Today's Headlines - more at Metro

5/18/2012

BH Subway Hearing, Metro Cell Service, 710, eHighway, Whittier Bikes, Big Walk & More


4th Big Parade Visits Echo Park, Silver Lake Saturday
Century City Patch

Beverly Hills Residents Tell Metro Why They Oppose Subway Path ("The Metro board heard from critics Thursday of its Westside Subway Extension plan, which would require tunneling under Beverly Hills High School.")
NBC Los Angeles

Beverly Hills Threatens Legal Action Over Subway Extension
Los Angeles Times

Beverly Hills Tunnel Hearing: "Metro Refused All Risk Studies"
Beverly Hills Courier

BH Vice Mayor John Mirisch Wants Better Metro Transparency
Century City Patch

Congress Members Urge MTA To Include Funding For Gold Line Project To Claremont
Whittier Daily News

El Sereno Residents Review SR-710 Plans
EGP News

Experts Emphasize Flaws In Metro's Westside Subway Studies
Beverly Hills Patch

Geologists, Engineers Dispute Metro's Seismic Claims About Westside Subway Extension Through Century City: Data Does Not Support Need To Tunnel Under Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills Unified School District via PR Newswire

Graphic: The Process Of Passing The Transportation Bill
Transportation For America

Hollywood Pedicab System Could Close H&H-Vine Street Gap
Curbed LA

Huntington Park Approves Plan To Upgrade City Streets
Los Angeles Wave

List Of Final Community Meetings On The Pacific Electric Corridor Released
Orange County Breeze
Pacific Electric Right-Of-Way / West Santa Ana Branch Corridor Alternatives Analysis
SCAG

Los Angeles Plans Pilot Of Siemens eHighway
Sustainable Business

Metro Considers Proposals For Cell Service, Possibly Wi-Fi For Rail Riders
Blog Downtown

Metro Hearing: BH Argues No Active Faults, Presents Route Alternatives
Beverly Hills Patch

Metro Invites Public To Open Houses On 710 Freeway
Sierra Madre Patch

Muni Inflated On-Time Performance Rates: Transit Agency Padded Statistics By Redefining A Minute
Bay Citizen

Neighbors Want More Time To Read Up On Farmers Field, But Officials Say Project Must Move Forward
Southern California Public Radio

New Tool For Estimating Economic Impacts Of Transportation Projects: Transportation Project Impact Case Studies (T-PICS) (4p. PDF)
Transportation Research Board

Playoffs, Cycling Race Cause Traffic Concerns At LA Live This Weekend
Blog Downtown

Scientists Testify Before Metro Board, Opposing Tunneling Under High School
Southern California Public Radio

The Secret To Tokyo's Rail Success
The Atlantic: Cities

Steinberg: HSR Funds To Be Decided By July 1
California High Speed Rail Blog

Taking The Train In Los Angeles
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Whittier Shows Pedal Power
Whittier Daily News


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.

5/17/2012

Arcadia Gold Line, CAHSR, LA's Electric Truck Lanes, Farmers Field, BH Public Hearing, Bikes Lanes & More


30 Minutes On Mass Transit In 20 World Cities (20 maps show how far you can get from the city center via transit using the Mapnificent app)
The Atlantic: Cities

Arcadia Requests More Parking Capacity For Future Gold Line Station
Pasadena Star-News

BART Wi-Fi Still Lags After 3 Years
San Francisco Chronicle

Boxer: Highway Talks Past "Organizational Stage"; Meeting With Mica Thursday
The Hill

California High-Speed Rail Project Given Conditional Blessing
Sacramento Bee

Could Electric Truck Lanes Reduce L.A.'s Horrific Pollution? ("The eventual goal is to deploy an eHighway pilot on Southern California's Interstate 710, which handles tons of truck traffic from the ports of Long Beach and L.A.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Councilwoman: Busy Weekend "Test Case" For L.A. Stadium Project
Orange County Register

Farmers Field Developers Promise To Add Metro Station Platform After Environmental Impact Report
Southern California Public Radio

Google-Funded Pundit: Foget Transit, The Future Belongs To Robocars
StreetsBlog DC

GOP Hints It'll Part With Keystone XL Pipeline To Finish Highway Bill
The Hill

Happy Bike Month South L.A.: Trio Of New Bike Lanes Appear, More On The Way
StreetsBlog LA

How To Make Public Transportation Safer On A Shoestring Budget ("Fears are common in every city, but especially sprawling ones like Los Angeles, where riders must walk further distances to our stops, and often through less populated environments.")
GOOD

Huge Shared Streets Plan Revealed For Bergamot Station Area
Curbed LA
 Road Map to Future Bergamot Circulation Drawn
Santa Monica Patch

Improved Multi-Lane Roundabout Designs For Urban Areas (284p. PDF)
New Zealand Transport Agency

Is Transportation Bill Included In Obama's Pre-Election To-Do List For Congress?
Transportation Issues Daily

Metro Public Hearing Today: BH Wants "All The Science"
Beverly Hills Patch

Metro Responds To Beverly Hills Courier Story Alleging Large Payment To Developer
The Source

New Report Finds That More Biking And Walking Does Not Increase Crash Rate
Forbes

The Next Great Technology Platform: The Bicycle ("Bicycles have already become an essential part of our culture, but now they're shaping our urban and social spaces too.")
The Atlantic

Opinion: Don't Stall Innovative Transportation Networks
Politico

Rising Or Falling, Volatile Gas Prices Underscore Importance Of Transit
StreetsBlog DC

Small Solutions: West Hollywood Devises Parking Credits Plan
California Planning & Development Report

Thursday Public Hearing On Westside Subway Extension
Beverly Hills Patch

TRB 2012 Annual Meeting Highlights: Transportation -- Putting Innovation And People To Work (12p. PDF)
Transportation Research Board

World's Subway Converging On Ideal Form
Wired


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.

5/16/2012

NoHo Depot, UCLA Bikes, 210 Car Count, BH Subway, Freeway Trucks, Gas Prices & More


All Aboard For NoHo Depot Restoration ("What the building will ultimately be used for remains unknown, but at least initial work on restoration of the decrepit 1896 structure is under way after a dozen years of frustrated attempts to rehabilitate the landmark.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Beverly Hills Steps Up -- And Stumbles Badly -- In Their Attempt To Accomodate Cyclists
Biking In LA

California Bullet Train Chief Seeks Environmental Exemptions ("The chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority says in a state Senate hearing that he hopes the initial phase of the construction project through the Central Valley can avoid legal delays.")
Los Angeles Times

Coldwater Canyon Construction Begins; End Date? Next March
Southern California Public Radio

Commentary On Metro Plan To Lock Subway Gates This Year
StreetsBlog LA

Counting Blue (And Silver And Red And White) Cars On The 210 ("The data -- collected from their perches on the Gould Avenue overpass -- will be used for a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority study of local traffic patterns, which will be included in an environmental impact report for closing the "710 gap.")
Los Angeles Times

Downtown Gridlock: "Never Been A Weekend Like This" In L.A. ("With the Lakers, Clippers and Kings all in postseason action this weekend and the final stage of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, authorities are warning of street closures and heavier than normal traffic in the downtown area. "There’s never been a weekend like this in Los Angeles," said AEG’s Michael Roth. "Six playoff games in four days? In Los Angeles? Never. And the bike race will be a really big deal.")
Los Angeles Times

An Electrifying Freight Solution On The 710? Siemens Working On It
Los Angeles Times

Fact Check: There Is No $38.7 Million Payout To JMB Realty In Westside Subway Plans
StreetsBlog LA

Gas Prices In U.S. Are Among Lowest In World, Report Finds
Huffington Post

Getting Transportation Back On Track ("The federal 18.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax hasn’t budged since 1993. Cities and states suffering economically cannot keep up with aging transportation infrastructure or funding public transport, thus leading to layoffs and reduced services. It seems that no one wants to pay for transportation improvements. Problem is: we are all paying the cost each and every day that we don’t fund them.")
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

How Southern California Freeways Will soon Become More Hybrid Truck-Friendly
Tecca

LB's Gerald Desmond Replacement Set To Move Next Year
Curbed LA

Long Beach Rolls Up To Silver For Being Among Most Bike Friendly
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Metro Invites Public Participation In Open Houses Starting This Week ("To facilitate a public discussion about various “alternative concepts” to the proposed extension of the 710 freeway into the Los Angeles area.")
Montrose Patch

Metrolink Wants Public Input On Potential Fare Increases
Santa Clarita Valley News

Metrolink Wants to Know What You Think About Proposed Fare Increases
LAist

Nobody Walks In LA, But Could The Boulevard Change All That? (audio : Patt Morrison interviews Christopher Hawthorne about his new "On The Boulevards" series in the Los Angeles Times, as well as CicLAvia co-founder Aaron Paley and urban design firm principal Doug Suisman : "Biking culture is blossoming with festivals like CicLAvia and an ambitious bike-share program in the city of Los Angeles; urban planners are jumping on the opportunity to create new pedestrian spaces with food trucks and public art; museums and businesses are coordinating to put on “First Fridays” art walks; and Measure R funds are ensuring that new subway extensions, light-rail and bus networks are getting built.")
Southern California Public Radio

RAND: Car-Sharing Could Cut Carbon Emissions From Cars By 1.7%
StreetsBlog DC

Study Links Long Commutes To A Host Of Health Maladies
StreetsBlog DC

Subdivisions Go Urban As Housing Market Changes
USA Today

"Visions Of Empire" At The Huntington Library Looks At U.S. Railroad ("The exhibition puts the construction of railroad tracks and its connection of the coasts in context.")
Los Angeles Times

Volatile Gas Prices Point To Increased Use Of Public Transportation
APTA Press Release
Public Transportation Protects Americans From Gas Price Volatility (14p. PDF)
APTA

Transit Districts Revealed As Key To Growth And Jobs ("ULI Los Angeles’ 3rd Annual Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Summit Is June 7 at USC: Transformative Strategies Will Be Showcased by MTA, U.S. General Services Administration and State of California.")
ULI Los Angeles

UCLA Takes Steps To Cultivate A More Bicycle-Friendly Environment With Bike To Campus Week
UCLA Daily Bruin


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.

5/15/2012

Mobility 21, 710, Beverly Hills, Disney's Transpo Future, Metro App, Santa Monica, Transpo Bill & More


11th Annual Southern California Transportation Summit: We're All In This Together (September 28 : Disneyland Hotel)
Mobility 21

710 Extension Will Be Discussed In NELA Thursday
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

A Bad Day In The House For The Census
APA Policy News

BBB To Cut Downtown, Beach Rides
Santa Monica Daily Press

Disconnect: Stay Alert, Stay Alive (Spring 2012 media campaign from Southern California coalition of government agencies and other organizations encourages changing motorist, bicyclist and pedestrian behavior through coordinated education and enforcement efforts)
Watch The Road

Enhancing Transportation ("What is the value of the transportation enhancement program, if any? Is it really such a big deal? Are there common misconceptions about it? Is it too simplistic to call it the "bike path" money?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Geotechnical Expert Refutes Metro Data, Says Santa Monica Boulevard Has No Active Earthquake Faults
Beverly Hills Courier

LA City Council Calls On Legislature To Begin HSR Construction
California High Speed Rail Blog

Metrolink Proposes Fare Boost To Cover Fuel
Orange County Register

National Transportation Week Turns 50
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

New Bus-Only Metro App ("Sure, Metro has a new app covering its whole system, but if you're looking for the heavy duty bus action, there's a new app called Transit LA "that gives you down-to-the-second wait times for any Los Angeles Metro bus stop.")
Curbed LA

New Santa Monica Parking Meters Erase Extra Minutes
LAist

Obama Hails U.S. Infrastructure ("President Barack Obama declared May 18 as National Defense Transportation Day, a tradition that began in 1957 to celebrate U.S. infrastructure.")
UPI

Oops -- Wrong Future! What Kind Of Infrastructure Do We Really Need?
Salon

Shuster: President Will Sign Transpo Bill In The Fall
Transportation Nation

Tens Of Thousands Turned Out For 5th Annual National Train Day Celebrations Across America!
MarketWatch

Vault Disney: How The Magic Kingdom Showcased The Magnificent Future Of Transportation In 1958
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Walk Score Calculates City Bikeability, And Minneapolis Comes Out On Top
StreetsBlog DC
Bike Score Is Here!
Walk Score

What Governors Want In The Final Federal Transportation Bill (Part 2)
Transportation Issues Daily

What Railroad Construction Industry Wants In Final Federal Transportation Bill (Part 1)
Transportation Issues Daily 


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.

5/14/2012

405's "Rampture," Bike Week LA, 710 Gap, Beverly Hills Subway, Orange Line Extension & More

May 14: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The birth of Sunset Boulevard and Disney promotes its vision for the future of transportation)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

The 10 Busiest Bike Intersections In Los Angeles
Curbed LA

The 20 Best And Worst Cities For Public Transit
TIME

405 Freeway Construction Snarls Loom
Los Angeles Daily News

405 Freeway Ramps Along Wilshire Set For 90-Day Closures In June
CBS Los Angeles

Add A Green Buffered Bike Lane And Number Of Cyclists Explodes
StreetsBlog LA
L.A. Bike Count: Every Cyclist Counts -- Results From The 2011 City Of Los Angeles Bicycle And Pedestrian Count (102p. PDF)
Los Angeles County Bicyle Coalition

Atlantic On The Move ("As Los Angeles' boulevards reassert their place in the public realm, the transformation along Atlantic [running from the San Gabriel Valley to Long Beach, including the Metro Gold Line's Eastside Atlantic Station] offers glimpses of a new city identity taking shape.")
Los Angeles Times

Beverly Hills High: Will A Subway Tunnel Through It? ("Regardless of who's right, it's this kind of bickering and controversy that has for decades prevented Los Angeles from presenting more public-transportation options to relieve residents who battle the worst traffic in the U.S.")
TIME

Big Blue Bus Announces Two New Members Of Management Team
Santa Monica Mirror

California Deficit Grows To $16 Billion, Gov. Jerry Brown Says ("Brown in January had estimated a budget deficit of $9.2 billion. He warns of even more painful spending cuts to come and will present a revised plan Monday.")
Los Angeles Times

Count For 710 Freeway Gap Study Starts: Data Collection Is Part Of Plan For Environmental Impact Report For The 710
La Cañada Valley Sun

DOT To California: Use It Or Lose It ("As part of the economic stimulus, the DOT allocated $3.3 billion to California’s planned high-speed rail line, which has become bogged down in a high-stakes fight over its price tag and location. California risks losing those federal funds if the state Legislature doesn’t approve $2.7 billion in bonds by mid-June.")
Politico

Forget Carmageddon II: Westside Traffic About To Feel A Whole Lot Of Pain
LA Observed

Geotechnical Information Practices In Design-Build Projects (124p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Get Ready To Ramp Up On Wilshire ("Long-running closures of the 405 Freeway’s Wilshire Boulevard ramps are set to begin on Friday, June 22, bringing fresh challenges to an intersection that’s already among the nation’s worst.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District
I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project: Wilshire Loops Fact Sheet
Metro
Wilshire Ramps Reconstruction (video)
Metro via YouTube

Green Bike Lane In Downtown L.A. Sees Moderate Boost In Traffic
Los Angeles Times

High-Speed Rail's Competing Visions
Politico

High-Speed Spending: Bullet Train May Need $3.5 Million A Day ("California would have to pay $6 billion to complete a 130-mile segment by September 2017, a plan that requires 120 permits and buying 1,100 parcels of land.")
Los Angeles Times

House, Senate Negotiators Discuss Federal Transportation Bill
Transportation Issues Daily

In Beverly Hills, Preservation Gains A Toehold
New York Times

Juxtaposing CicLAvia And Disneyland: Engineering Place Or Living It?
Urban Adonia

LA's Original Subway (Photo-essay and tour of the Pacific Electric subway tunnel, 1925-1955)
Gelato Baby

Lack Of Support Puts The Brakes On High-Speed Rail
NPR

Metro Posts Agenda For May 17th Hearing Requested By City Of Beverly Hills
Century City Subway

Metro Promotes "Bike Week LA" May 14-18
Culver City Patch

Metrolink Plans To Increase Fares
Ventura County Star

Metrolink Riders Face 9% Fare Hike
Los Angeles Daily News

More 405 Freeway Closures On The Way: The Latest Round Of Construction On Off-Limits Off-Ramps Will Make Them Earthquake Safe, Officials Say
NBC Los Angeles

MTA To Hold Subway Extension Public Hearing
Canyon News

The Nation's Most Bike-Friendly Communities: Does Yours Rate?
USA Today

Nation's Potholes Need A Big Fix
Politico

Public Transportation Systems Are Leaving People With Disabilities Behind
GOOD
Equity In Transportation For People With Disabilities (5p. PDF)
AAPD

The Rampture? 405 Freeway Ramp Closures To Bring Carmageddon Cousin
Southern California Public Radio

The Rampture On The 405 Is Real And It Starts June 22
Curbed LA

Researching Accessibility Gaps In Transit Hubs Communication Systems And Standards (link to "Accessiblity Review Of Transit-Related Applications" : "This report shares our reviews of a broad sampling of apps to determine their accessibility capabilities for people with sensory disabilities, including travelers with visual impairments who rely on the use of screen readers.")
National Center For Accessible Media

Rick Orlov's Tipoff ("There are some big changes coming to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority soon when it is Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's chance to be president.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Riding The Orange Line From Chatsworth To Canoga Station (video)
Northridge-Chatsworth

SFMTA Drafting Design Standards To Streamline Innovative Bike Treatments
StreetsBlog SF

Tweet-Analysis For Transit Agencies, And More On Positive Feedback
Human Transit

What Do Governors Want In The Final Federal Transportation Bill (Part 1)?
Transportation Issues Daily

What Killing The American Community Survey Would Actually Mean
The Atlantic: Cities

Why So Few Walk Or Bike To School
Transportation Nation

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.