DC Government

New DC License Plates Could Read “End Taxation Without Representation”

By Prince Of Petworth

dc license plate
Photo by PoPville flickr user Doug Duvall

From a press release:

“At today’s DC Council legislative meeting, Councilmember Charles Allen introduced the End Taxation Without Representation Amendment Act of 2016 to update the District’s standard motor vehicle license plates.

In 2000, the District of Columbia added the phrase “Taxation Without Representation” to DC license plates as a way to raise awareness about the disenfranchisement of our residents. This phrase, while recognizable, lacks a call to action. The residents of the District of Columbia fulfill all obligations of citizenship, yet Congress continually denies us the accompanying rights and privileges. (more…)

“The purpose of this study is to identify opportunities for safer travel for residents and visitors to the neighborhoods of Petworth, Crestwood, Brightwood Park, and 16th Street Heights”

By Prince Of Petworth

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From DDOT:

“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host a public meeting in Ward 4 to kick off the Rock Creek East II Livability Study on Thursday, April 28, 2016 from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Petworth Neighborhood Library (4200 Kansas Avenue, NW).

At this meeting, DDOT will introduce the project and provide opportunities to give your ideas for improving your neighborhood through interactive activities.

The purpose of this study is to identify opportunities for safer travel for residents and visitors to the neighborhoods of Petworth, Crestwood, Brightwood Park, and 16th Street Heights. The goals of the study are to enhance the community quality of life through improvements to transportation safety, connections to destinations, green infrastructure, and sustainability.

DDOT will work with members of the community to Identify specific opportunities to improve accommodations for people walking, biking, riding the bus, driving, and making deliveries. At the end of the study, DDOT will provide recommendations such as: (more…)

“Props to 311”

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Victoria Pickering

“Dear PoPville,

My fiance and I were walking home around 9:30 Saturday night and while waiting to cross 16th St NW on Columbia Rd we heard a metal tinkling- then a nail landed at my feet! There was a mangled box of nails right in the middle of the intersection and nails were flying everywhere. I called 311 and immediately got a lovely person on the other end (Jessica I think). She said “Oh, wow!” and put in a street cleaning request but those usually take two weeks so she put me over to the department that clears large items from roadways. I immediately got another great person and after a short conversation he also said “Oh, wow!”. They sent someone out and when I passed the intersection again Sunday it was all good! I feel for the folks who got punctured tires- but happy 311 was so understanding and responsive! I felt like a good citizen for reporting, too!”

“Last night the DC Zoning Commission handed neighbors a rare victory against untrammeled development”

By Prince Of Petworth

lanier heights

The infamous battle concludes…?

“Dear PoPville,

Last night the DC Zoning Commission handed neighbors a rare victory against untrammeled development when it voted 5-0 to grant a petition, presented jointly by Lanier Heights neighbors and ANC 1C, to downzone the bulk of Lanier Heights from R5B (which allows multi-unit apartment buildings) to R4 (which allows only row houses with a maximum of 2 units absent an unusually large lot size; normally, this means a home of several bedrooms along with an English basement).

The residents of Lanier Heights had overwhelmingly supported the proposal both out of revulsion at a series of ugly popups, which had overshadowed their row houses and deprived their gardens of light and air, and concern that breaking row houses up into apartment buildings of four or even more units meant that fewer families with children would be able to live in close-in neighborhoods. The neighbors testifying at the hearing elegized the mixed character of Lanier Heights, which has both apartment buildings and family-supporting row houses, while decrying the impact that popups, popbacks and cut-ups posed to the area’s diversity. (more…)

“The DC Jail will be having an Open House on Saturday April 23rd from 10a-4pm”

By Prince Of Petworth

jail tour
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

“The DC Jail will be having an Open House on Saturday April 23rd from 10a-4pm. This includes tours of the facility. You can find details here. Not sure if they’ve had one previously but seems like a unique opportunity.”

You can see all forum topics and add your own here. If you are having trouble uploading your question please email me at princeofpetworth(at)gmail Please Note this is NOT an events calendar.

open house invitation

“About that accident at 11th and Girard”

By Prince Of Petworth

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11th and Girard St, NW

“Dear PoPville,

I was happy to read about the positive response from emergency workers and bystanders after the four-car accident at 11th and Girard yesterday. As someone who lives nearby I find myself wondering why the obvious underlying cause of most accidents at this problematic intersection hasn’t been addressed: the lack of a four-way stop.

This is the only intersection on this stretch of 11th where there’s not a four-way stop or traffic light, which causes confusion for drivers going in all directions. Drivers on 11th will sometimes anticipate a stop sign that isn’t there and get rear-ended, and drivers crossing on Girard think there’s a four-way stop and often just drive out into oncoming traffic. There are frequent fender benders, near misses involving cars/cyclists/pedestrians, and every several months a major accident like the one yesterday. A car flipped at this intersection just this past November.

It’s not as if adding a four-way stop would have some major effect on traffic flow since there are lights or stop signs on every other block, and installing one seems like it must be cheaper than repeatedly sending emergency response teams.

I’ve put in a request for a new stop sign using DC’s service request site under Sign New Investigation. Has anyone used that service with any success? Any other advice on getting DDOT to install stop signs at dangerous and accident-prone intersections?”

Regional Approach to “address operations of off-road vehicles on public roadways”?

By Prince Of Petworth

anti-atv

On Tuesday (one day after ATVs were spotted all over town) we heard about an appalling incident where ATVs and dirt bikes cornered an ambulance with a NICU patient on the way to Children’s Hospital. Thankfully the patient was OK but it really highlighted just how bad the ATV situation has become from time to time. Even if it’s not super common and even if it’s a “few bad apples”, the lawlessness can no longer be ignored. Yesterday the Metropolitan Police Department issued a press release about:

“Chief of Police, Cathy L. Lanier and agency officials will host a joint press conference at MPD Headquarters to address operations of off-road vehicles on public roadways.

ATTENDEES: Metropolitan Police Department
Prince George’s County Police Department
Maryland State Police
Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning
Arlington County Police Department
Alexandria County Police Department
Virginia State Police
United States Park Police
District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General
United States Attorney’s Office”

Updates when their plan/approach is released.

Department of Health “Enhances Mosquito Surveillance and Control Program”

By Prince Of Petworth

mosquito
Photo by PoPville flickr user quemac

From a press release:

“The District of Columbia (DC) Department of Health (DOH) announces the 2016 Enhanced Mosquito Surveillance and Control Plan for trapping and testing adult mosquitoes in all eight wards in the District. Trapping will begin on April 4, 2016, and continue through the summer and fall through the first frost; this expands the surveillance period to start two months earlier than previous years. Trapped mosquitoes will be tested by the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) for the following viruses that can be transmitted by mosquitos: Zika, West Nile, Dengue, and Chikungunya. Currently, there have been three confirmed cases in the District related to international travel. There have been no confirmed locally acquired cases.

“These program enhancements are critical to ensure that we are protecting the public health and safety of District residents. The increased surveillance time will also allow us to readily identify when local transmission of the Zika virus could occur in the District and to get a more comprehensive picture of how the Zika virus could impact our jurisdiction,” said DOH Director, Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt. “As always, we are strongly encouraging residents to eliminate water filled spaces in which mosquitoes breed, such as old car tires, lawn figurines, poorly draining rain gutters, discarded cans and saucers under plant pots.”

To reduce mosquito populations throughout the District, DOH will place insecticides that target the juvenile larval-stage of mosquitoes (larvicides) in areas of standing water and catch basins. Targeting larvae in these areas will kill mosquitoes before they develop into adults and can bite humans. (more…)

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