Today's Headlines - more at Metro

3/07/2008

Transportation Headlines for Friday March 7, 2008

Agency hopes to extend life of aging CNG school buses
http://www.avpress.com/n/06/0306_s9.hts
Antelope Valley Press

Bus Stop Shelter Reality
http://www.transit-insider.org/master.html?http://www.transit-insider.org/rants/mar08.htm
Transit Insider

California High Speed Rail Might Be On The Ballot This November
http://snipurl.com/2169r
RailPac

Court upholds SANBAG’s decision to withdraw Nisqualli funding
http://snipurl.com/216vu
Victorville Daily Press

Gas at All Time High; Metro Looking to Cut Service
http://laist.com/2008/03/06/gas_at_all_time.php
LAist

Games Governor Schwarzenegger Plays With Trains
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/03/the_games_gover.html
California Progress Report

Gas ups budget woes – Municipalities face further tightening
http://www.sbsun.com/sanbernardino/ci_8483873
San Bernardino Sun

Greyhound closes Ventura terminal
http://snipurl.com/2169d
Ventura County Star

Greyhound packs its bags - Bus line closes decades-old Ventura service
http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/greyhound_packs_its_bags/5765/
Ventura County Reporter

Gridlock at Union Station (TAP pass purchases at the Metro Customer Center)
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/03/gridlock-at-union-station/
MetroRiderLA

House transportation subcommittee analyzes private investors' influence on freight railroads
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=15335
Progressive Railroading

I-405 Carpool Lane Project Closures between Route 90 and the I-10
http://belaironline.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-405-carpool-lane-project-closures.html
BelAir Online

Is LA Prepared for an Oil Crisis?
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/06/is-la-prepared-for-an-oil-crisis/
StreetsBlogLA

LA clean-air plan now a power struggle
http://www.joc.com/articles/news.asp?section=spec1&sid=44580
Journal of Commerce

Metro Canoga Transportation Corridor Project Draft EIR Public Hearing
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/06/metro-cangoa-transportation-corridor-project-draft-eir-public-hearing/
Metro Rider LA

Metro Interactive Chat
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/06/metro-interactive-chat/
Metro Rider LA

New diesel pollution rules will save lives
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/763613.html
Sacramento Bee

Next Red Line Train Arriving in June
http://laist.com/2008/03/06/these_could_be.php
LAist

New traffic signals will control freeway-to-freeway connections
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8483003
Daily News

Orange Line extension moves forward
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=6003550
KABC 7 TV

Plan to eliminate Metro bus Line 108 through Marina area draws public criticism
http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2008/03/06/news_-_features/marina_del_rey/m1.txt
The Argonaut

Red Line Will Be First to Have Automated Train Arrival Info
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/06/red-line-will-be-first-to-have-automated-train-arrival-info/
StreetsBlogLA

Runway Safety Warning System to give pilots direct warning of runway hazards
http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2008/03/06/news_-_features/lax/l2.txt
The Argonaut

SF Mayor signs law for low-emission cabs
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/BAG0PVFRGU.DTL
San Francisco Chronicle

Scavenging Around L.A. (even riding public transit) – for fun
http://theguide.latimes.com/events-and-festivals/latcl-great-urban-race-event
Los Angeles Times/The Guide

Tokyo’s Plugless Plug-in Hybrid Bus
http://www.carectomy.com/index.php/Bus/Tokyos-Plugless-Plug-in-Hybrid-Bus
CarEctomy

Tollway veto could affect other road projects - If the Foothill South toll road is not built, a substitute must be made in a regional transit plan to hold on to state and federal funding, according to a planning agency
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tollroad7mar07,1,7125139.story
Los Angeles Times

Traffic And Congestion Costs Every Los Angeles Citizen $1561 Annually
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/06/traffic-and-congestion-costs-every-los-angeles-citizen-1561-annually/
MetroRiderLA

Transportation Is Focus of Meeting
http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=7370
Santa Monica Mirror

Victorville I-15 project dropped from SANBAG's state funding list
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bfunding06.41dc795.html
Press Enterprise

Would You Rather Have: Bus Shelters Or An Ad-free Environment?
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/06/would-you-rather-have-bus-shelters-or-an-ad-free-environment/
MetroRiderLA

3/06/2008

Transportation Headlines for Thursday March 6, 2008

Busway Extension Public Hearings
http://snipurl.com/212xn
San Fernando Valley Business Journal

Crashes vs. congestion
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_8471752
Daily Breeze

GE plugs into electric car investments
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8V79O0O0.htm
Business Week

Iowa’s Senator Harkin Introduces “Complete Streets Act”
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/05/iowas-senator-harkin-introduces-complete-streets-act/
StreetsBlog LA

L.A. loses millions of dollars when billboard sites (and 3,200 bus shelters) rejected
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8469171
Daily News

LA Mass Transit: Get It Running
http://www.citywatchla.com/content/view/1071/75/
CityWatchLA

Mecca train derailment takes toll on economy
http://snipurl.com/2144d
Desert Sun

mpark4 theaters offers movies via Metro for downtowners
http://www.angelenic.com/mpark4-theaters-offers-movies-via-metro-for-downtowners/
Angelenic

National Train Day
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/05/national-train-day/
MetrRiderLA

Near-Total Recall - This Metro board plays tough before rolling over to spend millions of your dollars
http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/near_total_recall/6781/
L.A. City Beat

New AAA Study Shows LA/OC Traffic Crashes Cost Nearly $11 Billion Annually
Second-Highest Cost in US
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=828958
Market Wire

Once again, cost of gas sets records in Bay Area, across the state
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_8474453
Mercury News

One-way street for Olympic Boulevard?
http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8474322
Daily News

Orange Line route to add Chatsworth
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8469158
Daily News

Ports of Harm - With the death toll in the thousands every year, what will it take for L.A. and Long Beach to clean up their act?
http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/ports_of_harm/6782/
L.A. City Beat

Reasons To Live A Transit Oriented Life
http://metroriderla.com/2008/03/05/reasons-to-live-a-transit-oriented-life/
MetroRiderLA

State Avoids Blame As Metro Prepares Service Cuts
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/05/state-avoids-blame-as-metro-prepares-service-cuts/
StreetsBlog LA

Status of truckers is a big hitch in port plan
L.A. and Long Beach mayors agree on all other key aspects of the clean-air strategy
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mayors6mar06,1,5715467.story?track=rss
Los Angeles Times

Victorville loses $30 million for Nisqualli interchange
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/sanbag_5277___article.html/city_funding.html
Victorville Daily Press

The wheel turns against gasoline - Americans reduce gas consumption as prices continue to rise
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/3/4/113913/0054
Grist

Event:

MAK Center Artists and Architects in Residence Present:

Ah CA va bien

March 7 - 9, 2008

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 6, 7 - 9 pm

MAK Center for Art and Architecture Los Angeles
Schindler House
835 North Kings Road
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Contact:
t: 323-651-1510
office@makcenter.org
www.makcenter.org

Interested in metropolitan transportation and its role in the production of public space, Theresa Krenn and Bernhard Eder will investigate the underrepresented bus-system in Los Angeles. For their final project they will present narrative bus maps that tell the social and spatial history of the city and its bus system.

Krenn and Eder will create alternative route-maps of existing bus lines. Each map will contain a narrative which is characterized by its location in the city and which mixes historical contents, contemporary reality and fictional narratives. By these means, the architects question ordinary perceptions of public transportation issues and their relationship to the present layout of Los Angeles. The project invites the audience to experience a narrated tour through the city searching for public space in Los Angeles. It leaves the possibility to the voyager to verify existing images of the city in order to re-evaluate urban space.

For the exhibition, Krenn and Eder will present a map of their tour as well as the narrative bus-maps. Copies of these maps will be available to exhibition visitors and the experience of riding the bus will be conveyed by sound mappings the architects have made on their own journey through Los Angeles.

3/05/2008

Transportation Headlines for Wednesday March 5, 2008

64 Greatest Things About LA - Voting for round two begins March 10 (list includes the metro subway and Union Station, voting will narrow list to the 32 greatest things about L.A.)
http://snipurl.com/210fg

10 Ways to Reduce VMT and Save Money at the Pump
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/04/10-ways-to-reduce-vmt-and-save-gas/
StreetsBlogLA

Diesel forum questions focus on LNG trucks
http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=3&storyid=9210
Energy Current

For wheelchair users, the unkindest cut is the one that's not made - An advocate for the disabled takes on cities and transit agencies, pushing to ease access
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-curbcut5mar05,1,2623807.story
Los Angeles Times

Gas Guzzlers Choking at the Pump - Finally, Americans Show Sustained Drop in Fuel Consumption After Record Highs
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4385555&page=1
ABC News

Green Highways and Green Infrastructure
http://www.smartgrowth.org/library/articles.asp?art=3300&res=1440
SmartGrowth Online

LA truck crisis looming
http://www.joc.com/articles/news.asp?section=spec1&sid=44553
Journal of Commerce

Ocean cargo: Shippers brace for new “sin” tax
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/CA6537634.html
Logistics Management

Parking ‘Rock Star’ Advocates Radical Change in Parking Pricing
http://snipurl.com/210dx
Fordham University

Reauthorization Update: On the Road to Funding Transportation's Future
http://www.metro-magazine.com/t_featpick.cfm?id=90511356
Metro Magazine

San Bernardino depot is open for rail travelers, thanks to historical society volunteers
http://snipurl.com/2118i
Press Enterprise

San Diego County agency set to open SPRINTER line
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=15266
Progressive Railroading

Spencer to California officials: ‘you’re not listening to truckers’
http://snipurl.com/210ey
Land Line Magazine

Synchronization of Mid-Wilshire Traffic Lights Completed
http://snipurl.com/210ew
L.A. Independent

Train Accidents Decline for Third Consecutive Year, Other Rail Safety Data Improves
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot2908.htm
U.S. DOT/FRA

Transportation Planning Warms Up to Climate Change - Strategies Sweeping and Small Being Formed to Face Global Emergency
http://www.intransitionmag.org/Winter_2008/climatechangemain.html
InTransition Magazine
Subscriptions to InTransition Magazine: http://www.intransitionmag.org/subscribe.asp

Valley may lose a dozen bus lines - Agency's local sector to vote tonight on proposed service reductions
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8456482
Daily News

West Coast ports have sinking feeling
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ports5mar05,1,5119895.story?track=rss
Los Angeles Times

Will U.S. Policy Drive Green-Car Tech Away?
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/will-us-policy-drive-green-car-tech-away-654.html
Green Tech Media

3/04/2008

Transportation Headlines for Tuesday March 4, 2008

2008: Year of the Bicycle?
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/2008-year-of-the-bicycle/
StreetsBlog LA

$25 million contract granted for LAX plan
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_8445953
Daily Breeze

$550M to fund new clean-air freight plan - PORT: Money will go toward replacing dirty diesel trucks, other high-polluting equipment
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_8444294
Press Telegram

Airport panel OKs contract for LAX expansion plans - A Florida firm will oversee planning new gates for super-jumbo jets
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-contract4mar04,1,5622403.story
Los Angeles Times

American Gas Guzzling Down, but Price Stays High - Despite Dipping Demand, U.S. Oil Prices Expected to Rise
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=4381215&page=1
ABC News

Californians Could Vote on High-Speed Rail
http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=2407
Uprising Radio

Carpool "snitch line": Is it needed?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2007/03/carpool_snitch_.html
Los Angeles Times/Bottleneck Blog

Federal Policy Sea Change? Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Blumenauer Call for Green Infrastructure - With the Bush Administration in its final year, Congress has begun to consolidate support for a change in policy shift regarding infrastructure and the environment
http://www.planningreport.com/tpr/?module=displaystory&story_id=1313&format=html
The Planning Report

It's your turn to help shape future (Gold Line Foothill Extension)
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_8443389
Daily Bulletin

L.A. Officials Want Expanded Road Capacity to Ease Westside Traffic
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=6506&State=5&res=1440
Smart Growth

Matter of degrees - Drivers get less in tank as temperature of fuel rises
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_8443966
Whittier Daily News

Oil prices soar to record high
http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8442526
Daily News

Oil touches an all-time high - Adjusted for inflation, Monday's top price of $103.95 a barrel eclipses the previous record set during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980, analysts say
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil4mar04,1,5849860.story
Los Angeles Times

Parking Rates To Increase At LA/Ontario International Airport
http://www.knbc.com/news/15478275/detail.html
KNBC TV

Secret Bike Parking at Dodger Stadium?
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/03/03/secret-bike-parking-at-dodger-stadium/
StreetsBlog LA

Streetsblog Makes Home in Los Angeles
http://laist.com/2008/03/03/streetsblog_mak.php
LAist

3/03/2008

Transportation Headlines for Monday March 3, 2008

Bikeways, history and future (arroyo seco cycleway)
http://carfreeusa.blogspot.com/2008/03/bikeways-history-and-future.html
Car Free USA

Bills tout clean energy - Lawmakers' green package is pricey
http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_8414505
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Call for action - Campaign against port's Clean Trucks Program is completely off track
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_8421758
Press Telegram

Culver office tower clears panel - A developer planning a 13-story office tower near the busy intersection of Centinela Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard has cleared its first hurdle, despite concerns the building will worsen traffic tie-ups
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_8433270
Daily Breeze

Dangerous crossings for children get a bit safer
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8414577
Daily News

Long road to completion - State Route 52, envisioned in '50s, getting its last section
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080303-9999-1n3sr52.html
San Diego Union Tribune

Mid-City/Exposition Light Rail Transit
http://www.dmjmharris.com/MarketsAndServices/46/83/index.html
DMJM/Harris

Oregon landslide is bad for a railroad, good for a town - The disaster severed a key Union Pacific track connecting L.A. and Seattle, but it has brought a welcome financial boost to nearby Oakridge
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-train3mar03,1,7944005.story
Los Angeles Times

Parking meters could sprout - Plan would put devices in prime retail areas
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_8432671
Whittier Daily News

Port hoping for green year - Officials' eco-friendly plans may offset short-term losses
http://www.presstelegram.com/business/ci_8430425
Press Telegram

Pumping pain - Small businesses caught in a squeeze
http://www2.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_8432778
Daily Bulletin

Torrance hybrid parts firm is on the move
http://www.dailybreeze.com/business/ci_8425341
Daily Breeze

3/02/2008

Transportation Headlines for Sunday March 2, 2008

City’s air fails quality check - Report shows Burbank to have the second-worst levels of toxicity in the Southland after Fontana
http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2008/03/01/news/blr-air01.txt
Burbank Leader

Commuter train to Santa Barbara in 2 years seen
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/01/a-commuter-train-thats-on-track-in-2-years-seen/
Ventura County Star

EPA justifies denial of emissions waiver for California - Its delay in issuing a formal explanation had stalled a federal suit brought by 19 states over emission curbs
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-epa1mar01,1,3876156.story
Los Angeles Times

Finally, the masses are roused by rampant development
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez2mar02,1,1925817.column
Los Angeles Times

Gold Line: Where? Public input sought on 3 possible routes
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_8416184
Daily Bulletin

Group aims to make Pasadena more pedestrian-friendly - What's not to like when you're on foot? Walkers test 25 routes to find out
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-walk2mar02,1,2658149.story
Los Angeles Times

Pump fast before the price rises
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/03/pump-fast-befor.html
Los Angeles Times/L.A. Now Blog

Speed Me Up, Scotty - A chat with Benjamin Chan, the engineer who keeps the city moving
http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/la-tm-influence.03march2,1,5786999.story
Los Angeles Times

Taking America's Infrastructure to the Bank
http://www.planetizen.com/node/29923
Planetizen

Unsnarling traffic can be a mess - A plan for Olympic and Pico boulevards pits two council districts against each other
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-op-haefele2mar02,0,7282953.story
Los Angeles Times

3/01/2008

Transportation Headlines for Saturday March 1, 2008

Another Peek at the Plateau - bank says that supply constraints could push the price of oil to $150 a barrel by 2010
http://snipurl.com/20qf8
Wall Street Journal

Antonovich Unveils “Palmdale Flyer” Express Bus to La/Palmdale Airport
http://snipurl.com/20p9p
West Ranch Beacon

Area gasoline prices keep on climbing
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_8415507
San Bernardino Sun

Boxer Seeks to Bypass Courts on Emissions
http://la.streetsblog.org/2008/02/29/boxer-seeks-to-bypass-courts-on-emissions/
StreetsblogLA

Central City East Gets DASH
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2008/03/03/news/news_briefs/at04.txt
L.A. Downtown News

City Hall's "Density Hawks" Are Changing L.A.'s DNA
http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/city-halls-density-hawks-are-changing-las-dna/18410/
L.A. Weekly

Congestion Pricing in London Improves Public Health, Study Finds
http://thecityfix.com/congestion-pricing-in-london-improves-public-health-study-finds/
The City Fix

Earth Day/Car Free Day – Wilshire Boulevard between Western & Harvard
http://www.wilshirecenter.com/earthday/
Wilshire Center

GAO gives highway privatization mixed review
http://fleetowner.com/management/gao_gives_privatization_mixed_review_0229/
FleetOwner

Green Weekend: Bikes and other eco-transportation fun
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/emeraldcity/2008/02/green-weekend-b.html
Los Angeles Times/Emerald City Blog

Hybrid Buses are Gaining Ground Across the Globe
http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=29263
Open Press

L.A. Mayor’s Traffic Reduction Plan
http://www.carectomy.com/index.php/Politics/LA-Mayors-Traffic-Reduction-Plan
CarEctomy

Los Angeles port to ban older rigs while adding cargo fee
http://snipurl.com/20qdv
The Trucker

Need A Job? Learn To Drive A Big Rig... For Free
http://cbs2.com/local/Truck.Driver.Free.2.666065.html
CBS 2 TV

ONE-WAY TRAFFIC PLANNED FOR OLYMPIC, PICO
http://www.larchmontchronicle.com/ArchiveDetail.asp?ArchiveID=824
Larchmont Chronicle

Readers Have Their Say - Web Comments on the End of Flexcar, Industrial Land Use and More
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2008/03/03/news/opinion/edit04.txt
L.A. Downtown News

Traffic alert: Marathon nightmare
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2008/02/traffic-alert-m.html
Los Angeles Times/Bottleneck Blog

Upland in good shape for rail
http://www.sbsun.com/sanbernardino/ci_8414720
San Bernardino Sun