Today's Headlines - more at Metro

11/07/2011

Expo Line Lawsuit, Metro Late Night, LA Downtown Streetcar & Future Of Downtown, Calif Transpo Budget Shortfall, New Senate Transpo Bill, CAHSR & More

13 Things You Will Want To Know About The Senate's Transportation Bill, MAP-21(Late Friday evening Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican Senator Jim Inhofe released a summary and text of their proposal for a two-year surface transportation bill)
Transportation Issues Daily
Summary Of Moving Ahead For Progress In The 21st Century
(MAP-21 : 4p. PDF)
Full-Text Of Bill (600p. PDF)

Alarming State Report Predicts $294 Billion Shortfall For Transportation Over Next Decade ("The California Transportation Commission's first review of state transportation needs since 1999 paints a scenario through 2020 that is beyond bleak and suggests that today's jammed and pothole-riddled roadways may one day seem like the good old days.")
Silicon Valley Mercury News
2011 Statewide Transportation System Needs Assessment (191p. PDF)
California Transportation Commission

Are Streetcars Coming Back To Los Angeles?
My Fox Los Angeles

Arts District Cleantech Corridor Site Finally Sells
Curbed LA

Brucker: MTA Study Favors Route Under BHHS: The Mayor And Council Members Reiterate Their Pledge To Keep Up Opposition To Tunneling Under The High School
Beverly Hills Patch

The Bumpy Road Of Local Transportation
Glendale News-Press

Charts: The Alarming Collapse Of US Infrastructure Spending (infographics tell the story)
Business Insider

CRA Gets Buyer For Cleantech Site, But Strips Cleantech Requirement
Los Angeles Downtown News

Despite Rising Price Tag Of High Speed Rail, Fares Are Projected To Decline
San Francisco Examiner

Double Decker Truck Lane On 60 Included In Transportation Plan: SCAG Plan Calls For Raising Gas Taxes 30 Cents Per Gallon
Whittier Daily News

Editorial: High-Speed Rail Plan On Right Track
San Francisco Chronicle

Editorial: Still On Board The Bullet Train: Yes, The Price Tag Has Tripled And Its Completion Date Is 13 Years Later. But It's Still A Gamble Worth Taking
Los Angeles Times

Encryption For Transit Cards Hacked On The Cheap
New Scientist

FRA Safety Regs Add Costs, Not Safety, To American Rail
StreetsBlog Network

"Future Of Downtown" Event Looks At Streetcar And Beyond ("On Wednesday, Nov. 9, the Orpheum Theatre will host "The Future of Your Downtown," a panel discussion with nine local leaders. The event is being organized by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, and will focus heavily on his Bringing Back Broadway initiative, a plan to revitalize the corridor, and the $125 million effort to bring a streetcar to Downtown. It is free and open to the public.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

High-Speed Rail Dependent On $55 Billion In Federal Funds
California Watch

How Did Los Angeles Make The Top 10? The Best U.S. Cities To Live In Without A Car
Daily Mail (U.K.)

It's Time For Southern California Governments To Start Walking The Walk (And Biking The Bike)
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

L.A. Council Joins Defense Of Expo Light Rail Line In Lawsuit
Daily Breeze

L.A. Improving Its Part Of I-5: The Traffic Jams On That Stretch Of Freeway, Which Has Been Without Major Improvements Since It Was Built In The Mid-1950s
Orange County Register

Los Angeles Comes To Defend Santa Monica In Expo Line Lawsuit
Santa Monica Mirror

Metro Chief Asks Minority Firms To Bid On Contracts
Southern California Public Radio

Metro Night Service To Get Major Expansion
KABC Los Angeles

Metro To Celebrate Sound Wall Near 210 Freeway In Duarte
Los Angeles Daily News

Metro To Launch "Major Expansion" Of Night Service On Rail Lines
LAist

Nevada, California Both Plan "Trains To Nowhere"
Las Vegas Review-Journal

O.C. Toll Road Agency Is Studying 241 Extension -- Again
Los Angeles Times

Online & Underground: Internet Access In Major Global Subway Networks (infographic)
New Cities Foundation

Opinion: High-Speed Rail Still Fits Bill Despite Higher Cost: California Voters Had A Long-Term Vision When They Approved The Project In 2008
Los Angeles Business Journal

Opinion: Take This Bullet Train, Please: California's Proposed High-Speed Rail Project Is A Costly Boondoggle
Los Angeles Times

Our $490 Billion Gasoline Bill (infographic maps and several chapter detail the hidden costs of automobile ownership and fuel)
New America Foundation / Energy Trap

Panelists: Opponents Of High-Speed Rail Making Familiar Arguments
Vegas INC

Real Estate Ponders Industry's Future Trajectory At ULI Conference
Planning Report

Republicans Use Highway Bill To Counter Obama On Infrastructure
The Hill

The Role Neighborhood Markets Can Play In Making Public Transportation Convenient: Lessons From London
StreetsBlog LA

San Francisco: Frequent Network Map Refined
Human Transit

Streetcar Price Put At $106 Million To $137 Million
Los Angeles Downtown News

Study Of Existing Legal Protections For Safety-Related Information And Analysis Of Considerations For And Against Protecting Railroad Safety Risk Reduction Program Information
(68p. PDF)
Federal Railroad Administration

Summit Eyes Future Of Valley Transportation
Los Angeles Daily News

Sunset Bridge Work To Detour Traffic 12 Nights ("Commuters can expect road closures and traffic detours for the next month. Although a majority of demolition work is taking place during evening hours (usually between midnight and 5 a.m.), Metro officials are asking the public for their cooperation as construction work constantly changes due to weather and structural conditions of the Sunset Bridge.")
Canyon News

Transportation Jobs Rise 2 Percent In October
Journal Of Commerce

Two Infrastructure Jobs Bills Die In Senate
StreetsBlog DC

What If California Cut Its Global Warming Pollution 80% And No One Noticed?
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Where The Expo Ends: Will Culver City Stop Be No-Man's Land?
Curbed LA

Your Commute Is Slowly Killing You (A new Swedish study quantifies the health impacts of commuting)
The Atlantic: Cities

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out theMetro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.