Today's Headlines - more at Metro

11/23/2011

Expo Bikes, Sidewalk Bikes, Clean Trucks, Crenshaw-LAX, CAHSR, Transit App For Blind, Spring Street: 1899 & More

Bay Area Transportation Projects To Be Judged On Benefits vs. Costs
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Bicycling On Los Angeles' Spring Street...In 1899! ("The bright green paint on Spring Street’s new bike lane may be fresh, but bicycles have long been a presence on the road. In this photo taken circa 1899, cyclists ride north on Spring near 8th.")
USC Libraries

Boris Johnson Sticks By Gluing Pollution to Roads ("For the past few months a fleet of specially adapted gritting lorries has been spraying adhesive on some of London's pollution hotspots in the middle of the night. The idea has been that the calcium-based solution will stick pollution in the air to the road.")
BBC

Boyle Heights Bike Lanes Go Green
Mis Neighbors: A Boyle Heights Blog

Bus App For Blind Developed At UW ("A University of Washington student developed One Bus Away. Now students and researchers at UW's Department of Computer Science and Engineering are building a transit app that talks to the blind, telling them where a stop is located and what they can expect to find when they get there.")
KING-5

Bye Bye Curbs: Safer Streets In The UK Mix Cars And People
StreetsBlog Network

California High-Speed Rail Gets Almost $1 Billion In 2010 Grants
Business Week

Congressional Republicans Want To Take Back High-Speed Rail Funds: California's Jeff Denham And Kevin McCarthy Argue That The Project Is Deeply Flawed. They Want As Much As $3.3 Billion In Federal Grants Held Back
Los Angeles Times

Crenshaw-LAX: Closing The Westside Gap
CityWatch

Does High Speed Rail Have A Future In The US?
Sustainable Cities Collective
State Listings (Write-up of high-speed rail status for every state in the nation)

The Expo Station That Wasn't -- Or Won't Be
Culver City Bicycle Coalition

Feds Ax High-Speed Funding, Approve Vegas Train Right Of Way
Curbed LA

Feds Make Nearly $1 Billion Grant For Central Valley High-Speed Rail
Central Valley Business Times

For Once, The Federal Government Gets Sustainability Right
The Atlantic: Cities

Guide To Improving Capability For Systems Operations And Management (60p. PDF)
Strategic Highway Research Program

L.A. Council Wants To Clear Up When Cyclists Can Use Sidewalks
Los Angeles Times

LA-LB Clean Emission Program To Remove 280 Trucks
Journal Of Commerce

L.A.'s Controller Silent On Mayor's Proposed Use Of Measure R Funds
CityWatch

Mapping The Consequences Of Our Automobile Addiction
StreetsBlog DC

Metro Still Won't Set Opening Date For Expo Line
LAist

Opinion: Lessons In Transit Innovation
New York Times

Port Planning To Offer Incentives To Shippers Who Reduce Emissions
Daily Breeze

Rejected Rail Funding Becomes California's Gain ("High-speed rail funding rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott officially became California’s gain Tuesday as the Department of Transportation granted nearly $1 billion to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.")
Politico

San Francisco May Charge Businesses For Free Parking Spots
San Francisco Examiner

Urban Sprawl (Board game : "Urban Sprawl abstractly models the growth of a town into a teeming metropolis. Players assume the roles of entrepreneur, tycoon and politician — each helping in the development of a hypothetical “Anywhere, USA.”)
GMT Games

What Will The Senate Bill's Transit Section Look Like?
StreetsBlog DC

When It Rains In Los Angeles, Do Canoes Get To Use The Carpool Lane?
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Zoning At 85 ("This year marks the 85th anniversary of the landmark United States Supreme Court case Euclid v Ambler Realty, which upheld the basic constitutionality of local zoning. Given the current debate between liberals and conservatives about the appropriate role of regulation in shaping our economy and our communities, it seems timely to ask the question: do we still need zoning?")
Urban Land Institute

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

11/22/2011

Spring Street, Figueroa Tunnels, Caltrans, Complete Streets, High Line, Best Books & More

80 Years Ago: Three North Figueroa Tunnels Dedicated
Blog Downtown

All Aboard New York City's Geek Train ("Using 15 portable battery-powered web servers hidden in shopping bags, a nascent creative agency...is creating temporary pirate Wi-Fi hotspots in select subway cars, allowing mobile devices in range to access a public intranet complete with chat room, news, and original content from local artists and writers.")
Wired

Are Complete Streets Incomplete? ("Getting transportation professionals to think about including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users is a key first step in creating great places and livable communities. But that is not enough to make places that truly work for people — “streets as places.” The planning process itself needs to be turned upside-down.")
Project For Public Spaces

BART Adopts "Buy America" Policy
Progressive Railroading

Caltrans Releases Bay Bridge Testing Data
Sacramento Bee
Documents Showing How Caltrans Responded To A Technician Caught Falsifying Data
Caltrans
Executive Summary (4p. PDF)

Caltrans Wants Prosecution For Forged Tests
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Congressmen Want Review Of Ontario International's Sharp Decline
Los Angeles Times

Downtown LA Opens Dedicated Bike Lane
NBC Los Angeles

Fault-y Towers: Don't Mention The Core! ("Nothing against the good individuals who were paid by Metro, but I just happen to have a natural-born skepticism when it comes to paid EIR experts.")
Huffington Post

For Downtown Cyclists, This Green Also Means Go: The Bright Green Bicycle Lane On Spring Street Is Aimed At Reducing Collisions And Helping Cyclists Feel Safer Navigating Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times

Gold Line Extension Tells Us What's Shaking In Duarte
Curbed LA

A Hard Turn: Better Health On The Highway ("On the road for weeks on end, with the sorts of diets that make nutritionists apoplectic, the nation’s truckers are in pretty bad shape. Now, beset by rising insurance costs and desperate to ensure their drivers pass government health tests, trucking companies and industry groups are working hard to persuade road warriors to change their habits.")
New York Times

High Line: The Inside Story Of New York City's Park In The Sky
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Infographic: How Does Los Angeles Move? (A closer look at mobility statistics from LA/2B)
GOOD

Inspired By High Line, Park Is Envisioned With Sights Set Low ("Plans for another attention-grabbing green space on a former transit site. But this one comes with a twist — the proposed park would be underground, in a dank former trolley terminal under Delancey Street that is controlled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.")
New York Times

L.A. Freeways: Congested And Wasteful, But At Least They're Reliable
Southern California Public Radio

LaHood: Avoid Across-The-Board Cuts After Supercommittee Failure
Transportation Nation

LaHood Warns Super Committee Failure Will Hit Transport Programs
Journal Of Commerce

Long Beach Bridge Jobs Sought For Local Workers
Contra Costa Times

Looped: A Downtown Streetcar Isn't Transit
KCET

Metro Bus Struck By Two Bullets In South Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times

Ranking The Nation's Most Congested Highway Corridors
Fleet Owner

San Francisco's Transbay Terminal Faces Murky Future
San Francisco Business Times

South El Monte Residents Consider Possible Improvements To Durfee/Peck Corridor
West San Gabriel Valley Bike Coalition

Supercommittee Goes Bust, Lone Prospect Of Gas Tax Hike Dissolves
StreetsBlog DC

Taxpayer Group: GOP Drill Bill "Not A Responsible Budget Approach"
StreetsBlog DC

Top 10 Books, 2012 ("Planetizen is pleased to release its tenth annual list of the ten best books of the year in urban planning, design and development.")
Planetizen

Torrance Set To Adopt South Bay Bicycle Master Plan At Meeting
Daily Breeze

Transportation And Food Access Idea 4: More Walkable Food Retail
StreetsBlog LA

UCLA's Bike-To-Campus Week Aims To Educate About Environmental And Health Benefits Of Cycling
UCLA Daily Bruin

West Hollywood "Entertainment Shuttle" In The Works ("In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and drunk driving, City Council will discuss establishing a shuttle service traveling through Weho's nightlife destinations.")
West Hollywood Patch

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

11/21/2011

Blue Line, Gold Line Foothill, DesertXpress, HSR, Santa Monica Bike Center, 6th Street Bridge & More

4 Questions About The House Transportation Proposal
Transportation Issues Daily

After Five Years Of Study, Council Votes To Demolish 6th Street Viaduct
Blog Downtown

Alameda County Commission Proposes Ballot Measure To Increase Sales Tax For Transportation ("If the measure wins by the required two-thirds margin, Alameda would become only the second county in California to raise its transportation sales tax to a penny. Los Angeles County was the first.")
Silicon Valley Mercury News

America's Transportation Industries Favor Romney, Perry, And The GOP In 2012
TBD

Best US Cities For Living Car-Free? None Of The Above, Really
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Bev. Hills Courier's Big Scoop: Metro Does Mailings
StreetsBlog LA

Bill Would Give Veterans A Boost In Working For Transportation Projects
Washington Post

Billionaires, Insiders Plan To Place $10-Billion Tax Hike On 2012 California Ballot: Acting As The Think Long Committee, They Want To Change The Tax System To Increase Money For Public Schools And Universities And For Local Governments
Los Angeles Times

Blue Line Construction Interrupts Service: Metro Contractors And Crews Are Putting The Finishing Touches On The Rail Connection At Washington Boulevard And Flower Street
NBC Los Angeles

Bus Systems Are Miles Ahead On Green Transport Technology ("Green bus projects also create green transportation options in communities that aren’t usually associated with rock star public transportation systems. Long Beach, California, which is adjacent to Los Angeles, received funding for two separate green bus projects, one to replace diesel buses with hybrids and one to put electric buses “on a heavily trafficked, highly visible, popular circulator route.")
GOOD

California High-Speed Rail Officials Say Effect Of Federal Cuts Will Be Minimal
San Francisco Examiner

Community Connections Expanding Its Transportation Services To 10 Inland Valley Cities
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Construction Authority Releases Interactive Maps Of Future Station Areas (Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority)
MarketWatch
Explore The Maps Here

Criminals Using Subway To Make A Quick Getaway ("An uptick in thefts around the Lankershim Boulevard station, which is at the heart of North Hollywood and the terminus of the line, has become a big concern for police, who have upped patrols at the station and surrounding areas.")
Los Angeles Daily News

DesertXpress Right-Of-Way From Vegas To SoCal Approved
Railroad.net

Does Transit-Laden Downtown Really Need A Streetcar?
Curbed LA

Downtown Home To Largest Bike Center In U.S.
Santa Monica Daily Press

Firefighters, Metrolink Kick Off Holiday Toy Drive
Burbank Leader

Five Myths About Your Gasoline Taxes
CNN

Funding Bill, Without High Speed Rail, Gets Obama Signature
Transportation Nation

How Green Is High-Speed Rail?
CNN

How The DC's Metro Opened Its Data ("The changes...suggest a road map for other organizations having their own open-data debates.")
Read Write Web

Investigation Uncovers Extravagant Spending By Metro Construction Authority
KCBS Los Angeles
Construction Authority Board Adopts New Policies To Enhance Agency's Transparency And Accountability: Newly Adopted Travel And Expense Guidelines Address Recently Identified Areas Needing Improvement
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority

Installing Now: Bright Green Bikeway Along Spring Street
LAist

Is The Housing Crash Fueling Suburbanization?
Wall Street Journal

L.A. Construction Authority, Caltrans OK Design For New Gold Line Bridge
Progressive Railroading

L.A. Council OKs Demolition Of 6th Street Bridge: Lawmakers Adopt A Modern Design Instead Of Trying To Duplicate Signature Arches Of The Crumbling Landmark Over The Los Angeles River
Los Angeles Times

LAO Weighs In On Rail Business Plan: Advisory Agency To State Legislature Raises Concerns About Funding Sources, Legality Of Project
Hanford Sentinel

New Setback For High-Speed Rail: House Vote To Strip Funding Creates More Uncertainty
NBC Los Angeles

A New Vision For D.C.'s Abandoned Street Car Tunnels
The Atlantic: Cities

New York Times: How To Be Confused About Transit
Human Transit

Omnitrans Celebrates 35 Years Of Service: Free Ride Day Set For November 25 (This Friday, the day after Thanksgiving)
Omnitrans Press Release

Pacific Surfliner Gets $21M To Start On Second Track Thru San Diego
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Parking Lots Are A Waste Of Space And A Drag On Growth
Forbes

Practical Resources For Recruiting Minorities For Chief Executive Officers At Public Transportation Agencies (52p. PDF)
Transit Cooperative Research Program

Santa Monica Bike Infrastructure Upgrades Rolling In
Bikeside

Sour Economy Triggers Drop In Measure R Transportation Receipts ("The head of Los Angeles County's transportation agency said Friday that the region's sour economy has pushed down by 10% to 15% projected revenues from Measure R, the half-cent sales tax for road and transit improvements.")
Los Angeles Times

Surveillance Cameras Cost-Effective Tools For Cutting Crime, 3-Year Study Concludes
Urban Institute
Evaluating The Use Of Public Surveillance Cameras For Crime Control And Prevention (152p. PDF)
Urban Institute Justice Policy Center

A Transit City Is A Centralized City ("The multipolarity of other cities, for example Los Angeles, is not an asset. It would be an asset if those job centers were intense and could be easily served by transit; in reality, they have moderate intensity, nothing like that of the secondary centers of Tokyo or even New York, and serving many of them requires digging new subway lines. Burbank, on the legacy Metrolink network, could make a reasonable site for a transit-oriented secondary center, if commuter rail operations were modernized and local transit lines were extended to it; the Westside and Santa Monica do not, and the hope is that the investment in the Subway to the Sea could enable them to grow to reasonable size.")
Pedestrian Observations

TRB Webinar: Freight Facility Location Selection: A Guide For Public Officials (December 13)
National Cooperative Freight Research Program

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $21 Million To Improve California's Intercity Passenger Rail Service
U.S. DOT Press Release

User Pays ("Does the user pay model still hold up for transportation? Is there a better way to pay for infrastructure? Can users fully fund the roads, bridges, and railways they use? How much should users be on the hook for? What about taxpayers?")
National Journal Transportation Blog

The Value Of Transportation Enhancements; Or, Are Walking And Cycling Really Transportation? ("This issue receives considerable attention, despite the fact that enhancements represent less than 2% of total federal surface transportation expenditures, because it raises questions about future transport priorities, particularly the role of walking and cycling. In other words, should non-motorized modes be considered real transportation.")
Planetizen

Voters Nationwide Choose To Pay More For Transit
Governing

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