.