Today's Headlines - more at Metro

9/03/2010

Regional Connector Draft EIR/EIS, 1963's Version Of TAP, Metro Turnstiles, Go Metro iPhone App, Transit Impact On Jobs & More

Arriving At Better Road Safety Measures
The City Fix

Before TAP: The 1963 Vision Of Smart-Card Fare Collection And Rapid Transit For L.A. (A look at a very early proposal for TAP-like payment system, Westside rapid transit to Westwood, beautiful vintage illustrations, and more)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Bike Ped Planning (2p. PDF : New wiki website launches October 7)
SCAG

CicLAvia Gearing Up With "I Spy" Urban Contest
Curbed LA

DOT Most Improved Large Federal Agency In Best Places To Work Rankings
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

DTLA! New Boosterism In Downtown Los Angeles
Huffington Post

Editorial: True Air-Rail Travel Has A Future ("The Bob Hope Airport in Burbank has an opportunity to become what LAX never has - the first true rail-accessible airport in the Los Angeles region.")
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Transit Officials Release Free iPhone App
Los Angeles Times
Go Metro App
iTunes

LAUSD Reduces Bus Service Due To Budget Cuts
("I mean, who wants to take the Metro bus every single day?")
ABC-7

More Transit = More Jobs: New Report (Transit creates more jobs than highways)
Transportation Equity Network
Full-Text Report: More [Transit] = More Jobs: The Impact Of Increasing Funding For Public Transit (31p. PDF)
University Of Missouri, St. Louis Public Policy Center, Transportation Equity Network

Needed: A Better Way Of Keeping Infrastructure Working Well
(Proposes that you can't have good TOD without good T, and because maintenance is based on a calendar and not the objective condition of an asset, it is almost always either too late if a breakdown has occured, or too early and thus wasteful)
New Urban Network

New Ideas For The Troubled Path To Oakland Airport
Transportation Nation

Our Mobile Money Pits: The True Cost Of Cars
StreetsBlog DC

Rail, Intermodal Volume Reach Highest Level This Year
Trucking Info

The Reason Foundation's Unreasonable Highway Report
Infrastructurist
19th Annual Report On The State Highway Systems (109p. PDF)
Reason Foundation

The Smart-Growth Set: How 32-Year Old Google Veteran David Alpert - And His Band Of Bloggers - Are Shaping 21st Century D.C. (Planning nerd bloggers are finding they can have significant influence on planning and development. In Washington, a high-profile example is how a gang of policy and planning bloggers successfully demanded that WMATA partner with Google Transit)
Washington City Paper

SoCal Board Endorses Lower Emission Goals
San Jose Mercury News

TAP Is Being Fixed, But The Turnstile Debacle Will Not Go Away
StreetsBlog LA

Underground Connector Recommended By Metro Staff
Blog Downtown
Regional Connector Transit Corridor Draft EIS/EIR
Metro

Virtual Presence Is Upon Us
("We do not need another inch of freeway and we certainly do not need to squander billions on an idiotic subway beneath Wilshire Boulevard. A 20 mile long subway from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica will serve only 4% of the City of Los Angeles. Is that worth another $10 B in your money?")
CityWatch

West Hollywood General Plan Transit Overlay Unrealistic
WeHo News

Which City Is Best For Biking? (animated infographic)
GOOD

9/02/2010

Extending Metro Red Line In Valley, Extending Gold Line To Industry, Union Station's Starring Role, Ten Most Ambitious Projects & More

Accelerating Amtrak Trains: Will Superfast Train Service In The Northeast Ever Happen?
Governing

Build Now, Pay Later: Gold Line Construction Needs Private Companies
Curbed LA

Congressman Clyburn Sees Stock Fee As Way To Fund Highways Across U.S.
Charleston Regional Business Journal

Effective Public Involvement Using Limited Resources (107p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

EU Eyes Single Ticket For Multi-Transport Journey ("Travellers could plan their trips in a one-stop shop, buying just one ticket for a journey with multiple means of transport instead of going through different long and complex ticketing procedures, if plans from the European Commission go ahead.")
Euractiv

Google Cloud-Computing Applications Get Certification For Federal Government Use
Washington Post

It's Time To Build An Interstate Highway System For Trains
Sacramento Bee

ITS "Cooperative" Systems Aim To Manage National Transport Needs
Fleet Owner

Livability Programs Need Support in Transportation Reauthorization
Planning Report

[D.C.] Metro Offers Real-Time Train Info By Phone
Transit Wire
Metrorail Next Train IVR (video : animated avatars demonstrate how "next train" phone-voice system works)

Most Ambitious Transportation Projects Of The 21st Century (A list of the top ten most impressive and elaborate projects. "Some are already in the works while others are pipe dreams. Can you imagine getting from New York to London in an hour?")
AOL Travel

New Rail Standards Foster Safety, Inter-Operability, And American Manufacturing Jobs
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Opinion: Tom LaBonge: Expanding Red Line Is Key To Solving Traffic Problems
Los Angeles Daily News

Port Of L.A. Will Delay Immediate Ban Enforcement In Clean Trucks Program
Daily Breeze

San Gabriel Valley Officials Ask Metro To Consider Extending Light-Rail Line To Industry (City Of Industry has "2,600 businesses and 80,000 jobs.")
Whittier Daily News

SCAG Meeting [Today] Could Determine How SoCal Will Grow
StreetsBlog LA

Shoup To O'Toole: The Market For Parking Is Anything But Free
StreetsBlog

SM Planning Commission Hears Arguments For And Against Agensys Bike Path
StreetsBlog LA

Stations Picked, Huge Automated Transit Project For Paris Closer To Realization
("In the Western World, the most significant rapid transit project currently being contemplated is Paris’ 96-mile Grand Paris network that would extend brand-new automated rapid transit lines across and around the region at the eye-popping price of more than twenty billion euros.")
Transport Politic

Train Enthusiasts Line Up For Japan Hotel's Railway Room
Reuters

Transcontinental Shift: Hollywood Is All Aboard At Union Station
("The station has become a bustling film destination thanks to its distinctive architecture, wide open spaces – including a vacant 12,000-square-foot former ticketing concourse and 65-foot-high ceilings – and a reputation for being film-friendly.")
Los Angeles Times

Travel Assistance Device Deployment To Transit Agencies (103p. PDF : TAD provides various informational prompts to transit riders with cognitive disabilities, including the audio messages “get ready” and “pull the cord now,” and vibrates to alert the rider to pull the stop cord. These prompts are delivered to the rider in real-time as he or she rides the bus using the embedded global positioning system technology in off-the-shelf cell phones.)
University Of South Florida National Center For Transit Research

UC Berkeley Researchers Launch High-Tech Transit Study In Bay Area Commute Hot Spot ("A new pilot project by transportation researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks to determine whether commuters will use transit more often if they are provided with accessible, current and information-rich transit, parking and traffic options before they start their journeys. The mobile application is also available in the mobile apps section of www.511.org. Researchers said that the study’s multi-agency cooperation was key to attaining real-time, region-wide data for multiple modes of transportation.")
University Of California Berkeley Institute Of Transportation Studies Press Release
Networked Traveler App

What Is It About 20-Somethings And Cars? (Automobile miles driven by people ages 21-30 has dropped 7.7% since 1995)
The City Fix

Which Way For The Future Of Planning In L.A.?
Planning Report

Winning Transportation Projects Saving Lives, Time, And Money
AASHTO

9/01/2010

Gold Line RFP, SFV HSR, New & Notable Resources, 20 MPH Limits, Free Public Transit, L.A.'s Walking Dangers & More

All-Electric Bus Picking Up Passengers In Southern California (Foothill Transit)
Gizmag

Bike Corrals: Local Business Impacts, Benefits, And Attitudes (23p. PDF)
Portland State University School Of Urban Studies And Planning

A Bold Landmark By The Expo Line: Eric Owen Moss' Samitaur Tower In Culver City Will Display Video And Artwork Visible To Transit Riders On The Light-Rail Line
Los Angeles Times

Debunking The Myth Of Motorist Entitlement To Monopolize The Road ("There's an old line among opponents of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. It says road construction funds shouldn't be used to build bike lanes and sidewalks because cyclists and pedestrians don't contribute to the gasoline taxes that fund road construction.")
StreetsBlog LA

Decision On High Speed Rail Station Location In Valley Is Far Off
LAist

Delayed Mapping In The Age Of Realtime Information
(More discussion of Metro's "12 Minute Map")
Human Transit

Denver Airport Breaks Ground On New Rail Line To Downtown
("Denver joins a growing list of U.S. airports that are trying to promote public rail transportation. Others that will be connected directly via rail in the coming years include Dallas Love Field, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth, Oakland, Washington Dulles and Los Angeles.")
USA Today

Gold Line Opens Bidding On $450 Million Extension Phase, Tests New Public-Private Partnership Model
Pasadena Star-News
Construction Authority Issues RFP For $450 Million Light Rail Extension From Pasadena To Azusa: RFP Will Result In Public-Private Partnership With Winning Bidder (2p. PDF)
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Press Release

Keeping Tabs On Traffic
Wall Street Journal

LA County Sidewalk Riding: Part 5
LADOT Bike Blog

More Solo Drivers Are Coming To California Carpool Lanes: Is It A Good Idea?
Los Angeles Times

New And Notable: All Roads Lead To Congress, Green Metropolis & Innovating for Sustainability
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

No Need For Speed: 20's Plenty For Us
StreetFilms

Omnitrans Sets Service Reductions
Inland News Today

Protecting America's Commercial Bus Passengers With National Passenger Carrier Safety Push
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Should Carpoolers Get A Free Ride?
GOOD

Should Public Transportation Be Free?
(In Paris, an underground group is posing that question. They dodge fares, not to save money, but to spark a debate over whether public transportation should be free or not)
American Public Media Marketplace

Shoup's Parking Ideas Offer MUCH More Than A Nifty Way To Price On-Street Parking
Reinventing Parking

A Stolen Bus Leads To An All-Too-Familiar Suspect
New York Times

The Truth About London's Cycle Superhighways ("Its 9 mile route offering moments of perfection and incredible frustration in equal doses.")
This Big City

USDOT Announces New, Historic Uniform High-Speed Rail Design Standards To Help U.S. Manufacturers To Compete
Mass Transit

When It Comes To Walking, L.A. Is More Deadly Than Other Cities
LAist

8/31/2010

Westside Subway & Downtown Connector, Conservative Transit, Bikes On Metro, Traffic Math, Research Roundup & More

Did you know that the Metro Transportation Library has more followers on Twitter than the 73-branch Los Angeles Public Library and the 86-branch County of Los Angeles Public Library systems combined? For transportation news, research and history, follow us: http://twitter.com/MetroLibrary

Do You Really Want LA To Become NY? The Choice Is Yours
CityWatch

Breathing Room For People And Their Cars
Huffington Post

Can Eye Contact Enhance Road Safety And A Sense Of Place?
Project For Public Spaces

Cars To Get Excruciatingly Clear New Fuel Efficiency Labels
GOOD

European Transport Agencies Consolidate Intercity Rail Operations In Face Of Competition
Transport Politic

First Steps For Obama's DOT, Seen Through A Bush Administration Lens
Transportation Nation

Groundbreaking NYCDOT Pedestrian Study Recommends Testing 20 MPH Limit For Neighborhoods
Mobilizing The Region

The Inconvenient Truth About Traffic Math: Progress Is Slow
Wall Street Journal

Keep America Moving: A Special Symposium On Transit
(Next month, The American Ideas Institute will launch a new center on transportation to showcase conservative arguments for a balanced transportation system in which rail and roads complement one another. As a preview, these article compose a symposium on the conservative case for rail)
American Conservative
Rail Against The Machine: What's So Conservative About Federal Highways?
Engine Of Prosperity: How Private Development Can Fund Public Infrastructure
Urban Outfitters: The Right Should Not Give Up On Cities
The Real Costs: Why Is Public Transit More Expensive Than It Used To Be?
Bringing Back Downtown: There Is Life Left In America's Main Streets

L.A. Road Warriors: Commuter Stress Taking Its Toll
Huffington Post

Metro Moving Slowly To Make Space for Bikes On Trains, But What About Bikes For Trains?
StreetsBlog LA

New California Law Expands Carpool Lane Use
Los Angeles Times

Parking Basics: "Performance-Based Parking Pricing"
Reinventing Parking

Portland Streetcar Success Has Fueled Interest Elsewhere
USA Today

Research Roundup: Benefits Of California HSR, The ARC Effect, BRT Studies & Evaluating Rail Criticism
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Ridley-Thomas Calls For An Expo Line Inspector General
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Studio City Range Turned Wetlands Park Rendered
Curbed LA

Transit Systems Easier To Predict With Smart Phone Apps
USA Today

Westside Subway And Regional Connector Take Big Steps Towards Reality
(includes dates of public meetings for both projects)
LAist

Westside Transpo: Contrasting Projects
CityWatch

Why Californians Support High-Speed Rail Project
San Francisco Examiner

Winning Votes For Transit: Lessons From A Conservative
StreetsBlog Network

8/30/2010

Expo Open In April?, Metro Gold Line Extension Meetings, 12-Minute Maps, Getting Rid Of 710, Burbank Transit Center & More

$200 Million Criticized By Metrolink Train Victims
Mass Transit

$701 Million Payroll Boost Forecast From High-Speed Rail: Plan Would Generate 160,000 Construction Jobs In State
Los Angeles Daily News

The Accomplishments Of Former Planning Director Gail Goldberg And The Los Angeles Department Of City Planning
(The list includes 25 separate items, ranging from the establishment of an urban design studio to Goldberg's insistence that the department do "real planning")
American Institute Of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter

The Best Construction Management Apps for iPhone And iPad
Software Advice

Bridge And Bikeway Construction In West San Fernando Valley
L.A. Creek Freak

Burbank Green-Lights Transit Center For Bob Hope Airport: Airport Officials Expect A December 2012 Opening Date For A Regional Transit Center That Will Consolidate Rental Car, Bus And Other Services
Los Angeles Times

Civic Park Work Well Underway
Blog Downtown

Does The LUCE Plan Have Teeth?
Bikeside LA

DOT's Transport Policy Trail
Journal Of Commerce

Expo Line Update: 3/4 Done, Possible April 2011 Partial Opening
Curbed LA

Former Highway Official Calls For Transportation Funding Plan:Pete K. Rahn, One-Time AASHTO President, Says Obama Needs To State Policy
Journal Of Commerce

Gold Line Light Rail Public Meetings Set (Metro Gold Line Light Rail Eastside Corridor Extension project)
Whittier Daily News

High-Speed Rail Plan Will Test California
New York Times

Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety 101: A Primer On Grade Crossing Safety
(Webinar : September 16)
U.S. Transportation Research Board

Intermodal Hits New 2010 High
Journal Of Commerce

Legislature Approves California High Speed Rail Bill
(AB619, Holocaust Survivor Responsibility Act)
San Fernando Valley Business Journal

Maglev Promoters' Dreams Bigger Than 747
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Missing Links: Let's Get Rid Of The I-710
StreetsBlog LA

[New York] MTA Passes On Seatless Subway Plan
Transit Blogger

Next Contender For High-Speed Rail: Los Angeles Or Fresno?
Fast Company

Our View: Speeding Up Light-Rail Projects
Pasadena Star-News

Part IV: Capping The Freeway
The Lookout

Paying A Local Price For I-95's Global Promise
NPR

The Perils Of Succeeding "On Average" (LA Metro's 12-minute map)
Human Transit

Plans For Irvine-Corona Tunnel Shelved
Orange County Register

Rail Officials Bring Residents Up To Speed: Authority Sees The Most Attendees Of Three Meetings When Speaking To Burbank Locals (high-speed rail)
Burbank Leader

Rail Oversight Falls To Safety Agency, Forcing High-Speed Changes
New York Times

Snapshot: Bike Lane Indicators Get Straight To The Point
Boing Boing

State Department Of Transportation Role In The Implementation Of Transportation Demand Management Programs (50p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Ten Public Spaces Along The CicLAvia Route
CicLAvia

Transportation To Unveil Database Standards To Improve Highway Safety
NextGov
Webinar: NHTSA 2009 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) & National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS GES) (September 14)

U.S. Withdraws Proposed Freight Rail Regulations But Fails To Address Conflict With Future Passenger Service
Transport Politic