Today's Headlines - more at Metro

2/01/2012

Orange Line Extension, House Transpo Bill, LA Sidewalks, Transit & Gender, Transpo Statistics & More

February 1: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (An important tunnel for Santa Monica, a special bus token for SCRTD and the "birth" of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

AASHTO Executive Dir. John Horsley On The House Transportation Bill
(video)
AASHTO via YouTube

Amtrak Privatization Off Table -- For Now
Gannett

California Lawmakers Seek To Bring Home The Transportation Bacon Without Earmarks
Sacramento Bee

California Needs To Find $3 Billion By March ("A lag in revenue and higher-than-expected spending mean the state needs to scrape together more than $3 billion to stay in the black and keep a comfortable cash reserve.")
Los Angeles Times

Can The Expo Line Unite The City Of Angels?
CityWatch

City Can Fix The Sidewalks Now, Or Wait For The Court Orders
StreetsBlog LA

City Eyes $180M Excess Busway Cash: New Project Might Be Rapid Bus Service On Van Nuys Boulevard Or Rapid Transit Through The Sepulveda Pass, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Said In Chatsworth
Chatsworth Patch

A City So Tough The New Police Dogs Shoot (The K9 unit in the New York subway is outfitted with the same $9,000 cameras that Navy Seals use)
New York Times

Drivers Warned Of 210 East Freeway Lane Closures ("Lane closures on the eastbound 210 freeway are expected Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights due to construction of the Metro Gold Line Foothill extension from Pasadena to Azusa.")
KABC Los Angeles

Free Drinks And Food For Transit Riders In Los Angeles; An Idea Whose Time Has Come!
Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Riding Green LA ("Riding Green is a new organization focused on encouraging Angelino bar goers to reduce their carbon footprint by taking public transportation. We are teaming up with bars to provide discounts to individuals who provide proof of taking public transportation.")

GOP Sen. Inhofe Opposes Linking Keystone, Transportation Package
The Hill

High-Speed Rail Planners Stay Course Despite New Pitch From San Francisco Leaders ("The San Francisco County Transportation Authority, a local transit planning agency, said construction in the Bay Area could coincide with the beginning of work in the Central Valley.")
San Francisco Examiner

Horrible Surface Transportation Bill Unveiled Today -- Bicycle Programs Eliminated
League Of American Cyclists

House GOP Transportation Bill At Odds With Boxer's
San Francisco Chronicle

House Transportation Bill Officially Drops, Lands With A Thud
StreetsBlog DC

House Transportation Bill Would Drop High-Speed Rail
Gannett

How Much, How Far, How Many: New Online Tool Puts California & Other State Facts And Figures At Your Fingertips
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

IntelliStreets: Digital Scaffolding For "Smart" Cities
Huffington Post

L.A.'s $1.5 Billion Sidewalk Problem
The Atlantic: Cities

Mica Touts Reauthorization Bill At Capitol Press Conference
AASHTO Journal

Opinion: Don't Kick More Kids Off The Bus ("Barring quick action by the Legislature, California will soon become the only state to eliminate all funding to transport students to public schools.")
Pasadena Star-News

Orange Line Extension Running Under Budget (includes video)
KABC Los Angeles

Pedestrians And Bikes To Rule The Road On This Silverlake Street ("A plan to turn a small section of Griffith Park Boulevard in Silver Lake into a traffic-free zone for pedestrians and bikes is moving forward.")
Eastsider LA

Public Transportation's Hidden Gender Imbalance
The Atlantic: Cities
Transportation: Reconceptualizing Data Collection
Stanford University Gendered Innovations In Science, Health & Medicine, And Engineering

Railroads To Invest $13 Billion This Year, Hire 15,000 Workers
Los Angeles Times

Reinventing Los Angeles: Seizing The Transit Opportunity ("Fostering lively and attractive communities near transit stations is all about creating choice: greater choice of accessible job opportunities and greater choice from among a range of new housing options; choice to live in or visit neighborhoods that are walkable, bike-friendly, well-designed, healthy, and livable; and choice for those who prefer not to drive a car, or for those who want to drive just a little less often.")
Planning Report

Republican Transportation Vision: More Highways, Funded By Drilling
Huffington Post

Senate Transit Bill Would Let Federal Funds Support Transit Service
StreetsBlog DC

Should California Bite The Bullet On High-Speed Rail? ("Is the state chasing a costly boondoggle, or making a large investment in the future? Travelers are for, against and unsure about devoting so much money to an expensive, futuristic project...I went to Union Station this week, as well as the Burbank airport, to ask travelers those very questions. ")
Los Angeles Times

Students Get Hands-On Lessons In Archeology, Local History ("The site, being dug in anticipation of construction of the Alameda Corridor East (ACE) rail project, has already yielded Spanish coins, animal bones, beads and a bone fragment or two.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

The Surprisingly Complex Art Of Urban Wayfinding
The Atlantic: Cities

Technology And Public Engagement: Are We There Yet?
Talking Transportation

Transportation Bill Throws Bones To GOP Base
Politico

Two Metro Service Changes That Did Happen This Month
StreetsBlog LA

U.S. Highway Trust Fund Faces Insolvency Next Year, CBO Says
Business Week

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Fourth Round Of Funding Under Highly Successful TIGER Program
U.S. DOT Press Release

Virtuous Cycle: 10 Lessons From The World's Great Biking Cities
Grist

Why Does Our Infrastructure Resemble A Third World Country's? An Explanation May Be Our Budgeting Process
Governing

Worst. Transportation Bill. Ever.
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

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