Best and worst transportation stories of 2014

WTOP File Photo WASHINGTON – From the fate of the Purple Line to the grand opening of the 95 Express Lanes, 2014 was a year of ups and downs for commuters in the greater D.C. area. AAA Mid-Atlantic named the best and worst transportation stories of 2014. WTOP’s Kristi King and Amanda Iacone contributed to this report.

As a worker pumps gas, a sign displays that regular is $2.29-a-gallon, Friday, Dec. 12, 2014, in Neptune, N.J. Motorists are now seeing prices under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years, which also means that gas stations are paying less for the fuel, too. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The BEST

Gas Prices Gas prices have fallen for 95 days in a row and there’s no end in sight, says AAA’s John Townsend. It’s the longest streak on record. “We’re paying a $1.02 less than we were at this time last year. So American consumers are saving a half billion dollars a day in gasoline purchases compared to a year ago,” he says. (AP)

AP

WTOP File Photo Silver Line
In July, the first phase of Metro’s Silver Line opened to riders – the largest expansion of the rail system in more than two decades. And the riders are coming to shop at Tysons Corner and to work, Townsend says. The first full week of service, Metro reports that riders took more than 220,000 trips. About 25,000 passengers are expected to use the line daily after a full year of service. Related story:
Silver Line live blog (WTOP/Amanda Iacone)

WTOP/Amanda Iacone

Traffic volume was light along the new 95 Express Lanes (center) near Edsall Road Monday morning. Tolls were levied for the first time on cars that didn’t meet HOV restrictions on Dec. 29, 2014. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) 95 Express Lanes The new 95 Express Lanes opened without tolls in mid December and drivers began to pay tolls on Dec. 29. Townsend says just as many drivers used the new lanes during the two-week trial period as would normally use the HOV lanes. “This is already baked into the system. It’s already a success,” he says. “People will use the lanes to extricate themselves from the worst bottleneck on the East Coast.” (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)

WTOP/Kathy Stewart

WTOP File Photo Speed Camera Reforms The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation reforming the state’s speed camera law and requiring each jurisdiction to appoint an ombudsman to investigate complaints. Many jurisdictions, both small and large, had problems and motorists had little recourse. “It empowers motorists and it gives you a fair chance in court,” Townsend says.

WTOP File Photo Traffic Fatalities Traffic deaths were down by 5 percent in the first quarter of 2014, compared to the same time period in 2013, according to initial federal estimates. D.C. is on pace to record fewer traffic deaths this year, compared to 2013 when 28 people were killed, Townsend says.

Parking tickets and traffic tickets are big business in D.C., and officials are doing more to go after drivers who don’t pay their fines. Ticket payments that are late by 100 days are considered debts. "They can report you to the credit bureau," said John B. Townsend II, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "It can impact your FICO score. It's reported as a debt and that puts a ding on your credit score."
(WTOP File/Amanda Iacone)

WTOP File Photo

The WORST

Parking Minimums
New D.C. zoning regulations strip minimum parking requirements that builders would have to accommodate when developing new properties in transit-rich areas. If left up to developers, the regulation changes could leave the District with even fewer parking options than exist today. “Our fear is that what this is going to do is to create fewer parking spots in the city and generate thousands of more tickets per year,” AAA’s Townsend says. (parking)

parking

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he'll sign a bill allowing the use of police body cameras. (File, AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan speaks at a news conference, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, in Annapolis, Md. Hogan campaigned relentlessly against tax increases and stuck to a pro-business message to win a big upset against Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in the race for governor in heavily Democratic Maryland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Purple Line Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan has said he does not support construction of the Purple Line and would instead prefer to invest in roads. The light rail project would connect Bethesda to New Carrollton. Construction was to begin in 2015 on the $2.4 billion rail line. Hogan has said he won’t make any decisions about the fate of the project until after his inauguration Jan. 21. “You have to have more than just roads,” AAA’s Townsend says. “To resolve the intractable transportation problem we have in our area, you have to have every mode on the table.” Related stories:
Purple Line advocates try to put happy face on Hogan’s victory
Two business leaders try to convince Hogan of Purple Line’s worth (File, ASSOCIATED PRESS/Patrick Semansky)

File, ASSOCIATED PRESS/Patrick Semansky

This WTOP file photo shows a speed camera in the District. (WTOP/Andrew Mollenbeck) IG Report The District’s inspector general released a scathing report that accused D.C. agencies of disregarding the rights of motorists with “unmitigated gall in their zeal to increase ticket volumes,” according to AAA. The report confirmed that the District issues bogus tickets and even issues speeding tickets even though it’s unclear from the photos which car of several was caught speeding, for example. Townsend says the council has ignored the report and “questioned the audacity of the inspector general to even investigate how ticketing was being done in the city.” All three agencies involved in issuing tickets say they’ll reform their processes but there is no guarantee the agencies will keep their promise, he says. Related stories:
MPD changes ticket policy after IG report
Handwritten tickets still pose problems in D.C. (WTOP/Andrew Mollenbeck))

WTOP/Andrew Mollenbeck)