Today's Headlines - more at Metro

12/07/2012

Expo Line, Union Station, High-Speed Rail, LA's First Streetcars, Boyle Heights, Measure J & More

December 7: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Pacific Electric's Red Cars roll into Owensmouth [Canoga Park] 100 years ago today, and one of the region's earliest proposals for freeways envisions the County crisscrossed by stop-free "pleasant thoroughfares")
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

The $100 Million "X Train" Will Be A Party From L.A. To Vegas
Forbes

Are Toll Roads Coming To Your Local Freeway?
Redlands-Loma Linda Patch

Calif. Agency Sponsors Children's Play Area ("Calif.-based Montebello Bus Lines (MBL) partnered with The Shops at Montebello to open a transportation, environment and conservation-theme play area for kids.")
Metro Magazine

Deficit-Reduction Talks May Fuel Gas Tax Increase
Governing

The Expo Line Draws A Gold Rush ("In addition to construction of this phase of the Expo Line is a gold rush of sorts by developers, who are promising projects that are transit-oriented and tailored to the needs of a train-traveling public. It’s all supposed to be a part of an enlightened development strategy to relieve the traffic-clogged community with multi-story, high-density housing near the line -- so people can whiz off to their jobs– and ground floors given over to retail space. Santa Monica officials have strongly pushed the Expo-adjacent, multi-use projects, shuttle services and bike facilities. Some residents though are alarmed by the hundreds of thousands of square feet of potential development and see the coming wave of projects as a tsunami.")
KCRW Which Way LA?

Fans And Foes Debate California's High Speed Rail On Capitol Hill
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Hahn: High-Speed Rail Project "Critical" To Calif., U.S. Economy
CBS Los Angeles

How John Brockman Changed Downtown
Los Angeles Downtown News

Intersection Near Library Named For Bradbury
Los Angeles Times
Ray Bradbury Would've Crisscrossed LA With Monorails
Curbed LA

L.A. Council Votes To Regulate Valet Parking Operators ("The rules would require valid California driver's licenses for all workers, permits, liability insurance and proof of off-street spaces.")
Los Angeles Times

LA Preparing To Buy Silver Lake's Corralitas Red Car Property ("The privately-owned, 10-acre property in Silver Lake known as the Corralitas Red Car property is one step closer to becoming a public park. The City Council has determined how much it is willing to pay for the former Pacific Electric Railway right of way, and yesterday directed the city find the cash to make the purchase.")
Curbed LA

L.A.'s First Streetcars Were Horse-Powered (Rarely seen archival images from the late 1800s illustrate this extensive must-see look back at Los Angeles' earliest public transportation)
LA as Subject via KCET

LaHood Defends California High-Speed Rail Plan
The Hill

Last Stop For Track 16: Iconic Gallery Space Becomes The Train Platform ("It’s a sad irony for those of us who crave more mass transit that a special spot has to fall to make way for the Expo Line.")
KCRW Which Way LA?

Manhattan Beach Council Balks At Hiring Consultant For Trolley Study
Daily Breeze

A "Movement For Movement" Puts Walking Front And Center
StreetsBlog DC

Now Is The Time For More Transit, Not Less
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

On Track For The Future: Crowds Come Out And Are Ready To Comment On The Union Station Master Plan
Los Angeles Downtown News

Our View: Give Toll Road Drivers A Break
Pasadena Star-News

Public Transit Is Having A Moment
Voice Of San Diego

Report: Bus Market To Grow 5% Annually
Metro Magazine

Riding The Subway As Therapy ("Public transportation is an inherently contradictory experience. You insert yourself into a highly public, perpetually crowded environment and immediately retreat into the privacy of your own interior world.")
The Atlantic: Cities

"Starting From The Beginning" For Some Metro Owned Sites In Boyle Heights
StreetsBlog LA

Thom Mayne Wins 2013 AIA Gold Medal: The Bad Boy Of Los Angeles Architecture Comes Away With One Of Architecture's Most Prestigious Honors ("He has been celebrated for projects such as the California Department of Transportation District 7 Headquarters in Los Angeles (2004)")
Architect Magazine

Transit Officials Ask Congress For Billions In Storm Aid
New York Times

Transportation Would Suffer Because Of Fiscal Cliff And Impact On Economy
Kansas City Star

Turning Measure J's Defeat Into Victory ("Out of disappointment emerges opportunity: It’s important to remember that Measure J was actually “Plan B” for financing the 30-10 plan to build out LA County’s Measure R funded rail expansion in 10 years instead of 30. “Plan A” was an innovative federal financing package – called America Fast Forward -- that was a combination of two proposals: 1) the TIFIA (Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act) low-interest loan program and 2) a new class of qualified tax credit bonds called “Qualified Transportation Improvement Bonds” or QTIBs.")
Move LA

Will We Finally See An Increase To State And Federal Gas Taxes?
The Atlantic Cities


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

We invite you to visit Metro's The Sourceyour window to what's happening with agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles.

12/06/2012

Expo Line, Union Station, Measure J, Transit Tax Law, OCTA, CAHSR, I-10/605, Mobile Technologies & More

Appointment Of OCTA's Chief Exec Violated State's Open Meeting Law
Voice Of OC

Back To Square One: The Story Of Ray Bradbury Square In Los Angeles ("Ray Bradbury Square will be dedicated on December 6th at 2 p.m. in a ceremony held in Maguire Gardens.")
Huffington Post

California County Cancels Transportation Tax Recount (Think Measure J lost in a squeaker? Alameda County's transportation sales tax measure received 66.52% of the vote -- 700 votes short out of 350,000 cast)
Transportation Nation

California High-Speed Rail Too Expensive, McCarthy Says ("California’s $68.4 billion high-speed rail project is looking for too much money from the U.S. government and should be reconsidered, said California Representative Kevin McCarthy, the U.S. House’s third-ranking Republican.")
Bloomberg

California High-Speed Rail Brawl Hits House Floor
Politico

California Legislature Must Restore Democracy To Transit Funding
California High Speed Rail Blog

Caltrans To Fix 605-10 Freeway Interchange
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Current Hazardous Materials Transportation Research And Future Needs (126p. PDF : web-only document)
Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program

Dispelling The Myths: Toll And Fuel Tax Collection Costs In The 21st Century (79p. PDF)
Reason Foundation

Editorial: Rethinking Prop. 13 ("Advocates of Los Angeles County's Measure J, a sales tax extension for transportation funding, are frustrated that they fell just short of the required two-thirds in November, and they also are discussing a change to 55%, perhaps just for transportation sales taxes, or perhaps more broadly.")
Los Angeles Times

Expo Line Ridership Is Increasing
USC Daily Trojan

Flyover Connector To Be Built Between 10 And 605 Freeways
Baldwin Park Patch

Free Muni For Low-Income Youth Funded ("The Metropolitan Transportation Agency voted unanimously to spend an estimated $1.6 million in federal funds dedicated to improving transit performance and ridership on a 16-month program offering free Fast Passes to low-income San Franciscans under 18.")
San Francisco Chronicle

How This Government Agency Is Saving $500 Million By Using Social And Mobile Technologies ("Most people don’t look to Jefferson City, Missouri as a source of technical innovation, and they especially would never think to look at its government. But they’d be surprised to learn that the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) is one of the most innovative organizations using social and mobile technologies in the country. In fact, they are a model for how government can and should cut spending by leveraging new technologies.")
Forbes

Integrated Risk Management For Improving Internal Traffic Control, Work-Zone Safety, And Mobility During Major Construction (80p. PDF)
Iowa State University Institute For Transportation

JetBlue To Eliminate Day Flights At Bob Hope Airport ("Bob Hope Airport officials approved additional parking rate increases this week to tackle steady revenue drops caused by declining passenger activity that’s expected to be exacerbated by JetBlue’s decision to eliminate all daytime flights at the airfield as of Jan. 6.")
Burbank Leader

LA Council President Asks AIA-LA Members If Merging Planning With Building & Safety Is A Good Idea
The Planning Report

Lowering Threshold To Pass Transportation Taxes Not A Hit With Everyone
Los Angeles Daily News

Metro Holds First Union Station Master Plan Community Meeting
LADOT Bike Blog

Mica Bids Farewell To Transportation Chairmanship At Portrait Unveiling
The Hill

Midsize Cities On The Move: A Look At The Next Generation Of Rapid Bus, Bus Rapid Transit, And Streetcar Projects In The United States (52p. PDF)
Reconnecting America
Introduction Webpage

New L.A. Bridge Calls For Public Review
KCET

Pay By The Mile To Drive? State Takes A Serious Look (Washington state)
NWCN

Senate Hearing Will Detail Hurricane Sandy's Transit Damage
Transportation Nation

State Senator Carol Liu Introduces Bill To Eliminate 2/3 Rule For Transit Taxes ("SCA 4 is a constitutional amendment, which requires a 2/3 vote to send to the voters.")
California High Speed Rail Blog

Students React To Measure J ("Fewer projects will be constructed and completed in the next 20 years because potential borrowing is limited to the expected revenues from the existing Measure R, which expires in 2039...")
USC Daily Trojan

Surgeon General Announces Call To Action On Walking
StreetsBlog DC

Tax Measure Gets Things Rolling For LA Streetcars
San Francisco Chronicle

Think About The Transportation Sector ("The U.S. therefore needs a 3-step mass transit program to help our communities thrive, protect our climate, and promote human health.")
Huffington Post

Toll Lanes Considered For I-10
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Transpo Tax Fails With 66% Of Vote: Time To Change The Rules?
Curbed LA

UCLA Environmental Researchers Release Citywide Plan, Call On Candidates To Adopt
UCLA Newsroom
Vision 2021 LA: A Model Environmental Sustainability Agenda For Los Angeles' Next Mayor And City Council (85p. PDF)
UCLA Institute Of The Environment And Sustainability

Why California's Two-Thirds Local Ballot Threshold May Be Worth Keeping
StreetsBlog Network


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

We invite you to visit Metro's The Sourceyour window to what's happening with agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles.

12/04/2012

Downtown Streetcar, Expo II & Bergamot Station, "Smart LA," OCTA, Car-Share, Measure J & More

Appointment Of OCTA Chief Thrown Into Doubt
Orange County Register

Assemblyman Mike Feuer Hospitalized Following Car Crash
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

DNC Head: Transit "Essential To Our Economic Success"
StreetsBlog Network

Downtown L.A. Voters Agree To Tax Themselves To Fund Streetcar Project
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Downtown Streetcar Desire Headed For Reality
LA Weekly

Downtowners Vote "Yes" On New Tax To Fund DTLA Streetcar ("73% of people voted in favor of a property tax that will help cover a portion of the streetcar's cost. The turnout surpassed the two-thirds vote the tax needed to pass.")
Blog Downtown

Eight Burning Questions About Post-Election Transpo Policy And Politics
StreetsBlog DC

Freeway To Palmdale, Train To Vegas Subject Of Public Meetings
Victorville Daily Press

Improving Roadway Safety Programs Through University-Agency Partnerships (116p. PDF)
U.S. Transportation Research Board

It's Official, 1st Street Bike Lane Will Lose Some Of Its Buffer
StreetsBlog LA

The Many Ways That Cities Are Trying To Make Uber Illegal ("The company's now been banned or fined in pretty much every major American city, and now, regulators are now looking for ways to make the hire-a-car business illegal in all of the United States.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Measure J Fails By 14,000 Votes, Metro Still Confident
Daily Breeze

Metro Statement On Measure J Losing
LA Observed

Muni Subway Plan To Appease North Beach ("Muni's boss has a plan to silence the vocal opposition in North Beach to the Central Subway construction project - he wants to take a major step toward extending the line from Chinatown into North Beach itself.")
San Francisco Chronicle

New Signage Discourages Sidewalk Riding In Santa Monica, But It's An Issue That Defies Simple Resolution
StreetsBlog LA

Santa Monica City Hall Issues Request For Proposals For Bergamot Station ("The area would also have built-in infrastructure to support the planned Expo Light Rail, which is expected to have a stop there once the line is completed in 2016.")
Santa Monica Mirror

Social Media Is Eating Our Lives (And Pinterest Is Chewing Fast)
Wired

The Top 10 Smartest Cities In North America ("Which cities are pushing the envelope of technology, sustainability, and better living conditions?...L.A. is starting to break out of the box with increased density, growing its network of pedestrian and cycling paths and increased use of renewable energy. L.A. also is starting to create a thriving technology entrepreneurial ecosystem and is rated fourth globally in the inventive cities ranking.")
GOOD
Smarter Cities Profile: Los Angeles
Natural Resources Defense Council Smarter Cities

Transit Sales Tax Measure Loses, But Streetcar Tax Wins
KCET

Unknowns About I-10 Expansion Concern Many Area Residents
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Vote Puts New Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar One Step Closer To Reality
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Voters Approve $85 Million Downtown Streetcar Tax
Los Angeles Downtown News

Will Hitching Posts At Sunset & Alvarado Make Echo Park More Beautiful?
Eastsider LA


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

We invite you to visit Metro's The Sourceyour window to what's happening with agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles.

12/03/2012

Downtown Streetcar, LAX, CAHSR, Amtrak, Income-Based Fares, VISTA Wi-Fi, Walkability & More

December 3: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Los Angeles gets its first taste of transit-oriented development -- in 1885)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

10 Techniques For Making Cities More Walkable
The Atlantic: Cities

Amtrak Supporters Warily Eye Shuster As Rail Funding Fight Looms ("The Pennsylvania lawmaker, who is the son of a former Transportation Committee chairman, said recently that there could be "common ground" in the next Congress on rail funding.")
The Hill

As More Cyclists Hit The Road In Long Beach, Need For Clearer Code Emerges
StreetsBlog LA

British National Health Experts: Cycling Safer Than Couch Sitting
StreetsBlog DC

Brown Seeks Sovereign Wealth To Back High-Speed Rail Line
Bloomberg

A Difficult Lift For Shuster ("What should committee members be focusing on next year when it comes to transportation? Will it really be another four years before a highway bill gets done? Will a new chairman breathe life into the committee? How should legislators confront the niche transportation issues like rail, transit, and aviation? What makes a good transportation leader?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Downtown L.A. Residents Voting On Streetcar Project ("The proposal calls for an assessment district to help finance the $125-million fixed-rail project that is forecast to spawn $1 billion in development, including 2,600 new housing units.")
Los Angeles Times

Induction Charging Comes To Public Transit ("Say goodbye to catenary wires. Utah State University has unveiled an electric bus that charges through induction, topping off its batteries whenever it stops to pick up passengers.")
Wired

LAX Runway Separation Plan Advances, Over Groups' Objections ("Some neighbors and Ontario airport supporters oppose a plan touted as improving safety and the handling of the largest new aircraft at Los Angeles International.")
Los Angeles Times

Let's Talk About Metro-Riding Etiquette (Again)
LAist

Mesmerizing Visualizations Show Mass-Transit Patterns Of Major Cities
Wired
One Day Of Activity For The Los Angeles Metro
via YouTube

[New York] M.T.A. Seeks Aid Not Just For Repairs, But For Improvements
New York Times

Muni And Other Agencies Consider Basing Fares On Income
San Francisco Examiner

Patty Murray As Senate Budget Chief: What It Means For Transportation
StreetsBlog DC

President Proposes $50 Billion For Infrastructure
Transportation Issues Daily

Recount For Alameda County Transportation Sales Tax Increase ("The measure lost by 0.14% or fewer than 800 out of the 527,403 votes cast." It received 66.53% of the vote)
Oakland Tribune

Review Of Public Transit Funding For New Starts And Small Starts Projects, October 2004 Through June 2012 (27p. PDF : This report discusses the extent to which project sponsors use non-New Starts funding to help construct New Starts, Small Starts and Very Small Starts projects. GAO reviewed financial information for all of the 25 New Starts and 32 Small Starts and Very Small Starts projects FTA identified as receiving construction funding from October 1, 2004, through June 2012. GAO interviewed FTA officials regarding program data and officials from 8 project sponsors to get their views on funding sources. GAO also reviewed relevant federal laws and other documentation.")
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Roadshow: Time To Lower Sales Tax Threshold For Transportation
Silicon Valley Mercury News

U.S. May Be Next Hot Spot For Infrastructure Debt Investments
Reuters

Ventura County VISTA Buses Now Offer Wi-Fi
Ventura County Star

Weigh In On Union Station Master Plan
Los Angeles Downtown News

The Weird Weather Phenomena Created By Urban Bike Paths
The Atlantic: Cities

Will SoCal Cities Try To Slow High Speed Rail?
California High Speed Rail Blog


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

We invite you to visit Metro's The Sourceyour window to what's happening with agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles.