Photo by volcanojw The Examiner reports that the District's aging parking meters appear to be in desperate need of replacement. The city has received 105,000 complaints about broken parking meters so far in 2008, averaging out to approximately seven complaints for each of the 16,500 meters that exist in the city. Reporter Michael Neibauer crunches the numbers:Parking meter-related grievances have soared steadily in recent years from 67,813 in 2006 to 94,049 in 2007 to......

Give thanks! The annual winter parking ticket reprieve, courtesy the D.C. Department of Public Works, finally arrives this Friday, when the city will suspend alternate-side residential street sweeping for the season. The official release is just about to be posted to the DPW web site, according to spokesperson Linda Grant, but here's the text from the announcement:The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) announced today that weekly (signed), residential mechanical street cleaning will end for......

Back in May, we learned about the National Zoo's desire to install an aerial tram, similar to the one at the San Diego Zoo (pictured left). Today, the Examiner and AP are reporting that massive, 20-year long $1 billion master plan to renovate the Zoo has been approved, and it includes installing the aerial tram. In addition to the sky tram, the master plan also increases exhibit space from 35 to 47 acres by repurposing......

If you work anywhere near the intersection of Connecticut Ave. and K Street NW, you've been following the spectacular demolition of the two buildings formerly located at 1701 and 1725 K Street NW earlier this year. Now that the corner is a big, gaping hole in a prime downtown location, we've been eagerly awaiting the word on when construction would begin on the new 12-story office complex that is planned to replace it. But this......

Just last week, D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) introduced legislation that would impose stricter regulations on parking in certain residential neighborhoods, primarily those around active commercial areas such as Adams Morgan. Today we find out that Mt. Pleasant is looking to try out a new parking approach of its own. In DC Watch's online newsletter, ANC Commissioner Jack McKay indicated that daily on-street parking permits will be sold to commuters who work in......

In May, we wrote about how stricter residential parking rules were desperately needed in Adams Morgan. Yesterday, Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham's office sent out the following announcement:D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One) this week introduced a bill that will protect and enhance residential parking in Ward One. Ward One attracts many non-residents who park on neighborhood streets. As a result residents – even with residential parking permits – can’t find parking near their......

Here's a question: if you have access to a car, have you ever driven it to the DCUSA complex? Or how about your local supermarket? If you have, chances are that it was under abnormal conditions - you were purchasing a whole boatload of bulky items, or you were running late to a party across town and needed to stop off for something to bring. We'd bet good money that your experiences with parking at......

It seems amazing to me that the District government doesn't impose an additional fee when it tows cars illegally parked in rush hour lanes. Whenever possible the city just moves cars to another nearby street, gives the driver a $100 ticket, and that's it, no additional towing fee. Considering the inconvenience drivers who leave their cars in rush hour lanes cause to everyone, the practice seems a little too fair. Well now the D.C. Council......

The Washington Times reported today that a few of the truckers who showed up on Tuesday for a protest against high gas prices had their trucks towed from a motel parking lot in Landover Hills, Md. Each of the three drivers who had their trucks towed have been fined $2,000 by the towing company; the trucks were apparently parked next to a hard to see "no parking" sign. Considering only about 20 drivers showed up......

If you're a frequent parker in Arlington, you may want to budget in some extra cash for a rate hike at parking meters. According to the Examiner, Arlington County officials are considering making some sweeping changes to the current system, such as extending the metered hours and raising the current flat rate of $1 per hour. Obviously, there's a tough balance to keep here for County officials - on the one hand, the Wilson Boulevard......

The District's Department of Public Works today begins using its new "SweeperCam" technology, those cameras attached to street sweepers that can take photos of illegally parked cars and issue parking citations to them. In a press release, the department says that for the next 45 days, illegally parked cars caught on the "SweeperCam" will receive warnings only. Regular tickets with fines attached will be issued beginning October 14, 2008. DPW officials stressed that the goal......

The D.C. Council was supposed to be on recess starting today, but they couldn't quite get through their packed legislative session Tuesday, so they'll be coming back for more on Thursday. Hopefully Carol Schwartz can stand being away from Rehoboth for a couple more days. One of the items they did get to on Tuesday was an amendment introduced by Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) that would establish a $75 fine......

Yesterday City Desk pointed us to the YouTube video above concerning something that always fires up District residents -- parking. The video in question creatively makes a point that's long been a reality for residents of Adams Morgan and its surrounding neighborhoods -- people who go out in Adams Morgan tend to park pretty much anywhere they want. As a resident of one of the nearby neighborhoods, I can attest to the fact that......

Seems like just about everything about driving a car in this city is becoming more expensive these days. WTOP reports that parking fees at both National and Dulles airports will go up on June 1. At National, regular daily parking will increase from $17 a day to $20 a day, while economy parking will go from $10 to $12 for 24 hours. Hourly and valet parking will stay the same. There will be another option......

If you're heading down to Nationals Park tonight to watch the team face the Mets at 7:10 p.m., you might like to know that you suddenly have a new option in terms of transportation: you can actually just drive and pay $15-$20 to park when you get there. WTOP first reported this policy change late on Monday. Before today, you had to be a season ticket holder or buy game day parking permits online beforehand......

The Examiner reports on a new bill before the D.C. Council that would levy a $25 per month tax on all private employee parking spaces. The legislation is the brainchild of Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham and At-large member Phil Mendelson, and is designed to discourage employees from driving in to work even though they have access to a parking space at their office. It's an interesting idea in theory. Last week when we......

Yeah, Zimmerman's walk-off was memorable. And, okay, the beer selection could use some sprucing up. (Where's the local flavor?) But, the real questions on our minds here at Transit on Thursday were as follows: 1) Did Metro work well? 2) Will it continue to work well throughout the summer? 3) Finally, how can it get better? To answer these questions, there were the big media reports, but they left us wanting a little bit......

DCist fanboy-in-chief Charles Gray tells us that Ryan Zimmerman found the zone for the Nats' stadium opener, swatting a tie-breaking walk-off home run for the win in the ninth. Woo! But Nationals fans — as well as residents and other visitors to the new stadium area — were less thrilled to find themselves in the Nats' new parking zone. According to WJLA, 103 cars were towed over the weekend from the area around Nationals Stadium.......

Ross Bradford lives in the 1300 block of Delaware Ave. SW, and recently received his very own visitor parking permit, part of the District's new pilot residential parking restriction program in the Southwest and Near Southeast neighborhoods around the new Nationals stadium. Bradford told us the visitor permit, pictured above, was sent to him by the D.C. Department of Transportation without him having to do anything. Each household in the designated neighborhoods gets a......

Both the Post and WTOP have stories this morning announcing the National Park Service's decision to close the tiny Tidal Basin parking lot during the National Cherry Blossom Festival this year. Talk about overdue ideas. Anyone who's been down to see the blossoms at peak hours over the last decade can tell you that the additional traffic caused by the yahoos who seem to think they'll be able to snag a spot in the lot,......

We were just forwarded what may be the worst, and somehow at the same time the absolute greatest, Metro ad campaign we've ever run across. The video above, uploaded to YouTube yesterday, is part of WMATA's efforts to make sure as many people as possible take public transportation to the new Nationals Park at the Navy Yard, instead of driving. Allow us to set the scene for you: Three lifeless Easter Peeps, all office......

D.C.'s annual St. Patrick Day’s Parade is this Sunday, March 16, beginning at noon. The MPD sent around a reminder about parking restrictions and street closures, so we're posting it here. No parking will be allowed on the following streets between the 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the day of the parade (Sunday): Constitution Avenue NW, between 6th Street and 23rd Street NW7th Street NW, between Independence Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue NW14th Street......

Here's a good question raised by WTOP's Adam Tuss: Should the shuttle that's supposed to take people who park at RFK on Nationals game days to the new stadium at the Navy Yard make a stop along the way? On the pro side is Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells. Wells would ideally like to see the shuttle make one stop at 8th and G Streets NE SE, near the Barracks Row neighborhood, in......

We haven't yet gotten the official press release from the Department of Public Works, but the agency's online public calendar shows that residential street sweeping is set to resume on Monday, March 24. As happens every winter, street sweeping and the parking restrictions that come along with it were suspended on Nov. 30. Here's how DPW describes its street sweeping regime:Mechanical street sweeping is a weekly service in heavily trafficked residential sections of Wards 1,......

In the department of hey, that's a really friggin' good idea, Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham put up an announcement late yesterday that the D.C. Council unanimously passed an emergency bill Tuesday to create a pilot taxi zone in Adams Morgan.The pilot taxi zone will require taxis to report to a central location to pick up riders rather than drive through the streets to find their fares. Hack inspectors will be involved in enforcing......

Metro's board will be holding a full public hearing today on the future of the city's most circulated lines, the 30s. The current set of six routes run east to west along Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Avenues, and carry over 20,000 passengers a day from residential areas in Northwest and Southeast to downtown commercial districts - but unfortunately, the routes suffer from a lot of stops and gos along the way, stalling pick up times......

Whether it's the new baseball stadium or the Target in Columbia Heights, 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the great parking debate. As we've reported, D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) has floated a number of proposals to manage parking around the new stadium and surrounding neighborhoods, while Greater Greater Washington recently wrote that Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) has kicked off discussions on how best to handle parking for......

Short of making opening day at the new baseball stadium "Ride Metro Here and We'll Give You $100 Day," city officials and team owners are still trying to find a way to deal with what is likely to be a traffic and parking crush come March 29. According to the Post, the team is estimating that they will need 5,000 parking spaces for season ticket holders. Of those, 1,200 are being handled by the city,......

Good morning, Washington. If you experienced a power outage at some point on Sunday, you were not alone. Strong winds averaging close to 40 mph knocked out power to as many as 100,000 customers across the metro area yesterday. While not much ice or snow ever materialized during the weekend's storm, Sunday's chilly wind made for an uncomfortable time walking through downtown D.C. for many holiday shoppers -- we spotted at least one woman near......

The Post is reporting that in an 8-2 vote, Metro's finance committee has approved a series of fare hikes at their full meeting today. The plan they approved was the one recently offered by Maryland members of the board, which is less expensive for suburban customers who park and ride. The vote basically guarantees that the full board will approve the fare hikes later today. Here's how the new fares will break down: >> The......