Archive for the ‘Cars’ Category

Metro Transit Police charged a 20-year-old Alexandria man with stealing three Zipcars from the parking lots of Braddock Road, King Street, and Franconia-Springfield stations. Brian Senia was out on bond awaiting trial on a previous charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in the city of Alexandria at the time of his arrest. He [...]

Pedestrian Safety Ads Vs. Wish Fulfillment

There's nothing funny about traffic fatalities. I'd just like to get that out there at the start. Still, looking at the bus and bus-stop ads for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Governments' "StreetSmart" program, I can't help but notice what sort of person they've chosen to illustrate the hazards of crossing streets.
Look at this [...]

Watch Out for Those Pace Cars

Slow-moving automobiles are making their way eastward in this great city of ours.
The Neighborhood Pace Car Program, sponsored by the D.C. Department of Transportation in partnership with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), has already taken root in Ward 3 and is currently creeping (at 30 mph or so) into Ward 6.
The safety program asks [...]

The Most Expensive Gas Station in D.C.

An enduring mystery of District life, at least for me, a non-District resident: Why is the Exxon at the corner of Virginia Avenue NW and Rock Creek Parkway so bloody expensive? Today a gallon of regular will set you back $3.69 at that station. That's 20 cents more than the next most expensive station in [...]

Move Over, Kwamemobile

At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown's gotten a fair amount of attention for his campaign conveyance, a huge blue conversion van plastered with Kwame Brown-in-’08 decals.
Sorry, Kwame, you no longer are king of campaign transpo. Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander has you beat.
 
This monster was parked outside the Washington Senior Wellness Center this afternoon in advance [...]

Marc Fisher gives driving to the ballpark the Dr. Gridlock treatment. I drove to the ballpark during rush hour this morning, using the following route from the mid-city area: 9th Street NW/SW to Maine Avenue SW to M Street SW to First Street SW. Parked on the unit block of Q Street SW; crossed South [...]

I Fought the Law and I Sorta Won!

Well, I decided to fight those phantom tickets.
Headed down to 301 C Street at about 3:15, walked into the hearing registration room, waited about 10 minutes, was sent to a hearing room, waited another 15 minutes for a half-dozen other folks, then got my hearing, which took all of about five minutes.
The skinny: Within an [...]

Goddamnit, I Got Booted!

Sonuvabitch! Just walked past my car on the way to the office and I've been booted.
I got an expired-meter ticket about two weeks ago which I haven't paid just yet, but I'm thinking, That sure as hell isn't enough to get me the boot!
So I logged on to the city's online ticketing system and punched [...]

Career as Crime Fighter Deferred Until Further Notice

My brother's in town from Chicago, and last night I was driving him to his hotel room. We went down Wythe Street in Old Town, not far from where our parents used to live, on North Columbus, and we were remarking on how odd it was to see white people walking their dogs on Wythe [...]

When is Taking Actually Stealing?

I called Flexcar on Monday to see if anyone had turned in a pair of Ray-Bans my friend had forgotten in the car I took out over the weekend. "We don't have a centralized lost and found," the woman said. Instead, items are just left in the cars. You have to reserve the vehicle again, [...]

Bad Holiday Gift Idea #2

Certainly someone on your gift list has pets. And it's always nice to treat the dog-loving friend to something sweet for the pooch. Perhaps a customized doggie bowl or one of those classic yuppie dog beds.
I think it's safe to say, however, that your friend's best friend will probably make it through '08 just fine [...]

Saying Goodbye To Your Car

I said goodbye today to my 2001 Toyota Corolla.
The Brookland mechanic shop that was warehousing my car told me I had to come and take whatever I wanted. They wanted my car out of their lot. They wanted it junked. I had until this afternoon. When I arrived, I didn't need to give my [...]

When Your Government Is Your Enemy (Cont.)

A few weeks ago I got a "notice of infraction" from the Metropolitan Police Department in the mail. The notice included photos taken by the city's traffic cameras, one showing my car approaching an intersection near Gallaudet University and a second showing my car stopped at that intersection. There is no photo of my car [...]

Drivers Ed

D.C.'s car cell-phone ban is very wise, I discovered during my driving lesson this weekend. But I'd take it a step further: Don't let people talk in cars at all.
That's because conversation saps precious mental resources from such tasks as noticing stop signs. While silent, I drove like a pro, cruising at speeds upward of [...]

Zipcar and Flexcar to Merge

D.C.'s two titans of car-sharing are set to merge. Flexcar patrons got this e-mail earlier this morning:
Dear —,
We're thrilled to announce some big news: Flexcar is merging with Zipcar, another U.S.-based car-sharing company.
This is good news for you for several reasons, including: more vehicles, more markets, and enhanced technology. Shortly, your membership will give you [...]