David Alpert
Grtr Grtr Washington
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by David:
DC can’t have statehood because… of parking?
On September 19, 2019, the House of Representatives held a historic hearing on a bill to admit DC (except for a core of federal buildings and lands) as the 51st state appropriately numbered HR 51. One of the weirdest arguments against statehood was from Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie (R), who said it would be too hard to park in DC if it became a state. → Read More
I’m planning to step down from Greater Greater Washington
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. → Read More
Help us save our Maryland and Virginia transportation coverage
Recently we found out our funder for the Maryland and Virginia beats won’t be able to renew our agreement, which has just expired. Given our current financial situation, we will have to say goodbye to the excellent coverage of Maryland/Baltimore and Virginia/Richmond from Alex Holt and Wyatt Gordon at the end of June unless we can secure a new source of funding. Can you help? → Read More
Journalists or planners: Write for us about the transformation of Tysons
If Tysons were in many states, it’d be the largest downtown business district in the state. The nation’s largest “edge city” has a plan to become a “dynamic,” walkable place. How is that going? How does the coronavirus pandemic change the way Tysons will evolve? And do you want to write about that? → Read More
The ReOpenDC report recommends reallocating street space for walking, restaurants, and buses
“DC should reallocate sidewalks and streets to support physical distancing for residents and greater outdoor capacity for restaurants and other businesses,” says one section of a new report, released Thursday by Mayor Muriel Bowser, “as well as reconfigure road lanes to prioritize Lifeline Network bus corridors.” → Read More
DC’s downtown could have been more like L’Enfant Plaza
Poking through the archives of the Washington Post, Tom at Ghosts of DC found a plan to sink several roads in downtown DC into trenches, build tunnels, and create a large underground parking structure beneath a big plaza where Freedom Plaza now stands. → Read More
Take a look at this 1942 DC bus and streetcar map
DDOT posted this 1942 map by Capital Transit to help people navigate around the city by bus or streetcar. → Read More
8W? 30N? U7? The origin of Metrobus numbers explained
Metrobus’s route numbers are unusually complicated compared to those of other major cities. Metrobus uses a mix of two-digit numbers, letters followed by one or two digits, and letters preceded by one or two digits. How did we end up with such a mess? → Read More
Three DC Council candidates, endorsed by the Sierra Club, cite bus lanes as a top priority
DC’s Sierra Club chapter rolled out its endorsements Thursday for the June 2 Democratic primary. The group selected achromatic incumbents Robert White (at-large), Vincent Gray (Ward 7), and Trayon White (Ward 8), as well as challenger Janeese Lewis George in Ward 4 and Patrick Kennedy for the open seat formerly held by Jack Evans in Ward 2. → Read More
Join our team to write and edit about the topics you love!
We are looking for a full-time Writer/Editor who is a talented, motivated journalism professional with an understanding of the issues GGWash covers, a keen eye for engaging content, and a strong commitment to an inclusive, diverse, growing Washington, DC region where all people can choose to live in walkable urban communities. → Read More
The Metro rail map may one day show bus routes
A future version of the Metro rail map could show buses as well, based on a recommendation from the recent Bus Transformation Project report. This would follow a practice already in use in Boston and an idea I proposed in a 2011 contest to redesign the Metro Map (the map above). → Read More
Drivers yield less to people walking if they’re in expensive cars, or maybe to people of color
Drivers of more expensive cars are less likely to stop for people on foot trying to cross the street, a new study found. They also yielded less to men and African Americans, though that difference didn’t reach statistical significance. → Read More
DC is creating another bus lane, this time on 14th Street
In 2019 DC got bus lanes on H and I streets NW, and a bus lane on 16th Street will start construction this summer. Now, there’s also a bus lane in the works for part of 14th Street in Columbia Heights. → Read More
WMATA wants your opinion on its next budget (and you should give it to them)
It’s been in the news, at the WMATA Board, and here on Greater Greater Washington. Now, WMATA has officially opened up public comments for its next budget, which includes more late-night service, free transfers between bus and rail, fare increases, some bus service increases, and a larger number of bus cuts. → Read More
Elections and activism matter, victories on Seminary Road and Little Falls Parkway show
Alexndria will give Seminary Road a “road diet” to reduce rampant speeding and make the road safer, while Montgomery County reversed an earlier decision and will keep a safety-enhancing “road diet” on Little Falls Parkway. Both of these cases demonstrate how important it is for residents to pay attention to elected officials’ values and policy stances and advocate directly. → Read More
We like the Oxford comma but no periods in DC, and other general style guide rules
Greater Greater Washington has developed our own style guide with rules for terms we use often. → Read More
A deputy mayor on the WMATA board could improve DC and Metro coordination
Lucinda Babers, DC’s Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure, will join the WMATA Board of Directors, Fenit Nirappil reported in the Washington Post over the weekend. In addition to Babers’ strong qualifications, having a deputy mayor sit directly on the board could help better coordinate transportation policies, avoiding the kind of situation that turned a well-meaning effort to make… → Read More
GGWash sandbox: Widen the 15th Street bikeway?
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. → Read More
Jack Evans threatened Metro officials to keep his corruption secret, and two board members helped him
DC Councilmember Jack Evans (ward 2) not only allegedly tried to help companies paying him as a lobbyist while chair of the WMATA board, but threatened two top WMATA staff members to try to keep it quiet, according to a bombshell revelation from Robert McCartney in the Washington Post. → Read More
Want to help us out with DC elections, MD/VA writing, or social media?
Want to get more involved with GGWash beyond just reading and commenting? One of our key values is to be volunteer-driven, in our actions and our decision-making. You can join our volunteer Elections Committee, write about Maryland or Virginia issues for the blog, or help with our social media team. → Read More