This is National Library Week. In just the past year, the Metro Transportation Library has rolled out several new tools and services, including:
- HistoryPin, in conjunction with Google, is a new multi-platform technology allowing us (a global launch partner) to map our historic photograph collection in context with images from other collections in the same location or time period
- Paper.li, our online daily newspaper digest of tweets from leaders in the nation's transit and transportation community
- California Highways And Public Works, our growing digital collection of publications documenting the state's road, highway and infrastructure planning and construction from 1924 to 1967 (full-text searchable here). Above, the story of the Coast Highway being built north of Santa Monica in 1924 from California Highways And Public Works.
April 12: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (landmark date for 1978's Sunset Ltd. rail line and the opening of the Alameda Corridor Project)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog
5 Apps And Websites To Beat Traffic
Huffington Post
5 Videos That Could Change The Way You See Cities
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog
NRDC Sustainable Communities YouTube Channel
Analysts: Gas Prices May Have Peaked
The Hill
Bicycle Commuting Gains Traction In Cities ("The most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates show about 730,000 Americans bike to work as their primary means of transportation, a 50 percent increase from 2000.")
Governing
British Transit Enthusiast Aims At A Speed Record For Visiting Subway Stations (First New York, then Toronto...could he be headed our way?)
Toronto Star (Canada)
CicLAvia Offers Miles Of Opportunity For Angelenos: 10 Miles Of Los Angeles Streets Will Be Opened To Pedestrians And Cyclists On Sunday
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch
Fake L.A. Subway Map: What Los Angeles Would Look Like With A Comprehensive Rail System ("Numan Parada, an L.A.-area mapmaker, created a "fantasy public transit map" for Los Angeles in 2007 -- and it appears the map has gone viral again this spring.")
LA Weekly
Guide To Architecture And Events Of This Weekend's CicLAvia
Curbed LA
Hate Freeways? You Aren't Doing Your City Any Favors
Bloomberg
High-Speed Rail Officials To OK New Business Plan
Hispanic Business
L.A. Aims To Speed Development With Streamlined Permit Process
Daily Breeze
Long Beach Transit Provides Special Service For Grand Prix
Everything Long Beach
Metro Has A Message For Bev Hills Mayor
Curbed LA
Metro Rebuffs Beverly Hills Report On Controversial Westside Subway Route
LA Weekly
Metro Responds To Beverly Hills' Subway Safety Report ("The transportation authority is standing by its findings that a route under BHHS is the best option for the Century City stop of the Westside Subway Extension.")
Beverly Hills Patch
Metrolink Upgrading Communication System
Santa Clarita Valley Signal
Proposed Venice Observation Wheel Spurs Parking, Traffic Concerns ("The 200-foot-tall attraction would be just west of the boardwalk and offer a 15-minute ride. City parks officials say the goal is to create a reason for people already visiting the beach to stay longer.")
Los Angeles Times
Push Made For "Made In America" Transit Vehicles
Silicon Valley Mercury News
SoCal's New Sustainability Strategy Is Impressive Step Forward ("The new plan is impressive, relying on increased investment in public transit and more walkable, transit-accessible land use patterns to reduce pollution while conserving farmland and natural areas.")
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog
State Senators Say They Won't Rush Bullet Train Plans ("As California's high-speed rail leaders get set to approve a plan for the $68-billion system, some state legislators are putting on the brakes, saying the June budget deadline may be missed.")
Los Angeles Times
Two Views Of Downtown LA Revitalization: LA vs. New York
Curbed LA
Wendell Cox Lauches Attack On Regional Planning, Common Sense
California Planning & Development Report
What's Wrong With A Car-Centric System? New Video Explains It All
StreetsBlog Network
What's Your Walk Score? The Company That Puts A Number On Walkability (Part 3 of 4)
Slate
Yes, People DO Walk In L.A.: And Now Walkers Have Their Own Advocacy Group
LAist
Los Angeles Walks
Young People Drive 23% Less Than They Did In 2001
GOOD
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.
We invite you to visit Metro's The Source, your window to what's happening with agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles.
