Today's Headlines - more at Metro

3/22/2013

Union Station, TAP, Long Beach Transit, Bruins Who Build LA, Bullet Train, CicLAvia, Pershing Square, MAP-21,

March 22: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Construction of the Arroyo Seco Parkway -- America's first "freeway" -- began 75 years ago today. Includes historic images)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

40% Of America's Workforce Will Be Freelancers By 2020 ("The forces behind this sea-change are many: the rapid adoption of mobile technology, ubiquitous internet access, and a general sense of malaise powered by the vague yet nagging notion that we’re just not meant to work all day sitting in a cubicle. Add to that the waste of time, energy and brainpower that commuting engenders, and it becomes apparent that our definition of “workplace” will never be the same.")
Quartz

Anatomy Of A Parking Sign That Actually Makes Sense
The Atlantic: Cities

Bruins Who Build Los Angeles (includes Making Transit Trendy, profiling Metro's Creative Director Michael Lejeune, as well as Donald Shoup, "the parking prophet")
UCLA Magazine

The Bullet Train As A Boost For Second-Tier Cities ("California's emerging system generally meets the requirements outlined by the report. The situation seems to set up particularly well for a place like Bakersfield — roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles, right in that high-speed rail sweet spot. In this regard, the new research helps to validate the Obama administration's much-maligned (but very rational) decision to start the California project in the Central Valley and not the mega-cities.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Car Exhaust Hurts Children As Much As Second-Hand Smoke
The Atlantic: Cities

CicLAvia Updates Map For April 21...No Figueroa, But MacArthur Park Is Back
StreetsBlog LA

Congress Finalizes 2013 Transportation Funding At MAP-21 Level
Transportation Issues Daily

Despite Money Concerns, Huizar Pushes Forward On Pershing Square ("Although Anschutz Entertainment Group has pledged $700,000 in seed money to “re-envision” the park, Huizar acknowledged that the funds will only materialize if the Farmers Field football stadium moves forward. The departure of Tim Leiweke from AEG last week has thrown that project into question.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

The First Map Of Los Angeles May Be Older Than You Think
LA as Subject via KCET

Freeways Without Futures: CNU Is Taking Nominations!
StreetsBlog DC

In Many Markets, Rail Beats Or Competes With Air Travel
StreetsBlog Network

Is LA City Planning Becoming A Politburo? ("When the grassroots who fought like hell for the Expo Line and Measure R are beginning to freak out at what’s being done at the Exposition/Sepulveda and Bundy/Olympic stations for the Expo Line, you can be damn sure that there will be strong opposition to future measures such as Measure J to encourage more mass transit—we fought for mass transit, not a worsening of traffic and our environment and mobility.")
City Watch

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa On The Highs, Lows And Legacy Of His Mayorship
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Let There Be Light ("The improved lighting is part of a beautification project underneath the southern runways at Los Angeles International Airport that was years decades in the making.")
Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles City Council, 11th District

Long Beach: After Successful Small Projects, City Fabrick Launches And Aims For The Grander Scale
StreetsBlog LA

Long Beach Transit Officials Take Heat Over Buses From China
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Long Beach Transit, Please Go (More) Electric
StreetsBlog LA

Metro To Drivers: Every Lane Is A Bike Lane
Los Angeles Downtown News

New Development Not Top Priority For Union Station Area Plan
Curbed LA

San Francisco Set To Push Transit Benefits For Commuters ("Under San Francisco’s Commuter Benefits Ordinance, all businesses with 20 or more workers nationwide must offer one of three transit benefits: The pretax deduction, up to $245 per month, for transit or van pool expenses; transit subsidies valued at $74, the cost of a monthly Muni pass; or a van pool from a worker’s home to place of business. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees are exempt.")
San Francisco Examiner

Shuttling Tourists, Now Local Employees
Orange County Register

Stretch Of LA River Will Be Open To The Public This Summer
Curbed LA

TAP Final Solution In Sight!
StreetsBlog LA

Union Station Master Plan To Prioritize Transit Over Development
Blog Downtown

Will Big Highway Projects Have To Consider Climate Change?
StreetsBlog DC


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.

3/21/2013

Crenshaw Line Leimert Station, Gold Line Foothill, ExpressLanes, Westside Subway, LaBrea Streetscape, Terminal Island Freeway, Expo Mixed-Use & More

$15 Million Approved For Railway Project
California State University, Fullerton Daily Titan

110 ExpressLanes Performance Update As Of 2/28/13 (16p. PDF)
Metro / Caltrans

Berlin's Subway: "An Underground Art Gallery"
The Atlantic: Cities

Britain's Oddly Captivating Reality Show About Land Use ("The series sets itself up to follow municipal planners across the country, recording largely civil, occasionally bleep-filled exchanges between officials and objectors...And yes, it’s actually fascinating.")
The Atlantic: Cities

California State Agency Says "No Earthquake Faults" Under Beverly Hills High; Vindicates Beverly Hills School Board, Experts
Beverly Hills Courier

City Council Approves La Brea Avenue Streetscape Project ("Bike lanes will be left out of the project for now, but landscaping will allow for their inclusion in the future.")
West Hollywood Patch

Coldwater Canyon Closure Begins Saturday So Crews Can Replace 100-Year-Old Water Main
Los Angeles Daily News

Fate Of Crenshaw Line's Leimert Park Station Still A Mystery
Curbed LA

Gold Line, City Representatives Address Pomona Residents, Property Owner Talk About The Effects Of The Light Rail Line On Northern Pomona
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

How To Cut U.S. Gasoline In Half By 2030
Washington Post

Long Beach: Terminal Island Freeway Removal (Once Again) Gets Funding Approved For A Study
StreetsBlog LA

Los Angeles To Ditch Coal Completely By 2025 ("The city will reduce demand and convert to natural gas, showing that real work on better climate and energy policy might come from the city level, not the feds...L.A. already uses quadruple the amount of renewable energy sources compared to before Villaraigosa took office in 2005.")..
Fast Company Exist

NYC Subways Deploy A Touch-Screen Network, Complete With Apps ("An inside look at a bold new initiative to modernize NYC's digital subway infrastructure...At launch, the screens will feature all sorts of content, like delays, outages, and, of course, ads (which bring in $100 million in revenue for the MTA each year, but mostly in paper signage). Yet its most powerful interaction for many will likely be its map, which features a one-tap navigation system. Seriously. You look at the map, you tap your intended destination, and the map will draw your route, including any transfers along the way. It’s an interface that puts Google Maps to shame.")
Fast Company Exist

Obama Said To Consider Charlotte Mayor Foxx For DOT Post
Bloomberg

On North American Streets, Space For Bikes Is Right There If You Want It
StreetsBlog Network

The Queen Rides The Tube To Celebrate 150 Years Of Subway Transit In London
Grist

Report: Obama Mulling Charlotte Mayor Foxx For DOT Chief
The Hill

State Voters Sour On High Speed Rail
Los Angeles Times
Californians & Their Government: PPIC Statewide Survey (poll results : 35p. PDF)
Public Policy Institute Of California
Press Release

Study: Car Commuters Put On More Weight Than Active Commuters
StreetsBlog DC

Study: Traffic Slower In 110 General Lanes
Palos Verdes Patch

That's No Train! Air Force Eyes Subway For Nuclear Missiles
Wired

West L.A. Expo Stations Getting Mixed-Use Makeovers
Santa Monica Patch

When Public-Private Partnerships Are A Bad Idea
Governing

Why Metro Riders Might Soon Find Themselves On Movie Sets
LAist


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.

3/20/2013

Gold Line, Downtown Streetcar, Infrastructure Report Card, Gas Tax, CEQA, HSR & More

March 20: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Metro unveils new rapid bus stations along Ventura Boulevard)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

2013 Infrastructure Report Card
American Society Of Civil Engineers
California Report Card (Grade: C, "California has 1,395,563 annual unlinked passenger trips via transit systems – motor bus, heavy rail, light rail, and commuter rail," with 68% of roads in poor or mediocre quality costing motorists $586 per hear and 2,978 structurally deficient bridges)
Is ASCE Failing To Tell America To Spend Wisely On Infrastructure?
StreetsBlog DC

America's Infrastructure Earns A "D+," Which Is Actually An Improvement
The Atlantic: Cities

America's Most Obvious Tax Reform Idea: Kill The Oil And Gas Subsidies
The Atlantic

CEQA In The 21st Century ("Series on California's landmark environmental law, featuring voices from around the state sharing their views, as lawmakers look for common ground and revisit the role the law will play in our economy.")
California Economic Summit

Cities Without Highways (Excerpt from City 2.0: The Habitat Of The Future And How To Get There)
Next City

Crumbling Infrastructure? ("But is America’s infrastructure really crumbling? For highways and bridges, the government’s own data show that the answer is generally no.")
National Review

Dynamic Delivery Of The National Transit Database Sampling Manual (138p. PDF)
University Of South Florida National Center For Transit Research

Econometric Models For Public Transport Forecasting (407p. PDF)
New Zealand Transport Agency

Editorial: For L.A., NFL, Big Questions Now Are About AEG
Los Angeles Daily News

Final Piece Of Downtown Streetcar Funding Falling Into Place
Curbed LA

A Freeway For Bicycles? It Happened In Pasadena
LA As Subject via Los Angeles Magazine

High-Speed Rail Study Finds That Remote Cities Benefit From Connection To Global Hubs
UCLA Newsroom

How Park-And-Ride Encourages Car Use
The Atlantic: Cities

LA County To Hire Outside Consultant For Jails Revamp Plan
Los Angeles Times

LA's Jail Building Plan Needs Further Study, Say County Supervisors
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Long Beach Taking Votes For Metro Station Re-Naming
CBS Los Angeles
Naming Of The Transit Mall Station (poll)
City Of Long Beach

Metro Gold Line Unveils New Interactive Maps, Detailed Info About Construction
Pasadena Star-News

The Morning Plum: A Nation Of Keynesians ("72% support a “federal government program that would spend government money to put people to work on urgent infrastructure repairs.” This is also backed by 71% of independents and 53% of Republicans.")
Washington Post

The Neighborhoods With The Best And Worst Commutes In LA
Curbed LA

New Threat: States Robbing From Education To Pay For Highway Expansion
StreetsBlog DC

Rep. Blumenauer "Not Interested" In Being Transportation Secretary
The Hill

Report: American Infrastructure Gets D-Plus Grade
Metro Magazine

Shuster: Gas Tax Increases Could Be Included In Broader Reform Package
The Hill

Top Trends: 2012-2013 ("Over the course of the year, the editors of Planetizen review and summarize thousands of articles, books, studies and editorials related to planning and urban development. Here are our picks for the most notable planning trends of the past year.")
Planetizen

Transit Funding: Is Toronto Ready For Its L.A. Moment? ("Toronto’s traffic problem has actually surpassed that of Los Angeles...There is no Villaraigosa fronting the Toronto fight for transit dollars. But a coalition of academics, community groups such as CivicAction, and the board of trade has been united in support of the 25-year, $50 billion Metrolinx transportation plan called the Big Move . Advocates are adamant that if Toronto residents are to pay up, government has to break from standard practice and earmark those dollars for transit, the way Los Angeles did.")
Toronto Star (Canada)

WeHo's La Brea Makeover Leaves Out Bike Lanes (For Now)
Curbed 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.

3/19/2013

Downtown Streetcar, La Brea Streetscape, One Santa Fe, HSR, "Urbanization Science," Metro Library Honor & More

March 19: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (101 years ago today, Pacific Electric extends its reach to San Fernando)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

BART Tries Out Letting Bikes On Board During Commute Hours
KALW

California Officials OK $8.6 Billion In Debt For High-Speed Rail
Reuters

Civil Engineers Echo Obama Calling For Infrastructure Fix
Business Week

Construction Watch: "One Santa Fe" Mixed-Use To Bring 438 Apartments To Arts District In Downtown LA ("One of the most exciting features of the One Santa Fe project includes a possible new future Arts District metro station, which entails a pedestrian bridge that would link from One Santa Fe to a new station platform to be built in the rail yard. Construction on the new Arts District station will likely be wrapped into a new “turn-back” project seen as a necessary upgrade to allow for increased train service frequency (2-minute rush hour headways) for the future Purple Line Westside Subway Extension to UCLA/Westwood.")
DTLA Rising

Getting Past The Groupthink At LA's World Airports
City Watch

High-Speed Project Moves Forward, But Lawsuits Loom
Modesto Bee

High-Speed Rail Project Beset By Political Mine Fields
Las Vegas Sun

How The U.S. Tax Code Favors Driving Over Other Modes
StreetsBlog Network

Is It Time To Move Past Urban Studies And Toward Urbanization Science?
The Atlantic: Cities
It's Time For An Urbanization Science (5p. PDF)
Environment Magazine

Krugman: Costs Of Driving Deserve Way More Attention
StreetsBlog DC

La Brea Streetscape: Balance Peds, Bikes & Cars
WeHo News

LA Planning More Development, Ped-Friendliness Around Expo
Curbed LA
Los Angeles Transit Neighborhood Plans Website
Los Angeles Department Of City Planning
Map Of Transit Neighborhoods Along Expo And Crenshaw/LAX Lines (PDF)

"Movers & Shakers": Metro Transportation Library Receives National Honor For Innovative Services
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Obama's Clean Energy Policy Elevates Efficient Cars Over Efficient Modes
StreetsBlog DC

Officials Urge L.A. County Drivers To Share The Lane With Bicyclists ("Metro bike safety campaign message calls out to drivers; to be prominently displayed across the Westside leading up to Bike Week L.A. in May.")
Pacific Palisades Patch

Photos: Bicyclists Check Out Silver Lake's Newest Bike Lane
LAist

Proposed 2014 Transportation Budgets Differ Wildly. Who Will Win?
Transportation Issues Daily

Ryan House Budget Would End Spending On High-Speed Rail
Foundry

San Francisco Cab Industry Looks To Mobile Technology To Boost Rider Experience
San Francisco Examiner

Sheriff Lee Baca Proposes Almost $1 Billion New Jail To Replace Downtown Facility ("The proposed new jail would be built on the site of the half-century-old MCJ in downtown Los Angeles. It is envisioned to house up to 3,500 high-security and medical inmates in two towers.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Streetcar Supporters Return From Washington After Rallying For Federal Funds
Blog Downtown

Train vs. Plane: Does Amtrak's New Acela Ad Do The Service Justice?
NBC News

What's Next: Urban Mapping, Down To The Doorknob
GCN


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.

3/18/2013

NZ Looks At LA Transit, Australia Looks At LA Infrastructure, XpressWest, Glendale & Silver Lake Bike Lanes, Downtown Stadium, CEQA, SCIG & More

7th Street Connector To Remain Closed For Safety Inspection
Orange County Breeze

10 New Streets Planned For Bergamot Expo Line Development
Curbed LA
Council Moves Bergamot Area Plan Forward
Santa Monica Patch

As Youth Driver Licensing Dips Again, A Focus On The Millennials
StreetsBlog DC

Can LA Update Convention Center Without A Football Stadium?
Curbed LA

CEQA Roundup: Muscle-Flexing In Sacramento Complicates Reform Debate
California Economic Summit

Changing Urban Design With Instagram
TOD News

City Council, Environmental Groups Appeal Port Of LA's Support Of SCIG
Long Beach Post

Congressman Wants Metrolink To Study Health Impact Of Cypress Park Rail Yard
The Eastsider LA

DC Metro Wants Smarter Fare Card, Including FarePhones
Transportation Nation

The Economic Case For Rail Subsidies
The Atlantic: Cities

Glendale Infrastructure Upgrades To Benefit Bike Riders
Glendale News Press

Good, Bad News In Senate 2013 Transportation Funding Proposal
Transportation Issues Daily

How LA Is Losing Its Love Affair With Cars ("We crossed the Rubicon into gridlock in 2007," says Denny Zane, ex-mayor of Santa Monica and now executive director of MoveLA, a lobby group intent on restoring mobility to Angelenos. "Traffic was like ice slush. Then it crystallised in a moment." The city's wealthy Westside, near the 10 and 405 freeways, endured epic jams. "You could see the future and it wasn't pretty.")
New Zealand Herald

L.A. River Bike-In Movie Theater ("The L.A. River is the city’s most underutilized public resource and with your help we can make it one of the coolest places to hang out in Los Angeles this summer. There is no better way to do that than a fun event that brings the community together that you don’t need money or a car to attend.")
L.A. River Revitalization Corporation via Kickstarter

LaBonge Announces New Bike Lanes In Silver Lake District
CBS Los Angeles

Living Dangerously In Early Pasadena ("Pasadena depended greatly in 1911 upon electric street railways for public transportation. Big red Pacific Electric cars traveled along Colorado Street and on other main streets such as Lake and Fair Oaks avenues. Passengers had to go into the street to board the cars and that led to some accidents.")
Pasadena Star-News

Local B-Cycle Memberships Will Be Good In 15 Cities
StreetsBlog DC

Long Beach: Name...The Already-Named Transit Mall?
StreetsBlog LA

Los Angeles As It Might Have Been ("At the A+D Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles they’re just about to provide the people of LA with a vision of a hypothetical present. Co-curators Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin are now putting the final touches on an exhibition they’ve dubbed 'Never Built: Los Angeles'." Metro Transportation Library & Archive has contributed several items to the exhibit)
Radio National (Australia)

Making Colorado One-Way Will Make SaMo Traffic Way Better
Curbed LA
One-Way Car Flow On Colorado Is Better For Traffic
Santa Monica Patch

Metro Studying North-South Transit Corridor Along Van Nuys Boulevard
Los Angeles Daily News

My Train Fantasy: Where's Our High Speed Rail?
Slate

No Streetcar Is Better Than A Bad Streetcar
Riding In Riverside

Obama Seeks To Use Oil And Gas Money To Develop Alternative Fuel Cars
New York Times

Parking Is Hell: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast (audio : "The episode begins with Stephen Dubner talking to parking guru Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at UCLA and author of the landmark book The High Cost of Free Parking. In a famous Times op-ed, Shoup argued that as much as one-third of urban congestion is caused by people cruising for curb parking. But, as Shoup tells Dubner, there ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot...")
Freakonomics

Santa Monica Residents And Businesses Share Concerns Over Lincoln's Future ("A survey conducted by the resident-organized Lincoln Boulevard Task Force showed that Santa Monica residents and business leaders alike want to prioritize making Lincoln Boulevard a safer street with less traffic and more coffee shops and restaurants.")
Santa Monica Lookout

Sen. Patty Murray Increases Transportation Investment in 2014 Budget
StreetsBlog DC

This Is What Futurists In 1988 Thought Los Angeles Would Look Like Today
The Verge

A Time For Renewal ("America’s infrastructure is in a dire state, stimulating a search for creative solutions.")
The Economist

Unreasonable? Cap. Hill Republicans Use Flawed Report To Hit XpressWest
StreetsBlog LA
The XpressWest High-Speed Rail Line From Victorville To Las Vegas: A Taxpayer Risk Analysis (70p. PDF)
Reason Foundation

Your Vote Could Help Long Beach Name That Blue Line Station
Everything Long Beach


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.