Today's Headlines - more at Metro

4/11/2012

Carmageddon Baby Boom?, California Transportation Funding, CAHSR, Westside Subway, Beverly Hills, CicLAvia, Planning LA & More



It's National Library Week. The Metro Transportation Library's YouTube Channel features topical playlists of more than 200 films and videos related to the past, present and future of transit and transportation in Los Angeles -- everything from a 1914 Pacific Electric training film to a 1991 promotional video for building the Metro Red Line.

Part 3 of the 1947 film, "It's A Big Job," is a fascinating look at what it's like to be a Los Angeles Transit Lines operator.

AEG Holds Farmers Field Workshop
Blog Downtown

California High-Speed Rail Spending Probed By U.S. House
Business Week

California Transportation Commission: $538 Billion Needed To Maintain System
StreetsBlog LA
2011 Annual Report To The California Legislature (92p. PDF)
California Transportation Commission

Can Downtown LA Handle Farmers Field?
Southern California Public Radio

CicLAvia: Getting Down, Changing Perspective, Seeing LA From A Different Angle
StreetsBlog LA

Congestion Pricing: Not Coming Soon To A U.S. City Near You
This Big City

Dianne Feinstein Praises Jerry Brown's High-Speed Rail Plan
Sacramento Bee
Link
Did Carmageddon Make Way For A Baby Boom? ("Couples who conceived after staying home in July 2011 -- when the 405 Freeway was shutdown -- are speculating about a Carmageddon-induced baby boom in the Los Angeles area.')
NBC Los Angeles

Encouraging U.S. Infrastructure Investment ("First, Congress should give states flexibility to pursue alternative financing sources—public-private partnerships (PPPs), tolling and user fees, and low-cost borrowing through innovative credit and bond programs. Second, Congress and President Barack Obama should improve federal financing programs and streamline regulatory approvals to move billions of dollars for planned investments into construction. Both recommendations can be accomplished.")
Council On Foreign Relations Policy Innovation Memorandum

Extent Of Highway Capacity Manual Use In Planning (61p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Feature > Reuse Renaissance: Downtown LA's Retro-Chic Makeovers Show How Retail And Restaurants Can Transform A Neighborhood
Architect's Newspaper

Freeway Removal Creates Opportunity For Improved Health, Quality Of Life
The City Fix

Gas Prices, Now Averaging $3.92 A Gallon, May Have Peaked
USA Today

Issa Looking Into California High-Speed Rail
Politico

Jerry Brown's Waterloo Station? California High-Speed Rail Takes A New Hit ("A congressional committee says it will investigate federal funding for California's embattled high-speed rail project. California Gov. Jerry Brown's continued support is making him an increasingly lonely voice.")
Christian Science Monitor

Letter To The Editor: What Will Happen To The Westside If The Subway Never Comes?
Westwood-Century City Patch

Metro Still Advocates Tunneling Beneath BHHS
Beverly Hills Courier

Metro To Consider A Valley Light Rail Or Busway On Sepulveda
Curbed LA
New York Subways Booming As Bus Ridership Continues Decline
Transportation Nation

Pinterest As A Transportation Tool: Useful Or Just Interesting?
Talking Transportation

Ride Metrolink To CicLAvia Sunday, April 15
Metrolink

Santa Monica Pier Parking Changes Ahead
Santa Monica Mirror

Sidewalk Science: The Peculiar Habits Of The Pedestrian, Explained (Part 2 of 4)
Slate

Solar Carport At Industry Metrolink Station Capable Of Powering 1,300 Homes
Whittier Daily News

Study Finds Car-Centric Neighborhoods Strongly Tied To Childhood Obesity
StreetsBlog Network

Transportation Deductions: Bright Idea Or Waste Of Time? ("More people using different modes of transportation like bicycles or public transit means more voters exposed to the effects of tightened budgets, good or bad. Do these deductions help to raise awareness by encouraging Americans to seek out new ways of getting around? Do they have any other indirect effects? Are transportation-related deductions useful or useless? Should they be expanded, scrapped, reformed?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

A Transportation IQ Test For Your Representative And Senator During Legislative Recess
Transportation Issues Daily

Twit Wit: If Facebook Bought The Blue Line...
LAist

An Uncertain Fate For Urban Projects In California
New York Times

Unplanned L.A.? Think Again (Interview with David Sloane, author of the forthcoming Planning Los Angeles)
The Atlantic: Cities

Unusual Urban Pastime Of The Day: Subway Speed Riding
The Atlantic: Cities

What Cities Gain When Their Airports Are Close To Downtown ("Just two of the 10 most remote major U.S. airports are connected by rail of any kind.")
The Atlantic: Cities

What Makes A Successful Bike Share Station?
Next American City

Why Young Americans Are Driving So Much Less Than Their Parents
The Atlantic: Cities

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.

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