Just a quick one- Tom and I were on our commute out of the District tonight, and as we were crossing Constitution Avenue, we noticed a large red-and-white tour bus preparing to turn right onto 14th St.

Emblazoned on the side of the bus was the company’s name:

“LAMERS”

Yeah.

Watch out, DC drivers: now, in addition to steep fines for parking tickets and blowing red light (I know, I know, it was yellow), DC cops will be using cameras to issue speeing tickets. There are currently four cameras, set up along MacArthur Boulevard NW,16th Street NW, Michigan Ave NE and Benning Road NE.

The Walkway Along The Tidal Basin during Cherry Blossoms.

It’s free, it’s pretty, it’s the Cherry Blossom Festival. This year’s festival starts this Saturday (26 March) and runs through 10 April. And by happy coincidence, the peak blooms will occur during the festival (anticipated 4 April – 9 April). Among the events are a parade and a street festival.

If you can get away during the week, it’s even better because on the weekend, it’s quite packed. And if you have any artistic proclivities, it’s a great time to break out the paints or pastels and set up an easel by the Tidal Basin.

If your commute currently takes you through the Wilson Bridge Project Corridor, you can get upto $50 a month to use metro or other mass transit options. Check out the eligibility and fine print.

If you commute on 66 or 95/395 during rush hour and have problems with the HOV restrictions, you can either slug or drive and pick up slugs (other commuters) to meet the occupancy requirement to use the faster lanes. The Commuter Page has info on the local slug lines as well as all the local transit systems in the DC Metro area.

One nice feature is the Guaranteed Ride Home for folks who rely on mass transit other than metro (VRE, MARC, commuter buses) and may need to work late or get home quickly in an emergency. You do have to be registered for the program, but it seems to make sense to have them pay for your ride.

Park and Ride lots are free and may be more convenient that trying to drive to the metro all the time. The folks I know that use them seem to like them.

If you live or work in Arlington, you can join FlexCar or ZipCar and have the initiation fee waived and get $35 of free usage by using the right codes and links to join.

I myself only take Metro in a pinch anymore, and I only take the bus if I’m going to Georgetown (because there is no parking and no metro). Other than that, I drive. My company pays for my parking, and part of the reason I pay the outrageous cost to live in Arlington is to have a 4 mile commute to work. My hours aren’t regular enough to share a ride with anyone else. And since the Orange line on the metro is so crowded that trains leave Vienna with people standing, I often have to let a couple of trains go by before I’m able to get on, and by that time I could have driven. Metro chased me away with poor service, overcrowded trains, and a trip that takes the same amount of time to drive.

So, I know it’s not enough to ease the sting of the raised tolls, but there are a couple of things. I’d investigate some other back road options, but the toll road might be worth it if the increased tolls drive other folks off the road, so at least you’d be able to get somewhere. But it will be interesting to see if that creates a backlash in some of the neighborhoods that become cut-throughs if peole start to get off the toll road early to avoid the next higher toll.

to continue the discussion and challenge my fellow blogger chris’ comments on tolls and commuter taxes, i have to give my point of view as a driving commuter. how much, as a lone commuter do i have to pay???

the commonwealth transportation board approved a toll hike to take effect on may 22. the almost 50% increase is suppose to support a $4 billion Metrorail extension down the tollroad.

as a single driver, that sometimes commutes in w/another person (btw, nuride has not worked out for me), i have no options but to drive and i’m not sure where my 4.5 years of commuting tolls have gone. if i have to commute another 10 years before the metro system reaches my office, and you expect me to tolerate totally outrageous tolls til then, you’re crazy.

i’ve estimated that i pay about $250/yr. in tolls (i take the cheap route). i also log about 10,000 miles a year commuting = ~$3,450. not to mention insurance, maintenance, etc.

i do think one way to alleviate the situation is for more companies to subsidize the cost. government subsidizes commuting, so should private companies in the sticks that force you to pay through up to $6.70 in daily tolls. i know my company over the last 20 years moved from downtown dc to reston to boofoo past dulles because of the rising costs of office space. the company’s been saving money, but they haven’t passed those savings back to their employees for communting. or force my company to have a standard telecommuting policy (which we’ve tried, btw).

on the other hand, tysons corner center has to pay $1.3 million in rail tax this year. however, i’m sure they’ll easily make that back in the boom of real estate opportunities once the metro is extended to tysons.

i am not even going to be here long enough to see these improvements. show me some tangible benefits for my toll fees today. maybe i get a free metro ride once in awhile or parking pass at the metro. lisa, can you find me something on your free list to make me feel better???

Sorry I got sidetracked by a migraine. There’s still more free stuff in DC. And since it’s Saturday, here’s one of my favorite Saturday free things.

On most Saturdays around this time of year, the US Navy Band gives free concerts at DAR Constitution Hall and other places around the area. They recently had one of my favorite pianists, Leon Bates, as a guest artist.

Three weeks ago we decided to plan a weekend trip to NYC. The train sounded nice. I could catch up on my reading, maybe take a nap for the first time in weeks. And I thought it had to be cheaper than flying. After checking the fares for RT tickets on Amtrak’s website, I changed my mind. Taking the train is not cheaper than flying. Not only that, but I could take the train from San Francisco to Seattle for the price of a ticket from DC to NYC. I know that there is a huge demand due to commuters, but damn. If you have the money, by all means, take the train. But if you’re like me and you’d rather spend that money while you’re actually in NY, then the Chinatown Express is the way to go. $35 Round Trip. Its not fancy, and it’s not for everyone. And it definitely depends on the time of year (as with anything, tourist season is not a good time). But to be able to travel for less than the cost of your hotel room is too good to pass up.

Amid horrific renderings of Casey at the Bat from Rep. Davis yesterday, baseball greats made their way to the Hill to testify before Congress about steroids and their effects on the game, society and cute little yellow fuzzy ducks. No word if Canseco or McGwire stuck around past their hearings yesterday to enjoy this city’s hospitality, but if this city may be judged by their treatment in Congress, they likely headed straight for the airport.

While our elected representatives grilled the players and the management about steroids, our Nationals were getting rained out down at Space Coast Stadium. Looks like things are shaping up for our Nats, though. They’re 8-7 with just a week or so remaining on the Spring Schedule. Tonight they face the Mets in a rare spring night game in Port St. Lucie.

For the curious, the Nats’ AAA and AA clubs are now beginning to fill their rosters from those who’ve not made the cuts, and so it looks like the New Orleans Zephyrs and Harrisburg Senators squads. Last cuts will be made in another week or two. It seems that much of the sod for the infield has been laid over at RFK, and you can watch their progress as we get closer. 17 days and counting until Opening Day in Philadelphia!

The National Gallery’s Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit opens this Sunday! There’s a review in today’s NYTimes.

There will soon be no excuse for the litterbugs who leave empty bottles and wrappers on the Metro platforms. According to the Post, trash cans will be put back on Metro platforms. All at a cost of only $800,000 for 250-300 of these special, bomb-resistant, 600 pound trash cans.