Photo by PoPville flickr user hellomarkers!
From the Washington Post:
“Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) said Friday he wants to set red and white as the uniform color of all city taxi cabs so they meld with the color of the DC Circulator and Metro buses.”
Even though more people voted for yellow – do you like the idea of red and white so it will “meld” with the color of DC Circulator and metro buses?
Photo by PoPville flickr user [F]oxymoron
Dear PoPville,
I received a parking ticket on September 3, 2011 at 3:23 am in a residential parking zone in front of my house . The original violation was “fail prop affix stk”. I requested a hearing by mail with evidence to support my case. On January 12, 2012, I finally received a ruling by mail. The letter states that I am liable for “obstruction of tags”. This is a totally different violation. I immediately checked the ticket number and it was the same. Somehow during the process of requesting a hearing by the mail the original violation was changed in error. On January 13, 2012, I made a trip to adjudication services to ask that violation be reversed. After an hour, I was told that no one there had the authority to reverse the ruling and that only the hearing examiner can reverse the ruling, even if it was in error. I was told to write a hand written note to the hearing examiner asking for reconsideration. According to the letter I received, I must pay the $50 ticket by February 5th to avoid tags my being suspended.
What recourse do I have here? Right now I’m waiting to hear back from a hearing examiner that may or may not have received my hand written note. I have already written my council person. I am wondering if any of your reader have any suggestions. Has this happened to anyone else?
I needed a smile after reading the heartbreaking story of Gisele. Thanks to a couple of readers for sending in some good stuff from around town.
Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80
Dear PoPville,
i can’t possibly be the only person to have recently been slammed with several hundred dollars worth of citations from the new speed camera on the 7700 block of 16th street.
from mpdc’s website:
“Will warning tickets be issued?Warning tickets from the mobile photo radar vehicles were issued in July 2001, as part of an initial 30-day period of public education. Since then, the mobile cameras have issued actual NOIs. As new photo radar applications are implemented – for example, fixed-camera or work zone locations – warning tickets only will be issued for 30 days.”
this implies that a newly installed fixed camera requires a 30 day period during which warnings will be issued for violations, rather than citations. i’ve been in contact with muriel bowser’s office over the past week, attempting to find out the date the camera was installed. mpd seems to be claiming that the warning period took place in 2007, when a temporary, non-fixed camera was at that location. i find it unreasonable that a warning period five years ago be considered a legitimate “warning” that should cover the current camera installation.
i get the sense that the person i’ve been communicating with in muriel bowser’s office does want to help, but she has thus far been unable to find out the precise date the camera was installed. i am perfectly capable of being a nuisance all on my own, but since i personally know
several other people who have been affected, it stands to reason that this is a pretty widespread issue.
Photo by PoPville flickr user AWard Tour
You can read about the D.C. Taxi Service Improvement Bill here. And only a couple weeks left to take CM Mary Cheh’s taxi service survey.
“If the District establishes a uniform color scheme for taxis, what color should it be?” I’m voting Orange.
Do you think this will hurt businesses on this still revitalizing commercial strip? Or do you see this as a good sign – like the strip has arrived?
Photo by PoPville flickr user W_Bram
From ANC1B:
ANC 1B is surveying residents about the Enhanced Residential Parking Permit program. This program, if the ANC opts into it, will restrict parking on one side of each residential street to residents only during the hours of parking restrictions. Visitors will still be permitted to park on the other side of each residential street for up to two hours.
Think this is a good idea? Take the survey here.
Photo by PoPville flickr user HLPinDC
Food Truck Fiesta reports:
Over the past week, District officials have been visiting food trucks and telling them that beginning on Jan 13, 2012, they will be ticketing food trucks that don’t have a line formed in front of them.
Specifically, if there is a lapse of more than 15 minutes between customers, the food truck will receive a $1000 fine!UPDATE: I hate to report this, but the news is even worse.. District officials were allowing 15 minutes between customers, but starting tomorrow, they will have no time frame! The fine is also set at $50, but escalates with every violation (so, I’m guessing that’s where the $1000 figure comes from). This means that if MPD rolls up and sees a truck with no line, they are immediately fined $50 and told to pack things up and go home. To add insult to injury, if a truck racks up 17 of these violations in one year, they can have their license revoked.
You can find contact info for your Council Member here.
UPDATE: @mayorvincegray just tweeted:
“No new enforcement actions are planned, @DCDPW and @DCPoliceDept ensure me. New regs are moving forward according to law.”
Dear PoPville,
I saw an MPD officer putting up these signs along the east side of the 3900 block of Kansas Ave NW. Though I’m happy to see a drug free zone established in the neighborhood (and hopefully enforced!), I’m a little perplexed about the timeframe (1/12-1/31). At first I thought it was odd to be such a short time frame (about 2.5 weeks) but after looking at the MPD website, it seems that Drug Free Zones may only be established for a maximum period of 10 days.
Also with the amount of active drug activity at the corner of 9th and Quincy (including a homicide in October) which happens to be at the back of the Raymond Elementary school, I’m surprised to not see the area expanded one more block to include this area as well. Have you seen these signs put up before? Anyway to get a permanent drug free zone established?
Dear PoPville,
I am wondering if you’ve heard anything lately on the road construction on Sherman Ave. I have to drive up and down that road every day, and it is destroying my car’s suspension with all the bumps and holes. It is absolutely terrible, and construction seems to either have stopped or be moving at a snail’s pace. Any word on when it will end?
There is a good Web site from DDOT devoted entirely to the Sherman Avenue Reconstruction project:
“The Sherman Avenue, NW Streetscape project will provide modifications and safety improvements for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic within the Sherman Avenue corridor from Barry Place, NW to Park Road, NW. The project is a reconstruction and streetscape project that will also include elements of safety improvements, traffic signaling, pavement marking, signage and bicycle access modifications.”
You can see the construction schedule here. The anticipated completion date is July 8, 2012.