Today's Headlines - more at Metro

3/26/2010

Transportation Headines for Friday March 26, 2010

Ask A Lawyer: Can I Paint My Own Bike Lane?
GOOD

Blue Line Safety Sting Leads To Nearly 300 Citations: Officers Prowl Two Miles Of The L.A.-To-Long Beach Light Rail Route. Tickets Are Issued For Jaywalkers And For Drivers Using Cellphones And Making Illegal Left Turns
Los Angeles Times

Boxer Aims To Put TIGER-Type Program In Next Federal Transport Bill
StreetsBlog DC

Cars And The City, Imperfect Together (New exhibit opens at the Museum of the City of New York)
New York Times
Exhibition webpage: Cars, Culture, And The City

Congress’ Chances Of Getting A Transportation Bill Passed: 0
Infrastructurist

Does Amtrak Have A Prayer At Running U.S. High Speed Rail?
Infrastructurist

Full Funding For 11 Miles Of Gold Line Extension Approved, Groundbreaking In June
LAist

Gold Line Foothill Extension Will Be First Measure R Project To Begin Construction
StreetsBlog LA

How Do You Feel About A Bike Excise Tax?
Bike Portland

Industry Looking For $50 Million Worth Of Bonds For Railroad Improvements
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Korean Air Would Like To See Its Downtown Project Get Going
Curbed LA

LAPD: Crashes Are Down At Red Light Camera Intersections, KCBS Was Wrong
LAist

Light Rail Along Road Rights-Of-Way: A Cheap Solution To An Expensive Proposition
Transport Politic

Most Important Analysis Of Land Use You’ll See All Year: CNT Proves Benefits Of Smart Growth Nationwide
National Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Moving Through The Recession, Part 5: Are Exurbs Still Declining?
The City Fix

MTA Demands Could Derail Gold Line Maintenance Yard In Monrovia
Pasadena Star-News

MTA Exhorted To Get Tough On Legal Costs: Assemblyman Hector De La Torre Calls On The Transit Agency, Whose Legal Costs Have Ballooned 200% Since 1995, To Scrutinize Litigation Practices And Adhere To A 2004 California Audit’s Recommendations
Los Angeles Times

South County Carpool Lanes Planned For I-5
Orange County Register

Time Running out For BRU To Get Their Fare Hike Hearing
StreetsBlog LA

Transit Agency Approves Cuts, And More Bad News Looms
New York Times

Uh Oh, Metro’s Time Schedule Monitors
Plus Metro

Wireless Technology To Make Parking Spaces “Smart” In L.A. And S.F.
Public CEO

3/25/2010

Transportation Headlines for Thursday March 25, 2010

Ambitious High-Speed Rail Projects (photos and maps for planned projects around the U.S. and world)
Huffington Post

Amtrak Seeks To Become An HSR Operator
California High Speed Rail Blog

Feds Begin Redefining “Affordable Housing” To Include Transport Costs
StreetsBlog DC

Fewer Bus Rides Equal More Frustration For Students
Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan

Gold Line Funding To Be Voted On Thursday
Pasadena Star-News

Gridlock May Not Be Constant, But Slow Going Is Here To Stay
New York Times

Los Angeles May Raise $8.8 Billion In Transit Push
Business Week

Los Angeles Mayor Says Transit Plan Is Model For Other Cities
Business Week

Mapping The Hidden Costs Of The Suburbs (when you factor in the cost of transportation, suburbs are no longer that much cheaper, if at all)
GOOD
H+T Affordability Index (innovative tool that measures the true affordability of housing based on its location)
Center For Neighborhood Technology

Officers Ramp Up Traffic Enforcement Around Blue Line In Downtown L.A.
Los Angeles Times

One Last Look At The 2010 Street Summit
StreetsBlog LA

Parking Rock Star, Donald Shoup Blasts L.A.’s Parking Policies
StreetsBlog LA

Phone+GPS+Camera = Revolution: Smart Phones Are Revolutionizing How Governments Serve Citizens – And It’s Just The Tip Of The Iceberg
Governing

Reconsidering How We Measure Housing Affordability By Including Transportation Costs
Transportation For America

Small And Disadvantaged Businesses Supported By Summit, New Programs
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Stadium Shuttle Back In Game (Funding for Union Station to Dodger Stadium shuttle secured)
LA Observed

State Funding Avoids Further Bus Cuts
Orange County Register

Stimulus Plan For Rail Line Shows System Of Weak Links
New York Times

Transport And The Tea Party: How Conservatives Talk About The Gas Tax
StreetsBlog DC

Vote To Fully Fund Gold Line Foothill’s 1st Extension Is Tomorrow
LAist

Why Legacy Payment Schemes Are Inadequate For Mass Transit
Contactless News

3/24/2010

Transportation Headlines for Wednesday March 24, 2010

Amtrak Seeks $446 Million To Replace Aging Rail Fleet
Business Week

Bids For Federal Streetcar Aid Top Available Money By Nearly Tenfold
StreetsBlog DC

Can Roads Control Your Driving? The Truth About Safety-Enhancing Road Design
Infrastructurist
Full-Text Report: Designing Roads That Guide Drivers To Choose Safer Speeds (115p. PDF)

Expo Station Coming To Farmdale And Exposition?
StreetsBlog LA

Gov Signs Transit Funding Bills, Money Coming For Local Operators
StreetsBlog SF

In Los Angeles, Freeway Cap Park Plans Move Forward
The Dirt, American Society Of Landscape Architects

Public Transportation In A Time Of Budget Cuts (audio : portion of a larger program)
KCRW Which Way L.A.?

Revisiting The Idea Of A Bicycle Tax
StreetsBlog Network

The Road To Hell (the poor condition of Los Angeles’ roads)
CityWatch

Routes To New Networks: A Guide To Social Media For The Public Transportation Industry (66p. PDF)
Florida Department Of Transportation

Say Goodbye To Traffic Gridlock, Ride A Bike (Bicycle Kitchen)
KABC-TV

Smart Parking Policy Makes A Difference, Even In Livable Streets Utopias
StreetsBlog Network

Social Media Community Buzzing About Gautrain (South African train service inspires extraordinary Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and blog activity, including the nation’s largest tweetup to date)
Gautrain
Gautrain Kids’ Station (children’s webpages)
Gautrain My Train (youth webpages)

South Bay Cycling Group Wins County Grant To Map Bike Paths
Daily Breeze

Stimulus Funds Paying For Long Beach Street Repair
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Transit Operating Aid Bill Doesn’t Fly With Major D.C. Transit Group
StreetsBlog DC

U.N. Report: World’s Biggest Cities Merging Into “Mega-Regions” – Trend Toward “Endless Cities” Could Significantly Affect Population And Wealth In The Next 50 Years (“Cities like Los Angeles grew 45% in numbers between 1975-1990, but tripled their surface area in the same time”)
Guardian (London)

Utilizing Information Technology In Innovative Marketing Approaches For Public Transportation (40p. PDF)
Florida Department Of Transportation Research Center

While Feds Avoid Social Media, Their Agencies Log On
NextGov

3/23/2010

Transportation Headlines for Tuesday March 23, 2010

Amtrak Planning Major Push To Operate True High-Speed Lines
Transport Politic

Angels Payoff: Crowds Come And Vendors Rejoice As Railway Reopens
Los Angeles Downtown News

Architects Envision Future Of Bike Sharing In Copenhagen
Inhabitat

Biden Says 10,000 Stimulus Projects Aiding Transport
Journal Of Commerce

Biking Is Not Alternative Transportation
M-Bike

Calls To OCTA Grow To Record Level
Orange County Register

Caltrans Director To Become Chief Of Contra Costa Transportation Authority
San Jose Mercury News

Case Against MTA Bus Driver Dismissed; Others Still Face Embezzlement Charges
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Chief Medical Officer Calls For Eightfold Increase In Cycling
(Britain's outgoing chief medical officer says an 800% increase is necessary to combat obesity and other health disorders)
Road.cc

Dirty Politics: N.Y. Butts Into Clean Truck Policy
Los Angeles Daily News

Downtown’s 10 Worst Eyesores: Abandoned Buildings And Derelict Plots That coulda Woulda Shoulda Been Something Else
Los Angeles Downtown News

Editorial: All Aboard! Mayor’s Reshaping Of [Houston] Metro Is Off To A Promising Start
Houston Chronicle

Filming Closure: 3/24-3/25 9am-3:30pm: Main At 6th For "24"
Blog Downtown

Janette Sadik-Khan On Changing The Transportation Game (New York City Transportation Commissioner speaks at this past weekend's Street Summit)
Urbanophile
Full speech (audio)

Jevons’ Paradox And The Perils Of Efficient Energy Use
(Jevon's Paradox is the idea that the more efficient a resource becomes, the more it is consumed. With new future fuels in the works, those promoting sustainability and conservation find themselves at odds with innovation)
Fast Company

Metro’s Public Information Team Fails At Informing The Public
LAist

Mixed Message: If You Don't Fill Out Your Census, We Won't Do More Widenings
StreetsBlog LA

News From The Summit: Dude, Where's My Bike Plan?
StreetsBlog LA

Planes May Fly Mostly On Biofuels Within 10 Years
Business Week

Red-Light Camera Company May Get Three-Month Extension
Los Angeles Daily News

Riding L.A. Mass Transit System Hard For Its Flaws: Too Little Is Done To Make The Region's Public Transportation Network A Convenient And Practical Alternative To Driving
Los Angeles Times

Senate Health Bill Approved: What It Means For Transportation
StreetsBlog DC

Should Bikes And Cars Be Treated Equally?
National Journal Transportation Blog

Stop Spacing: The Endless, Thankless, And Essential Struggle
Human Transit

StreetSummit Speakers Inspire, Educate And Rally Livable Streets Advocates
StreetsBlog LA

Vroom! Three New Speed Limit Increases Come To City Council
StreetsBlog LA

3/22/2010

Transportation Headlines for Monday March 22, 2010


An Artistic Metropolis Hidden Underground: A Guide To The Vibrant Art That Enlivens L.A.'s Metro Stations
Occidental College Weekly

A Busway For Van Nuys Blvd. And More Rail Service In The Valley?
LAist

Carless Streets And Creative Thinking: What LA Can Learn From NYC
Curbed LA

The City That Loves The Car Was Slow To Pay For Parking: Meters Gobbling A Nickel An Hour Made Their First Appearance In 1949
(paid parking began on an experimental basis on Lankershim Boulevard near the present site of the Metro Red Line station in North Hollywood)
Los Angeles Times

The Crenshaw Station Debate: Dispatches From The Subway Meeting
Curbed LA

Could School Bus Ads Save School Budgets?
ABC News

Does High-Density Life Have A Bigger Ecological Footprint? And Why?
Human Transit

Feds Deem Pedestrians, Cyclists And Motorists Equals
Wired

Finding The Bus Fare To Get To Class
CityWatch

Foothill Transit Bus Riders Worry About Cuts, Elimination Of Area Routes
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Forced March To The Cities: More And More Legislation Across The County Is Hoping To Drive Residents Out Of The Suburbs
Forbes

Harry Reid: "No One Is Stopping" Maglev Train Proposal
Las Vegas Sun

His Offense: Taking 2 Seats On A Nearly Empty Train
New York Times

Inhofe: California Is Dictating To Feds On Auto Fuel Efficiency
StreetsBlog DC

Metro Billboards Have A New Audience
MetroRider LA

Metro Goes Into Company Mode! Above The Law?
CityWatch

No Consensus On Possible Subway Stop At Wilshire & Crenshaw
LAist

NYC Commissioner Says L.A. Should Quickly Move On Transportation Pilot Programs
LAist

Reducing The U.S. Transportation Sector's Oil Consumption And Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Policy Brief
Harvard University Belfer Center for Science And International Affairs, Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group
Summary
Full-Text Report (52p. PDF)

Taking The Driver Out Of The Car: Why Robocars, And Not High Speed Rail, Could Revolutionize Transportation In The Next Decade
Wall Street Journal

Train Hobbyists Show What Gets Them Steamed Up
Los Angeles Times

Transit Industry Group Adds A Caveat To Its Stance On Operating Aid
StreetsBlog DC

Transport Fix To Jobs Bill Would Take $192M From CA, Send $76M To TX
StreetsBlog DC

Uneasy Riders
KCET

U.S. Access Board Updating Section 508 Disability Regulations
Federal Computer Week

What American Demographics Will Look Like In 2050
New Geography

Which States Suffer When Gas Prices Rise?
GOOD

Will Your Railroad Crossing Be Silenced?
Orange County Register

World's High-Speed Train Makers Set Sights On U.S.
New York Times