I am in Washington, DC for the annual conference of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), learning about the latest research on transportation policies and practices. There's a lot going on here, so much that it's impossible to see half of what I want to see, but I look forward to presenting you the most interesting research over the coming months. Washington is becoming easier to get around each time I visit. The DC Circulator bus system continues to grow since its start in 2005, filling gaps in Metro service for short trips within the central city with service every 10 minutes for only $1. My regular route skirts the trendy Adams Morgan area en route from the conference hotel to the Columbia Heights Metro station; I wish it would go through Adams Morgan to Dupont Circle, but it does provide a convenient link from the Red Line to the Green Line.
Capital Bikeshare launched just a few years ago and continues to expand both in geographic coverage and density (number and proximity of stations), now offering 1,670 bikes at 175 stations in DC and Virginia. After buying a three-day pass ($15) I have taken about a dozen convenient rides so far during short conference breaks.
Metro added peak period service this summer to increase capacity at both ends of the Blue Line and on the northern end of the Green Line. They are now busy preparing for the presidential inauguration this weekend, focusing on efforts to mitigate overcrowding everywhere, reduce congestion in major downtown transfer stations, and ensure buses keep moving in a useful way.
Over the inauguration weekend I will be busy driving a pedicab around downtown and other parts of the city. No one really knows what it will be like but we all hope it's easier than driving one in New York. If all goes well I can have some fun and meet people while bringing in some funds to support my work on this site.