Today's Headlines - more at Metro

1/11/2013

Bike Nation, HSR Update, Amtrak Improvements, LAX, State Budget & More

January 11: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (A new Pico/Rimpau bus terminal opens at a site that has served transit connections for more than 70 years)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

60% Of EIR Challenges Involve Infill Projects
California Planning & Development Report

Amtrak Promises Improvements In 2013
The Hill

Better, Faster And Lighter (" In short, European and Japanese passenger trains are much lighter and, consequently, faster than their American counterparts because lighter, faster trains are illegal in America.")
The Economist

Blocking Bike Lanes In Santa Monica And Putting Bike Riders At Risk
StreetsBlog LA

California High-Speed Rail Official Discusses Project During San Francisco Visit
San Francisco Examiner

CHSRA Says July 2013 Groundbreaking Still On Track
California High Speed Rail Blog

Deployment, Use, And Effect Of Real-Time Traveler Information Systems (159 p. PDF : web-only document)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Federal Transportation Policy In 2012: Looking Back On The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Mobilizing The Region

Few Women Among Possible LaHood Replacements
The Hill

"Ghost Town" Area West Of LAX Would Be Restored Under LAWA Proposal
Daily Breeze

Gov. Brown Unveils Budget, Says State Is In The Black ("After five years of crippling deficits, Gov. Jerry Brown announced Thursday that the state is in the black as he proposed a $97.7-billion budget that would increase funds for education and healthcare while still leaving money on the table.")
Los Angeles Times

High-Speed Rail Director Holds Out Hope That SF-LA Line Will Be Running By 2029
SF Appeal

How New Federal Rules Will Help Align Housing And Transportation Policy
U.S. News & World Report

Hurray For Pedestrian Improvements! Now, If Only Drivers Would Respect Them...
StreetsBlog LA

Key Source Of Bay Area Traffic Headaches Revealed By Top Researchers ("The study's authors anonymously tracked more than 350,000 Bay Area drivers using their cellphone and GPS signals -- the first time that's been done -- to gather some of the most detailed data yet on what causes our traffic jams. Caltrans and local transportation officials are now reviewing the results and plan to incorporate simple measures such as additional metering lights to spread out the volume of drivers coming from places where residents suffer the worst traffic.")
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Wiki
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

Made In Tustin: Bike Nation USA ("By the end of January, people will be able to check out bicycles from kiosks around [Anaheim]. The bikes, used for short trips, can be ridden for a few miles and then returned to another Bike Nation kiosk.  The Tustin-based company is installing bicycle sharing stations in Orange County and Los Angeles...")
Orange County Register

Megabus, The Recovery Of American Downtowns, And The Resurgence Of The Bus Industry
Chicago Magazine

Metro: There Is No Contract With Caltrans For 710 Study
Pasadena Star-News

New California Transit Map Simplifies Car-Free Travel Across The State
StreetsBlog SF

New Proposed Budget Would Reorganize California Transportation
Los Angeles Daily News

Opinion: The Urban Innovation Model
Boston Globe

Questioning The Commuter Parking Subsidy
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Santa Clarita To Break Ground For McBean Park-And-Ride ("The $4 million project includes local and federal funding partners, including the Metro Call for Projects program, which provided $2.97 million, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Congestion Mitigation and the Air Quality Improvement Program from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The new park-and-ride facility at the McBean Regional Transfer Station will include 282 new parking spaces and an additional five bus bay platform to accommodate more buses.")
KHTS

Santa Monica Mountains For All: Expanding The Largest Urban National Park For Green Justice
KCET

Silicon Valley Can't Get Transit Right
The Atlantic: Cities

Why The Bum's Rush For The $4.5 Billion Street Tax?
City Watch


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.

1/10/2013

Crenshaw Line, Metro Bus Art, Caltrans & 710, Next Great Transit, Bike Traffic School & More

January 10: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (More parking is the answer: Downtown businesses publish a report pushing acquisition of nearly 7 million square feet of property to accommodate 45,000 new parking spaces)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

6 Ideas For L.A.'s Next Great Transit Project
The Atlantic: Cities

Before-And-After Safety Study Of Roadways Where New Medians Have Been Added (174p. PDF)
Florida International University Lehman Center For Transportation Research

Bicyclist Traffic School Now In East Bay ("The goal of this program is to decrease the number of bicycle collisions, injuries and fatalities in Alameda through safety education while reducing the money spent by public agencies on court appearances, enforcement and emergency services. Teens and adults who don't have citations can also attend these classes for free.")
San Francisco Chronicle

California Artist John Baldessari Asks L.A. To "Learn To Dream" Via Public Buses
LAist

Caltrans Identifies Homes For Possible Sale On Controversial 710 Route
La CaƱada Valley Sun
#ConnectedGov: Engaging Stakeholders In The Digital Age (link to PDF report)
Partnership For Public Service

The Diminishing Returns Of Highway Building
StreetsBlog Network

Exploring The Course Of The Future Metro Crenshaw Line (includes numerous photos of neighborhoods and proposed station areas)
KCET

Fixing The Transportation Infrastructure We Have
Governing

Here's LA's New John Baldassari-Designed Metro Bus
Curbed LA

Huell Howser Memorial: Councilman Organizes Gathering For Fans In Griffith Park ("L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge is organizing a public gathering in Griffith Park" on January 15th at 4:00 p.m.)
LAist

Infrastructure Bank Advocates Seek A New Champion ("With Kay Bailey Hutchison gone from the Senate and John Kerry probably soon to follow, supporters of creating a national infrastructure bank are searching for a new champion. Hutchison and Kerry co-sponsored legislation that would have created an infrastructure bank aimed at leveraging public- and private-sector dollars to help seed large projects, particularly those that span regions. The idea has never quite gained traction, despite years of floating around the Capitol, but infrastructure advocates continue to press for it.")
Politico

LaHood Not Included In White House List Of Cabinet Holdovers
The Hill
What Does It Mean That LaHood Isn't On The Second-Term List? Nothing
StreetsBlog DC

Moovit: Crowdsourcing Public Transit Data For Better Bus Rides
GOOD

A Pantsless Mission On Metro, If You Choose To Accept It
Pasadena Patch

Sales Tax, Gas Tax, Mileage Tax: How To Pay For America's Roads?
Car Connection

What Buenos Aires Can Teach Us About Walkability
The Atlantic: Cities

Zipcar Sped Into The Mainstream; Will It Crash? ("The most exciting news in car sharing is not in the paper. It is on the street. Social entrepreneurs are redefining how we think about the car and how we share it, though one-way services, spontaneous access (no reservations), and more. Two advancements will revolutionize car sharing: peer-to-peer service, and innovations for developing countries.")
Next American City


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.

1/09/2013

Fun Public Transit, Bike Lanes, Big Blue Bus, La Cienega, Water Transit, London Tube At 150 & More

January 9: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley helps roll out the first of 30,000 new information-rich bus signs for the Los Angeles area in the San Fernando Valley)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

$1B Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Begins
KTLA

2012 Census Of California Water Transit Services ("The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics conducts a nationwide census of ferry boat operators for the US Department of transportation and the collected information is used for statistical purposes....FHWA has asked that Caltrans assure the ferry boat data is current for MAP-21.)
Mineta Transportation Institute

As The Calendar Changes, Some Big Downtown Problems Persist
Los Angeles Downtown News

Bike Parking Ordinance Moves Back To City Council
StreetsBlog LA

Boom! Freeway Pile Driving Starts Up Again ("Loud and disruptive" activity on the eastbound 22 Freeway to northbound 405 Freeway Connector will continue weekdays for months.")
Belmont Shores-Naples Patch

Broad Museum To Open In 2014 With 2,000 Works Of Contemporary Art
Blog Downtown

Calling All Transit Users: LA/2B Needs Your Feedback (That Means You, South L.A.)
StreetsBlog LA

City Council Approves More Than $1 Million In Expenses For Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus ("to keep...fleet in tip-top shape.")
Santa Monica Lookout

Corporation-As-Carpool Dispute Curbed ("State vehicle code 470’s definition of a person includes “natural persons and corporations.")
Pacific Sun

Do T&I Committee Members Get The Transpo Needs Of American Cities? ("The Cap’n ranked House Transportation Committee members, from both parties, by the percentage of car-free households in their district and the percentage of people who primarily commute by transit, according to Census numbers.")
StreetsBlog DC

Happy 150th Birthday, London Tube! (13 historic maps illustrate how the system, and its representation, has changed over time)
The Atlantic: Cities

L.A. Considers Using Post-Redevelopment Funds For Economic Development
California Planning & Development Report

Long Beach's $1B Gerald Desmond Bridge Started Work Today
Curbed LA

An Open Letter To The L.A. City Council: Let's Move Forward, Not Retreat To Our Auto-Centric Past
Biking In LA

Public Transit Is Boring. Why Not Make It Fun? ("Transit should be such fun, so we feel attached to it emotionally as well as rationally...")
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Resource Allocation Logic Framework To Meet Highway Asset Preservation (91p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Rice Educator Makes Bus A Vehicle For Learning ("He pictures a journey to California that allows an anthropologist to study urban planning in Los Angeles...")
My San Antonio

Santa Monica Now Juggling 32 Development Applications
Santa Monica Patch

Security Theater Cannot Sidetrack High-Speed Rail
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Should Parking Be Taxed To Fund Bike Paths?
Governing

Sipping Black Gold From The Center Of La Cienega Boulevard ("In one sense the middle of La Cienega Boulevard was a fitting place for an oil derrick. But many failed to see the logic. For decades, photos of this bizarrely located well, which sipped some 600,000 barrels of crude oil from the ground over its nearly 40-year lifespan, circulated around the world as visual proof of Los Angeles’ eccentricity.")
LA as Subject via Los Angeles Magazine

Wearing Two Hats? Seven Tips For Planners When Serving On The Planning And Zoning Commission
Western Planner

Zipcar's Purchase By Avis: Car Sharing Success Or Failure?
The City Fix


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.

1/08/2013

Huell Howser, High-Speed Rail, Transit Workers, Transpo Taxes, Parking Meters, Sidewalks & More

January 8: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (New HOV lanes begin on the I-405 freeway in the Sepulveda Pass)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

KCET

$3B Street Repair Measure Could Make For Smoother Car Rides
Curbed LA

7 Uses For Failing Shopping Malls
The Atlantic: Cities

Astounding And Interactive Sidewalk Art Around The World
Flavorwire

Automobile Usage And Urban Rail Transit Expansion (48p. PDF : Estimates the impact of rail accessibility improvements on the usage of rail transit, automobiles, buses, walking, and bicycling)
Environment For Development

Bay Area Transportation Officials Support Lowering Sales Tax Threshold To 55%
Silicon Valley Mercury News

StreetsBlog LA
City Of Los Angeles City Clerk's Office

Broken Parking Meter Battle: Assemblyman Mike Gatto Wants To Stop L.A. From Collecting Fines
Los Angeles Daily News

StreetsBlog LA

Density Reduces Driving (Even At Pretty High Densities)
Planetizen

Documenting 24 Hours In The Lives Of Transportation Workers Across The Globe ("What’s it like to be a trolley conductor in San Francisco? A taxi driver in New York City? How about a rickshaw driver in India? Lives in Transit, a series of 10 24-hour-long videos from the Global Lives Project -- a nonprofit "video library of life experience" -- wants to document 24 hours in the lives of transportation workers in ten countries around the world.")
Fast Company Exist


National Freight cooperative Research Program

StreetsBlog LA

Huell Howser Dies At 67; TV Host Profiled California People And Places ("We have two agendas," Howser said in a 2009 interview with The Times. "One is to specifically show someone China Camp State Park or to talk to the guys who paint the Golden Gate Bridge. But the broader purpose is to open up the door for people to have their own adventures. Let's explore our neighborhood, let's look in our own backyard.")
Los Angeles Times

Is Less Gridlock A Sign Of Slow Growth, Or Just Fewer Cars?
Giga Om

London Underground At 150: Its Past And Future ("The Tube is approaching its 150th anniversary in an improving condition and its long-term future up for grabs.")
Guardian (U.K.)

Remembering Huell Howser: Some Archived Images Of The Region's Official Rideshare Spokesman (includes link to his 2010 exploration of downtown's Pacific Electric subway tunnel which operated 1925-1955)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Sprawl Could Kill Off 34 Million Acres Of American Forest By 2060
The Atlantic: Cities


Transportation Research Board

Westside Subway Route In Beverly Hills Splits LA's Mayor Candidates
Huffington Post


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.

1/07/2013

Gold Line Foothill Extension, Expo II, Road Repair, HSR, Bike-Share, Walkability, TOD, LAX & More

January 7: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Today is the 50th anniversary of one of the most important speeches in local transit history -- a 1963 vision for the future of local transportation that even included TAP-like "magic eye" machine-readable fare media...and a subway to Westwood by 1968. Read the speech here)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

3 Keys For Drawing Drivers To Mass Transit
The Atlantic: Cities

5 Questions: Omnitrans' Milo Victoria (GM/CEO of San Bernardino County transit agency)
Metro Magazine

$53.7 Million Will Go To Widening 15/215 Freeway Interchange In Devore
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

2013: The Year Ahead In High Speed Rail
California High Speed Rail Blog

$3-Billion Road Repair Bond Measure Proposed For L.A. ("The measure would need a two-thirds majority to pass. 'The No. 1 complaint we get in our office is the condition of our streets,' one councilman says.")
Los Angeles Times

Artists Take Metro Commuters On Another Kind Of Journey ("Established in 1989, the Metro Art program has commissioned more than 300 artists and poets to create artworks for 80 stations. "The customers' experience is essential," said Maya Emsden, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's deputy executive officer, creative services. "Art is a wonderful, engaging way to transform their journeys into something pleasant.")
Los Angeles Times

Author Jeff Speck Explains What Makes A City Walkable
Transportation Nation

The Best Bike-Sharing Program In The United States: How D.C., Of All Places, Made It Happen
Slate

Bicycle-Shaped Signals, Which Are Common Overseas, Now Used In At Least 16 U.S. Cities
USA Today

Call For "Outside The Box" Transportation Solutions In New Competition
AASHTO Journal

CEQA Reform Takes Shape For 2013
California High Speed Rail Blog

China: Govt Ramps Up Investment In Metro Systems
Mass Transit

Colorado Boulevard Bridge Work Begins ("The bridge is part of the $733 million project to extend the Gold Line 11.5 miles between Pasadena and Azusa.")
Arcadia Patch

Does Fiscal Cliff Deal Reduce Odds For A Federal Gas Tax Increase?
Transportation Issues Daily

Downtown Preview: Looking At Six Central City Mega-Projects
Los Angeles Downtown News

Editorial: A More Competitive Port Is The Promise Of Two Critical Infrastructure Projects
Los Angeles Daily News

Greater Opportunities for TOD (" TOD has strong potential as a revenue-raising mechanism and could become more popular as federal funding becomes more limited. Giving states and localities more flexibility and narrowing the federal focus could free up more funds for projects that can accomplish national goals, and TOD can often be a part of those types of investments. But more changes are needed to maximize the potential for TOD and improve federal policy further. These include the following:...")
Metro Magazine

Here Are All The LA Mayoral Candidates' Traffic-Busting Plans
Curbed LA

Here It Is: The Ultimate Absurdity In Transportation
StreetsBlog DC

Highland Park History: Neighborhood Is Home To City's First Automated Crosswalk
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

How El Camino Real, California's "Royal Road," Was Invented
LA as Subject via KCET

I-215 Changes Coming ("Drivers will see some changes on Interstate 215 through downtown San Bernardino next week as transportation officials work to complete the six-year widening project.")
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Implementing Innovative Transportation Solutions (video)
AASHTO Transportation TV

Increasing Bicycle Mode Share Leads To Growing Need For Bicycle-Specific Traffic Signals
State Smart Transportation Initiative
(Infographic depicting how they work)

Inside China's High-Speed Rail Triumph ("The recent launch of China’s Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail -- the longest high-speed line in the world -- is more than a technological triumph. It’s also a much-needed propaganda boost for the country’s Railways Ministry, buffeted in recent years by fatal accidents, high-level scandal, and skepticism about safety standards.")
Daily Beast

L.A. City Councilmen Propose Massive $3 Billion Bond To Fix Streets
KCET

LaHood: "We're Not Giving Up On High-Speed Rail" In California
StreetsBlog DC

Mapping The San Fernando Valley In 1924 ("The part of Los Angeles known simply as “the Valley” is shown here in 1924, before the housing booms and freeways changed the landscape radically.")
Los Angeles Magazine

Mayoral Candidates Split On Westside Subway Route ("Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti strongly supported the plan, while both Councilwoman Jan Perry and attorney Kevin James called for alternative routes, citing hazardous conditions, such as methane gas, that make tunneling a risk.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Mobile App Download Available For TRB 2013 Annual Meeting
Transportation Research Board

Monrovia's Gold Line Maintenance Yard Work In Full Swing ("Old buildings have been demolished and work is under way on a $160 million Gold Line maintenance and operations yard on 24 acres in the southeastern part of the city.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

New Mexico DOT Launches Virtual Road Planning
Government Technology

The Next Generation DOT
Strong Towns

Nine Questions You Will Never Ask Again Thanks To The MTA's New Subway Arrival App
New York Magazine

Officials Ponder People Mover At LAX ("An ambitious plan to build Los Angeles International Airport a people mover system, relocate access roads and shift many vehicle movements to a new surface transportation terminal on 96th Street will go before a public meeting next week.")
Hermosa Beach Patch

Pomona Council Set Consider Options For 71 Freeway Widening Project
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Researchers Say Waze Data Could Help Prevent Accidents
Giga Om
Data Mining Opportunities In Geosocial Networks For Improving Road Safety
via Academia.edu

Revised Ad Policies Helping Transit Agencies
Metro Magazine

Rim Around San Fernando Valley "Suitable" For National Park System Inclusion
KCET

Santa Monica Names Its Light Rail Stations ("City planners want to tweak what's been proposed so far by the county transit agency.")
Santa Monica Patch
Santa Monica's Three Expo Light Rail Station Names To Be Discussed Tuesday 
Santa Monica Mirror
Expo Light Rail Station Names Within The City Of Santa Monica
Santa Monica City Council Agenda Item

Should I Stop Or Should I Go? Early Traffic Signals In Los Angeles
LA as Subject via Los Angeles Magazine

Top 50 Traits Of A Great Transit Manager (4p. PDF : "What traits and skill sets are important to becoming a great public transportation leader? METRO surveyed more than 200 transit executives to find out.")
Metro Magazine

Transit Chief To Announce $135 Million For Light Rail
Sacramento Bee

Walksteps.org: Steps To A Walkable Community (audio)
Transportation Radio

Westchester Group To Push Mayoral Candidates On LAX Pledge
Daily Breeze


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.