Web design in government

Is it just me or is this website (NYC Department of Transportation) better than this website (DC Department of Transportation)? To make it clear I define "better" as "more attractive," "easier to use," and "easier to read."

I did talk to DC's CTO a couple weeks ago at a meeting, and mentioned to him my concern that the DC Government website's focus on commonality of design and presentation across all of the agencies makes it difficult to deliver different experiences to different audiences, reducing the overall effectiveness of the government at the expense of a common design on the website.

He mentioned that the DC Government website is undergoing a major redesign and should relaunch in the fall.