Today's Headlines - more at Metro

9/24/2010

Metro Cuts Buses 4%, Beverly Hills Tunneling Battle, WeHo Subway, Crenshaw Corridor, CicLAvia Pro & Con, U.S. Ridership Up, APTA Video Project & More

Alt8 Strangest Transportation Devices You Can Actually Buy
AltTransport

America's Nightmare: Top 10 Cities For Foreclosure (6 are in California)
ABC News

Beverly Hills Weekly: September 23-29 Issue
(p. 3 and p.5-7 of 20p. PDF : Advertisements regarding tunneling and article regarding Westside Subway Extension)

Bogota Video Shows What CicLAvia Looks Like
CicLAvia

California Leaders Reach "Framework" Of Budget Deal: Two All-Day Sessions Produce The Breakthrough, But Specifics On Closing The $19.1-Billion Deficit Are Not Revealed
Los Angeles Times

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Transit Bus Experience Survey, April 2009 - April, 2010
(38p. PDF)
National Renewal Energy Laboratory

Cracks Start To Appear In Subway Boondoggle
LA Observed

Development Near Transit Too Pricey? Build More Transit
StreetsBlog

DHS Gets Average Grade On Public Transit Info Sharing (Department of Homeland Security)
Federal Computer Week
Public Transit Security Information Sharing: DHS Could Improve Information Sharing Through Streamlining And Increased Outreach (63p. PDF)
U.S. Government Accountability Office Report To Congressional Committees

Expanded Student Bus Pass Includes Foothill Transit
Pasadena City College Courier

Firms Pitch Long Beach On New "People Movers"
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Getting The Youth Of Today Involved In Public Transportation For Tomorrow
The City Fix
Youth For Public Transport
International Association Of Public Transport Youth Project

Hold The Wheel Steady: America's Roughest Rides And Strategies To Make Our Roads Smoother (29p. PDF)
TRIP

L.A. Department Of Transportation Executive To Resign
Los Angeles Times

Lack Of Budget Means $3.9 Billion In Transportation Funds On Hold
San Jose Mercury News

Light Rail & Left Turns
New Geography

Long Beach Considering Gondola, Cable Tram For Downtown
Curbed LA

Mayor Villaraigosa's Bike-Ride Pipe Dream Will Close Down 7 Miles Of City Streets For A Day ("Don't make the world's most car-dependent city suffer because you want whiz down deserted streets like a school boy on his his first Schwinn...Because as this city grapples with the high-tech challenges of the 21st Century, what it really needs is to become more like...Bogota, Columbia [sic].")
LA Weekly

Mayor Villaraigosa In DC Pushing For Transportation Funding
Southern California Public Radio

Metro Pokes SCAG, Endorses Higher Standards For SB375 Clean Air Emissions
StreetsBlog LA

MTA Plans 4% Cut In Bus Service: L.A. County Agency Hopes To Save $30 Million A Year By Targeting Routes With Low Ridership And Rapid Lines That Aren't Much More Efficient Than Local Lines
Los Angeles Times

Obama's Rail Plan Riding On Key Governor Races
Business Week

Participatory Research As Path To Equitable Transportation
The City Fix

Proposal: All City Transportation Improvements Should Be Reviewed By The Public
LAist

Public Selects Favorite Transit Video
EGP

Public Transit Ridership Shows First Increase Since Late 2008
APTA Press Release
APTA Transit Ridership Report: Second Quarter 2010 (32p. PDF)

Public Transportation Takes Us There ("Public transportation benefits us all. Watch videos from people who believe it's time to make a long-term investment in public transportation. Have something to add? Upload your own photo or video to share your story.")
APTA

Relationships Between Streetcars And The Built Environment (64p. PDF)
U.S. Transit Cooperative Research Program

Republican Lawmakers Seek Probe Of Amtrak Chairman
Wall Street Journal

SoCal Stop Sign Camera Locations Revealed (Map of stop sign cameras - not red-light cameras)
CBS Los Angeles

State's Poor Roads Costly For Motorists
Orange County Register

Subway Through WeHo Is $64,000 Question
Park LaBrea News Beverly Press

This Land Is Your Land
("Hood was in L.A., meeting with residents of its mostly black, middle-class Crenshaw district about the forthcoming arrival of light rail in the area.")
Fast Company

Transportation Performance Index (First in a series that measures how well transportation, energy, broadband, and water systems are meeting the demands of the nation, including businesses large and small, and then correlating the results to measures of U.S. economic performance)
U.S. Chamber Of Commerce

U.S. Traffic Fatalities Plummet - But Why?
Mobilizing The Region

Visa Brings Mobile Phones And Contactless Payment To Transit
The City Fix

Walk Score And Transit Score For Gold Line
MetroRider LA

Women's Cycling Survey: Analysis Of Results
(22p. PDF)
University Of North Carolina, Greensboro & Association Of Pedestrian And Bicycle Professionals

9/23/2010

GOP & HSR,Westside Subway "Ripoff," El Monte Bus Station, Mayor Caruso?, Changes At LADOT?, Streetcar Myths, Explosives Detection For Rail & More

$9 Billion Subway-To-Sea Rip-Off: War Of Words Erupts When Data Show Tiny Ridership Won't Help Jammed L.A. Or Westside
LA Weekly

Better Roads, Better Economy?
NBC Los Angeles

Billionaire Developer Rick Caruso "Leaning Towards" L.A. Mayoral Run
Los Angeles Daily News

Board Stands Behind Highway 101 Bike Lane: Some Opposed To Putting Path On Sea Side Of Project North Of Ventura
Ventura County Star

CicLAvia To Close 7 Miles Of LA Streets For A Day
Southern California Public Radio

Construction Begins On $45M El Monte Bus Station
Pasadena Star-News

Freight Rail Companies Stalling HSR?
California High Speed Rail Blog

The Great American Streetcar Myth (It's an article of faith among many that GM, Firestone, and Standard Oil destroyed the streetcar networks of the early 20th century. The author suggests that Progressive Era and New Deal planners and politicians should shoulder more of the blame)
Market Urbanism
Kennedy, 60 Minutes, And Roger Rabbit: Understanding Conspiracy-Theory Explanations Of The Decline Of Urban Mass Transit (21p. PDF)
Portland State University Center For Urban Studies

High-Speed Rail Project Presents DTLA Options
Blog Downtown

High-Speed Rail Should Be Tunneled Under Parks, Says Environmental Group
Curbed LA

Mayor Villaraigosa Invites Angelenos To CicLAvia
StreetsBlog LA

More Oil Spills Grim Reminders Of Needed Energy Revolution
The New Republic

Multi-Modal Level-Of-Service Goes Mainstream: Chickens Can Finally Cross Roads
Planetizen

Nathaniel Ford To D.C. Metro Story No Surprise For Muni Insiders
SF Weekly

New Bus Stop Hits The Brakes: A Proposed Loading Zone For Tourist Buses Is Rejected By The City Council After Residents Voice Concern
Beverly Hills Patch

New Visa Ventures Tap The Growing Transit Payments Market
Digital Transactions

Portion Of 110 Freeway In Pasadena To Close This Weekend For Construction
Pasadena Star-News

Reclaiming The Streets On World Car Free Day
StreetsBlog

Republican Wave Could Spell Trouble For High-Speed Rail Projects From Coast To Coast
Transport Politic

Siemens US Mobility President Calls Transit Orders Soft
Wall Street Journal

Some New York Subway Cameras Now Transmitting In Real Time
Huffington Post

Technology Assessment: Explosives Detection Technologies To Protect Passenger Rail
(73p. PDF)
U.S. Government Accountability Office Report To Congressional Committees

Transit Unions Text Washington To Get Better Commute
The Hill

Urban Light Rail Fail ("I have always found it ironic that light rail is typically hailed by its supporters as a “sustainable” technology. In Phoenix, money is continuously drained from the entire 4.3 million people who live here to pay for the transportation of 20,000 people by rail. How is this sustainable?")
Forbes

Word On The Street: Rita Robinson Leaving LADOT
StreetsBlog LA

9/22/2010

Visa On TAP, New & Notable Books, 76 Downtown L.A. Projects, Streaming Board Meetings, World Carfree Day, Buses For Biz Travelers & More

Aggresssive And Timid Drivers Cause Traffic Jams, Scientists Discover
Telegraph (U.K.)

Almost A Quarter Of Major Urban Roads Are In Poor Shape
(San Jose and Los Angeles rank worst)
USA Today

At Conference, LaHood Scolds Automakers For Adding Distracting Features To Cars
Washington Post

BoltBus, RedCoach, Other Bus Lines Go For Business Travelers
USA Today

Burbank, Glendale Move Toward New Alliance: Cities Are Leaning Toward San Fernando Group Over Arroyo-Verdugo Subcommittee ("A La Cañada city report issued last month warned that as much as $10.7 million could be at risk if the Arroyo Verdugo committee disbands, including $4 million for a sound wall along the 210 Freeway in La Cañada. But in a letter to the city, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chief Executive Arthur Leahy said Measure R funds would be safe as long as the three cities agree on how to spend the money, regardless of whether the committee exists.")
Burbank Leader

California Writing New Rules On Greenhouse Gases, Sprawl
Capitol Weekly

D.C., Baltimore Transit Cards To Work Across Systems
WTOP

The Data Problem That Holds Back Climate Action And Smart Growth ("The transportation planning institution has been focused on cars and highways for so long that the tools that are available to them are not able to answer the questions that face them...The transportation establishment is being asked to help reduce the negative impact of cars and trucks on the world’s climate, but in this era of sophisticated modeling, transportation agencies have fallen flat.")
New Urban Network

Editorial: A Stimulus Strangled In Red Tape: New Reports By Two California Watchdogs Show That Bureaucratic Quicksand Often Stops Local Governments From Doing Anything With Alacrity
Los Angeles Times

Election Report: Give Us Transportation, Just Don't Make Us Pay For It
Transportation Nation

The Local Planning Commission: Still Hindering Progress Toward Walkability
StreetsBlog

[Houston] Metro Meetings Go Live On The Web ("With the damning findings of a federal investigation set to delay Metro's light rail plans for at least a year, now more than ever the transit agency wants to distance itself from the old metro. The new Metro board has vowed to provide greater transparency, and to signify the shift it's now streaming every board meeting live on the web for public consumption.")
KUHF

More Buildings, More Buzz, More Questions: The Latest Information On 76 Downtown Proejcts
Los Angeles Downtown News

[New York] M.T.A. Brings TVs To The Subway
New York Times

New And Notable: Cities For People, Transportation Infrastructure Security, Noise And Vibration
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Prop 22: A Heated Battle For Public Money
("Proposition 22 also restricts the state from using gas tax money to pay down debt on transportation bonds. This would ensure that more money gets to local agencies for road maintenance but further ties the hands of state lawmakers and would almost certainly increase the state's debt load.")
San Jose Mercury News

Public Transportation Safety Board Looks At Early Warning System To Reduce Subway Track Deaths ("The [New York] state Public Transportation Safety Board has raised the idea of giving motormen wireless video feeds of the next station down the line to make sure the tracks are clear. NYC Transit is cool to the complex - and costly - proposal.")
New York Daily News

Stop Bellyaching, Cities! Follow L.A.'s Example On Building For The Future
Blueprint America: PBS Reports On Infrastructure

To Tame Traffic, Go With The Flow: Lights Should Respond To Cars, A Study Concludes, Not The Other Way Around
Science News

Villaraigosa Pushes Metro For Bike-Friendly Policies
StreetsBlog LA

Visa Opens Doors For Mass Transit Riders In New York And Los Angeles: Groundbreaking Mobile Phone Application Now Accepted In The New York City Subway, The Path Rail System, And NJ Transit ("Earlier this month, Visa, the LA Metro system and Ready Credit Corporation started a system wide commercial deployment offering riders a TAP ReadyCARD Visa Prepaid Card that incorporates the transit system's "TAP" fare application. These dual-use, Visa prepaid cards will let riders pay their fares and purchase fare products using their Visa account, while also allowing cardholders to make purchases anywhere Visa debit is accepted.")
MarketWatch

We Need High-Speed Rail In California, But Not At The Expense Of L.A.'s Urban Parks
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Westside Subway Extension Heats Up
Beverly Hills Courier

Why Big Business Is Defending California's Climate Regulations
The Atlantic

World Carfree Day Is [Today]
The City Fix
World Carfree Day ("Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated society.")

9/21/2010

HSR Open House Tonight, Research Roundup, New Fwy For North LA County, L.A. As Subject, Pod Cars, Privatizing Transit, Commuting "Crazy" & More


Angelenos For Public Transportation
(Metro needs a "Plan B" for 30/10: How do we build a great movement to bestow on LA a true public transportation system?)
Huffington Post

Assembling The Diverse Stories Of L.A. (L.A. As Subject's new technology initiatives geared toward expanding the reach of the research alliance of more than 250 member institutions "to the different facets of our user community, and the community of potential users: researchers, historians, students, documentary filmmakers, and people who love Los Angeles, whether they live here or not.”)
L.A. As Subject

Bing 11, Google 446: Bing Gets Transit Directors For 11 Cities
Read Write Web

Building Towers, Razing Sexism
(Job prospects grow for women in construction)
New York Times

Claremont Council Approves Changes To Historic Depot To Accomodate Gold Line Extension
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Does Driving To Work Make You Crazier Than Taking The Bus? A Clinical Trial
Infrastructurist
Commuting By Car "Can Damage Mental Health"
(video)
BBC News

Firms Pitch Long Beach On New "People Movers": City Council Members Will Take Up Request To Seek Funding For Transit Alternatives
Long Beach Press-Telegram

The Good And The Bad In International Funding Of California HSR
California High Speed Rail Blog

"High Desert Corridor," A New Highway For North L.A. County, Moves Forward
StreetsBlog LA

High-Speed Rail Stalls: Freight Carriers Balk At Sharing Tracks With The Faster Passenger Service
Wall Street Journal

Just Don't (Officially) Call It A Muni Fare Hike
(''This is not a fare increase. It's a surcharge to cover the cost of the [fare] card.")
San Francisco Chronicle

L.A. Airport Buses Incorporate Location Information In Digital Signage
Government Technology

Lack Of Congressional Infrastructure Focus Frustrates Transportation Officials
Capitol News Connection

Move LA Fundraiser Attracts 30/10 Movers, Asks "What's Shakin?"
StreetsBlog LA

New Express Lane Creates Confusion
San Francisco Chronicle

On Privatization Scares ("At the other extreme, you can privatise operations only. This is the model used in a number of lean North American operators such as Southern California's Foothill Transit.")
Human Transit

Pod Cars Start To Gain Traction In Some Cities ("Is the pod car finally ready for prime time? After almost 50 years of trial and error, these futuristic personal rapid transit systems, or P.R.T.’s, may be coming to airports and city centers because of technological advances and a growing interest in sustainable transportation.")
New York Times

Quiz: What Do You Know About Globalization And International Transportation? (4p. PDF)
TR News

Research Roundup: More Transit = More Jobs, Congestion Trends & Statistics, Managing Increased Ridership
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Rising Currents And Green Streets: Looking Ahead 100 Years
The City Fix
Rising Currents: Projects For New York's Waterfront (exhibit)
New York Museum Of Modern Art

Slowdown On The Public-Private Express
Stateline

Speaker Perez To Host LA HSR Open House (Tonight at Metro Headquarters, 4:30pm - 9:00pm)
California High Speed Rail Blog
Note: The presentations portion of the open house will be livestreamed at this link from 5:30 to 7:30 this evening

This Is Social Media Week In Los Angeles!
(events include: How Geolocation Technology Is Changing The World; Listening And Engaging With The Public: Political Processes In Social Media; Cleantech Social Media Panel)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Traffic On I-5 Worsening: Stretch Between The 170 and 2 Freeways Is Singled Out In Report As Among The Most Congested
Glendale News-Press

USC's Android Air Pollution App Takes A Crowd-Sourced Approach To Cleaner Skies
Los Angeles Times

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $5.9 Million For New Pipeline Integrity Management Initiatives: Will Support New Technologies For Greater Pipeline Safety
U.S. DOT Press Release
New Pipeline Safety Research Awards In Progress (3p. PDF)

US Senator Vows To Move Forward With Rail Regulatory Reform Bill
Platts

Washington's Capital Bikeshare Launches, Bringing Biggest-Yet System To The U.S.
Transport Politic

Watch Out, Westside Traffic: 40,000 Students Head To UCLA
LAist

Will The Next Merit-Based Transpo Program Rock Harder Than TIGER?
StreetsBlog DC

9/20/2010

MTA Drops Red Line Suit, Westside Subway Public Hearings Set, USC Transpo Award, Park(ing) Day Redux, HSR & TOD, Cleantech Corridor, HOT Lanes & More

12th Annual Trolley Dances Returns To Downtown San Diego
San Diego Dance Theater

The Best Argument For HSR I've Seen All Month (newly proposed "saddle seats" for airlines would have passengers in a semi-standing position, allowing for more seats per aircraft)
California High Speed Rail Blog

Better Transportation Investment Creates More Jobs
Huffington Post

Bing Maps Get Public Transit Directions
CNET

California And China: A Railroad Love Story
("High-speed or transcontinental, Gold Rush or 21st Century: When the Golden State needs trains, it looks to the West)
Salon

California Drivers Still Texting Despite Law (at twice the rate surveyed in January 2009, when the state's ban went into effect)
Los Angeles Times

California's Landmark Climate Law: Job Killer Or Creator?
Grist

Citizens Across The Country And Public Transit Industry Leaders Request Long-Term Surface Transportation Legislation
APTA

City Hall Rethinks Clean-Tech Corridor
Los Angeles Daily News

Downtown Long Beach Transit Mall To Close For $7 Million Renovation: Lighting, Shelters, Public Art To Enhance Regional Transit Hub (2p. PDF)
Long Beach Transit Press Release

Editorial: No On Prop. 23: Proponents Can't Make A Case For Delaying Emissions Rules
Los Angeles Daily News

Federal Transportation Money: What Does It Mean For California?
Capitol Weekly

Four L.A. Plans For Park(ing) Day
(In-depth look at last week's plans for individuals and organizations creating and helping populate temporary public spaces – parks – that are the size of a single vehicle parking space.)
Next American City

Future For California Tollways Looks HOT
Bond Buyer

London iPhone Apps That Put A Kiwi On The Tube Map (profiles Malcolm Barclay, who has built a transit app empire)
London Evening Standard

Los Angeles And Beijing Partner On Gridlock Solutions
AltTransport

MTA Drops Lawsuit Against Firm Over Red Line Construction
Los Angeles Daily News

MTA Drops Remaining Claims Against Tutor-Saliba-Perini
LA Observed

New Transponder System Reducing Illegal HOV Lane Usage
KSL

New Yorker Currents: Ray LaHood (video : interesting 20-minute interview with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood)
New Yorker

On The Right Track: New Downtown Bike Shop Lures Riders With An Indoor Testing Facility
Los Angeles Downtown News

On Transpo Bill, Administration Wants Congress To Sort Out The Details
StreetsBlog DC

Opera On The 110 Hits BBC
(Pasadena and Harbor Freeways opera)
LA Observed

Park[ing] Day L.A.2010: East Hollywood & Silverlake
LAist

Parking Management That Actually Manages Parking
(Within moments of launching paid parking on downtown streets, drivers began behaving as intended, with all-day parkers moving to new lots)
Bill Fulton, Mayor Of Ventura

Pot Kettle Black: LADOT Chides USC
Bikeside LA

Public Transit Agencies And Twitter
Choice Riders

Rail Car Firm Asks Feds To Reconsider Nixing Contract: Company Says Decision Based On Incorrect Reports
Houston Chronicle

Right-Wing Media Falsely Claim LA Spent "A Couple Million" In Stimulus "Per Job" Created
Media Matters For America

San Fernando Bike Path Offers New Roads For Oxy Cyclists
Occidental Weekly

Social Networking For Safer Cycling ("bikepooling")
The City Fix

Seven Rules For Sustainable Communities: How City Design Can Help Save The Planet
(Part 1 of an 8-part series)
The Tyee
Why A Streetcar Is Something To Be Desired: Rule 1 For Sustainable Communities: Restore The Streetcar City (Part 2 of an 8-part series)
The Tyee
A Self-Help Guide For The Planet: Changing The Way We Build Our Cities Is Essential To Stopping Global Warming (author and professor of landscape and liveable environments lays out seven interconnected steps to a more sustainable world)
The Tyee

Some NYC History: The [New York] MTA's Artificial Subway Reef And Belgian Paving Stones
WNYC

Technology Tells Whether Bridges Are "Dead Or Alive:" Evolving Bridge Sensor Technology Offers Tools To Far More Accurately Assess The Structural Health Of Existing Bridges
Governing

TTC Helps Revive U.S. 66 In East Hollywood (p. 7 of 8p. PDF)
Transit Coalition

Updated: L.A. Residents File Lawsuit Against Expo Line Bikeway Construction
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

USC Receives Transportation Solutions Award
USC Daily Trojan

Villaraigosa To Host CicLAvia Press Conference Wednesday
StreetsBlog LA
Map Resources For CicLAvia (October 10 : 7.5-Mile Route, Transportation Management Plan Maps)
CicLAvia

Westside Subway Extension Hearings On Draft EIS/EIR
(calendar of public meetings this week)
StreetsBlog LA

Westside Subway Extension Public Comment Period Starting: Five Meetings Are Scheduled For Residents To Weigh In On Possible Routes And Station Locations For The Purple Line Extension, Which The MTA Is Set To Decide About Oct. 28
Los Angeles Times

What Just May Drive High Speed Rail To Reality
StreetsBlog LA
California High-Speed Rail TOD Marketplace (September 23 : Anaheim Convention Center : :Will provide attendees the opportunity to discuss and guide the future development of communities along the rail corridor, propelling California into a new era of responsible development and land use.")
Urban Land Institute & California High-Speed Rail Authority