Today's Headlines - more at Metro

12/23/2010

Green Light For Van Nuys Corridor, Long Beach Diesel Emissions, Has Gas Demand Peaked?, Alternative Mobility, Stimulus Audit & More
















The Los Angeles Transportation Headlines will be on holiday beginning tomorrow, December 24. We will return Monday, January 3.

Thank you for your readership and support in 2010.

We look forward to 2011, continuing to gather and provide access to news and information relevant to the past, present and future of transportation in the Los Angeles region.


Alternative Mobility Tops List Of 2011 Green Trends
Los Angeles Times

Audit: State Agencies Over-Reported Stimulus Jobs
California Watch

Calif.'s High Speed Rail Gets An Extra Boost
Southern California Public Radio

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Updated, $4M To Port Of Long Beach
Long Beach Post

FTA Gives Metro The Green Light To Study Transit Alternatives For Van Nuys Corridor
The Source

FTA Program Promotes Advanced Fuel Cell Technologies To Power Cleaner, Greener Transit Buses
Federal Transit Administration

Localities Back Streetcar Lines, Even If Feds Won't
Infrastructurist

New App Tells Parkers Where The Spaces Are In Hollywood
Curbed LA
Streetline And The City Of Los Angeles Unveil First Real-Time Parking App For iPhone
Los Angeles Daily News

A Physicist Solves The City
New York Times

The "Sunnyvale Decision" And Phase II Of Expo: Game Changer Or Footnote?
StreetsBlog LA

Trains On Van Nuys Boulevard? Metro's Considering It
Curbed LA

TransMilenio: Ten Years Down The Line (A look at BRT in Bogota after a decade in service)
The City Fix

US Gas Demand Should Fall For Good After '06 Peak
("By 2030, Americans will burn at least 20 percent less gasoline than today, experts say, even as millions of more cars clog the roads.")
Associated Press

Wilshire Bus Lane Controversy Update
Brentwood News

12/22/2010

Union Station Sold, Judge Rules For Expo, Van Nuys Gets Funding & More

10 Useful Activities You Can Do While On The Bus
Travelin' Local

Brown To Eliminate State Office Of Inspector General: The Office, Led Since 2009 By Former L.A. City Controller Laura Chick, Has Been Responsible For Overseeing More Than $50 Billion In Federal Stimulus Funds.
Los Angeles Times

Census Numbers Give Hint Of What's To Come In Washington
StreetsBlog DC

Digital Displays For Transit: Can More Information Mean More Riders?
The City Fix
DDOT Unveils District's First Multi-Modal Digital Display: State-Of-The-Art Screen Supplies Travelers With Real-Time Information
DC.gov

Downtown's Union Station Being Sold To Texans
Curbed LA
ProLogis Announces $505 Million Agreement With TPG Capital For Sale Of Catellus Retail And Mixed-Use Assets
ProLogis Press Release
Yes, They Have Trains And Buses In L.A.
Wall Street Journal

Expo Line Phase 2 Gets Judge's Blessing, But Neighbors Vow To Appeal
LA Weekly

Five Reasons To Be Happy About LA Transportation
CityWatch

FTA Announces $25.7 Million To Help Communities Evaluate, Select Best Transit Options
Federal Transit Administration Press Release

Judge Gives initial Ruling In Favor Of Expo
StreetsBlog LA

Long-Gone Madera Co. Town Begins High-Speed Rail Line (What became of Borden California - the proposed northern terminus of the first leg of California high-speed rail)
Fresno Bee

Marketing A "Bowl Of Tangled Noodles" ("Why do so many transit agencies not provide clear maps highlighting basic user-critical features such as frequency?")
Human Transit

ONT May Get New Operator: Private Interests Sought For Airport
Redlands Daily Facts

Preliminary Work On High-Speed Stations To Start Soon?
Curbed LA

San Francisco's Latest Pavement To Parks Project Brought To You By Audi ("With construction for the Central Subway on Stockton Street right around the corner, Audi’s gift couldn’t have come at a better time.")
StreetsBlog SF

Senate Vote Will Give GOP A Crack at The Transpo Bill Sooner
StreetsBlog DC

Top 10 Green Stories Of 2010
Grist

Van Nuys Gets $2 Million From Feds To Improve Transit
Southern California Public Radio

Where Are The Minority Contractors On California's High Speed Rail Project?
Change.org

You Might Be A Transpo Geek If...
How We Drive

12/21/2010

Expo Line Goes To Court, Shared Rail Corridors, Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance, Motorists' Identity Crisis, State Transportation And Climate Change & More

Angels Flight To Celebrate 109th Anniversary With Penny Fares
Blog Downtown

Best Careers 2011: Urban Planner ("An expanding population has created the need for additional transportation systems, affordable housing, and schools in many parts of the country. The urban and regional planning field is expected to grow 19 percent, from 38,400 jobs in 2008 to 45,700 jobs by 2018, according to the Labor Department. Most of the new jobs will be with state and local governments.")
US News & World Report

Brown To Abolish State Inspector General's Office ("Chick, who first made her name as a councilwoman and city controller in Los Angeles, has put out a number of reports about subjects ranging from the state's high-speed rail system to local redevelopment authorities.")
California Watch

California's Pay As You Drive Insurance Program Could Reduce Driving
StreetsBlog SF

Car-Sharing: How It Works, Why It's Awesome
Riding In Riverside

A Comprehensive Development Plan For A Multimodal Noise And Emissions Model (296p. PDF)
Airport Cooperative Research Program

The Federal Interest In Non-Highway Transportation
Planetizen

Future Architects' Downtown Of The Future: USC "Mega Review" Takes Over City National Plaza
Los Angeles Downtown News

"Gravity Always Wins": How The U.S. Can Face The Crisis Of Unsafe Bridges
StreetsBlog DC

High Speed Rail For America? Not So Fast (interview : U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood)
NPR

Highway Bill Could Bring Back BABs
(Build America Bonds)
Reuters

Huge Projects Planned For Downtown Santa Monica (preparation for Expo Line's arrival)
Santa Monica Mirror

Human Transit: Toward Aggregated Information?
Trillium Solutions

LaHood: High Speed Rail Will Be Our Generation's Legacy
StreetsBlog DC

A Lot Of Noise Over The Expo Line: It's A Vocal Minority In Cheviot Hills And Rancho Park Who Oppose Construction Of The Light-Rail Line
Los Angeles Times

Matching Money Announced For Calif. High Speed Rail Construction
Transportation Nation

The Motorist's Identity Crisis ("When a Los Angeles bus rider asked presidential candidate George W. Bush about transit improvements in 2000, Bush responded, "My hope is that you will be able to find good enough work so you'll be able to afford a car." Bush was undoubtedly sincere. Like many Americans—probably most—he saw a bus (like a bicycle) as a nothing more than a pathetic substitute for a car...But if cyclists and transit users no longer seem to envy motorists, then motorists might be facing a crisis of confidence.")
Planetizen

New Report: U.S. States Failing At Reducing Transportation Emissions
The City Fix
Getting Back On Track: Aligning State Transportation Policy With Climate Change Goals
(66p. PDF : "The analysis here evaluates how well state-level transportation decisions are aligned with efforts to reduce GHG emissions by examining a selection of key transportation policies currently in place in the 50 states. The findings suggest that there is tremendous potential for states to make progress on reducing transportation-related carbon emissions.")
Smart Growth America ; Natural Resources Defense Council

On The Waterfront: Strong Port Volume Raises Hopes For '11
Long Beach Press-Telegram

RelayRides Lets You Share Your Car For Cash
Wired

Sharing Of Rail Corridors: Building Realistic Expectations And Partnerships & Upcoming TRB Research Projects On Shared-Use Passenger And Freight Rail Corridors (p. 13-16 of 16p. PDF)
U.S. Transportation Research Board Intercity Rail Passenger Systems Update

Social Media Boom And Bust
Governing

[Today's] Main Event: Neighbors For Smart Rail Gets Its Day In Court
("The group is arguing that the Final Environmental Impact Report certified by the Expo Construction Authority Board for Phase II of the Expo Line is faulty because, in their view, the documents didn’t properly consider the California Air Quality Act (CEQA) when deciding issues such as how to design the controversial grade crossings.")
StreetsBlog LA

Transit Faces Tough Road Ahead In U.S. Congress
("None of the Republican appointments represent major urban districts, which means urban transit proponents will have to negotiate creatively if they want to see their priorities implemented.")
Reason Foundation

Why All The Whinging About High-Speed Rail? ("High-speed rail has become part of America's never-ending culture war.")
The Economist

12/20/2010

Expo Line Phase II Trial, L.A. Labor Pact, Pocket Airports, Transit Riders' Tax Benefits, The Resurgence Of Cities & More

All I Want For Christmas Is 30/10 And The Subway To The Sea
Huffington Post

Bob Hope Airport Raises Parking Fees
Los Angeles Times

California Ports To Test Hydrogen-Powered Trucks
Commercial Carrier Journal

Can Streetcars Save America's Cities? (Streetcars are increasingly seen as boons to local economies. And with a $130 million federal fund aimed at streetcar projects, some are expecting more systems to develop. Others, though, still question the investment)
CNN

DesertXpress Top Executive Retires From High-Speed Rail Project
Las Vegas Sun

Do Anti-710 Freeway Advocates Have A Friend In Jerry Brown?: Activists Are Hoping The Governor-Elect Can Kill 710 Extension Once And For All
Eagle Rock Patch

Everyone To Norwalk: Expo Line Phase II Trial Starts Next Week
Curbed LA

Gas-Powered Carriage Didn't Have Much Speed To Burn: Created By J. Philip Erie And S.D. Sturgis, The Vehicle Made It's L.A. Debut At 2 A.M. On May 30, 1897. The Innocent-Looking Black Tally-Ho' Never Reached The 25 MPH "Concealed In Its Vitals"
Los Angeles Times

House Celebrates Norman Mineta, Ignores His Ideas
StreetsBlog DC

Houston Metro Cancels Controversial Contract With Spanish Rail Car Company
Transportation Nation

Is America's Aging Infrastructure A Recipe For Disaster?
Infrastructurist

Labor Pact To Require Residents Be Hired: Officials Say Program Will Create More Jobs Within City ("Villaraigosa said he hoped the city agreement would serve as a model for contracts issued by Los Angeles County and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Metro Decisions: Good Politics, Not Good Transportation
CityWatch

More Southland Residents Hitting The Road This Holiday
Los Angeles Daily News

New Census Numbers Confirm The Resurgence Of Cities
Sustainable Cities Collective

Opinion: The Postman Always Pings Twice
("The service’s thousands of delivery vehicles have only one purpose now: to transport mail. But what if they were fitted with sensors to collect and transmit information about weather or air pollutants? The trucks would go from being bulky tools of industrial-age communication to being on the cutting edge of 21st-century information-gathering and forecasting.")
New York Times

Planning Commission Leadership Strengthens Bike Plan
StreetsBlog LA

"Pocket Airports" Would Link Neighborhoods By Air
Gizmodo

Readers' Forum: People Must Be Made To Understand High-Speed Rail Strategy
Contra Costa Times

Streetcar Projects Advance Nationwide Thanks To Local Initiative
Transport Politic

To Ensure Continued Funding, Limited Expectations On Federal Transportation Reform
Transport Politic

Transit Riders Keep Same Tax Benefits As Drivers
StreetsBlog DC

The Trolley Took Us There (Historic images from the Metro Library's Archive are discussed, including the W car coming down Figueroa at York Blvd heading towards Downtown Los Angeles in 1948)
Highland Park 90042

U.S. Planning Isolationism ("There are indeed troubling signs about the manner and extent to which US planning academics and US planners more broadly engage our colleagues elsewhere in the world.")
Planetizen