Today's Headlines - more at Metro

5/24/2013

Leimert Park Station, 405 Lanes, Long Beach 710, Bike Share, Gold Line Eastside Extension, HOV Lanes, Anthony Foxx, Waze & More

May 24: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The "locally preferred alternative" for rail from downtown into Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles is approved, paving the way for a Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

$1.1 Billion In Sandy Aid Announced For Transit Systems
NJ.com

Capital Bikeshare Members Reduced Their Driving By 4.4 Million Miles Per Year (check out Capital Bikeshare's data dashboard here)
StreetsBlog LA

The Case For Caution When Building Streetcars
The Atlantic: Cities

The Development Scene: The Latest Info Of 88 Downtown Projects
Los Angeles Downtown News

Do High Occupancy Toll Lanes Really Help Congestion? ("In the U.S. many states have built high occupancy toll lanes. Most don’t make a lot of money. But they do cut commuting times.")
Toronto Star (Canada)

Downtown Features New Bike Lanes, Racks, Events
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Foxx Rocks His Confirmation Hearing, Reveals Some Initial Priorities
StreetsBlog DC

Funding OKd For Light-Rail Station In Leimert Park ("Metro approves $80 million for an underground station on the planned Crenshaw Line. Supporters hope it will help revitalize the African American business corridor.")
Los Angeles Times

How Does Anthony Foxx's Transportation Experience Compare To Past USDOT Secretaries?
Transportation Issues Daily

How Waze Became The Hottest Map App Around
The Atlantic: Cities

Huge: Crenshaw Line Getting Leimert Park And Hindry Stops
Curbed LA

I-5 Bridge Collapse: A Painful Reminder Of The Nation's Misguided Priorities
StreetsBlog DC

Infrastructure And Automobile Shifts: Positioning Transit To Reduce Life-Cycle Environmental Impacts For Urban Sustainability Goals (PDF)
IOP Science via Arizona State University

Lawmakers Form Public Transit Caucus ("A bipartisan pair of lawmakers in the House announced on Thursday that they were forming a caucus for public transportation supporters.")
The Hill

Livable City: Ticket Fee A Smart Way To Fund Transit To Warriors Arena
StreetsBlog SF

Long Beach: 710 Expansion Update; All Community Alternative 7 Options Considered
StreetsBlog LA

A Los Angeles Cycling Highway ("Pasadena resident Horace Dobbins bankrolled the construction of the Cycleway, after receiving approval from the state legislature, which was against the idea until a former governor and friend of Mr. Dobbins threw his weight in with the project.")
The City Fix

Metro Board Approves Crenshaw Line's Leimert Park Village Station
Los Angeles Times

[D.C.] Metro Moves To Modernize Fare-Collection System
Washington Post

New Lane Opens On Northbound 405 Freeway
Los Angeles Times

Santa Monica: Improving Bus Service Is An Imperative To Meet Our Sustainability Commitments
StreetsBlog LA

Sometimes, You Just Need To Set Aside The Data And Explore An Area By Bike
StreetsBlog LA

State Gives New Tools To Fund Streetcars ("The bill allows the city to dedicate tax revenues from several specific parcels around Minneapolis to help pay for a new streetcar line. The city pushed for the new funding method because, unlike regional transit like light rail, streetcars would be a localized project requiring more municipal investment.")
Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Transportation Secretary Nominee Ducks Highway Financing Questions
Roll Call

When Lincoln Park Was Eastlake ("Like many of Los Angeles' first public parks, Eastlake (now Lincoln) Park began as unwanted land: a fifty-acre site rejected by a railroad and given to the city for free." Includes archival images and maps)
LA as Subject via KCET

William Fulton On Why Smart Growth Pays And Sprawl Decays (interview with Smart Growth America vice president and former Ventura mayor)
StreetsBlog DC

Yes Viginia, There Will Be A Leimert Park Station On The Upcoming Crenshaw/LAX Line
StreetsBlog 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.

5/23/2013

Crenshaw/LAX Line, Metrolink, West Santa Ana Branch Corridor, Mayor-Elect Eric Garcetti, Expo Line II, L.A. "Bike Trains," 405 Carpool Lanes, Amtrak Dogs & More

1.7 Miles Of Good News On The 405 ("The first stretch of the 10-mile carpool lane at the heart of the $1 billion-plus improvement project is set to open this week.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

$40-Million Leimert Park Stop Gets Green Light From LA City Council
NBC Southern California

Amtrak Bill Would Let Trains Go To The Dogs
The Hill

And The Most Walkable City In San Diego Is...
GOOD

Anthony Foxx: Transportation Projects Are Economic Drivers
Transportation Nation

Bike Share May Not Take That Many Cars Off The Road, But That's OK
The Atlantic: Cities

Bike Trains Are The Lightest Rail ("A group of enthusiastic bicyclists have organized LA Bike Trains: routes across Los Angeles, encouraging Angelenos to ditch their cars and join a bike train to work.")
LADOT Bike Blog

Charting A Course To Transform California's Freight System
Union Of Concerned Scientists
Part 2: The Equation

Could Newly-Elected Mayor Of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti Spur A Clean Energy Boom? ("He wrote the city’s 2008 green building ordinance), Garcetti has promised to create 20,000 local jobs in the clean energy and clean water sector in his first term.")
Next City

Downtown Men's Central Jail Could Lose One Of Its Two Towers
Curbed LA

DOT Nominee Rides Smoothly Through Confirmation Hearing
The Hill

Eric Garcetti's Moment ("He’s not saddled with the baggage of controversy that always followed Villaraigosa around and, thanks to Measure R, he doesn’t have to fight the battle to actually build the transit. Villaraigosa already won that battle for him.")
California Planning & Development Report

The Evolution Of Moscow's Subway Maps
The Atlantic: Cities

Expo-Adjacent Mixed-User CasdenWestLA Under Fire Again
Curbed LA
Area Residents Voice Concerns About Casden West L.A. Project
Venice Patch

First Plans Revealed For Rail From Union Station To Santa Ana
Curbed LA
Plans For Potential $7 Billion Train Through Downey Finally Unveiled
Downey Beat
Pacific Electric Right-Of-Way / West Santa Ana Branch Corridor Alternatives Analysis (links to report sections)
SCAG

Google Maps Wants You To See All Your Transit Options
Human Transit

IBM Turns Cell Phones Into Sensors To Monitor Public Transit
TOD News

Infrastructure, Access, And Passage: Neighbors In West Adams Debate Fate Of 4th Ave. Pedestrian Bridge
StreetsBlog LA

LA City Council Unanimously Approves $55 Million For New Rail Stops On Crenshaw/LAX Line
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

L.A. On A Green Streak, New Mayor Pledges Allegiance To Smart Growth, Bikes
Grist

Live Blogging Anthony Foxx's Senate Confirmation Hearing For DOT Secretary
StreetsBlog DC

Metrolink To Conduct Public Outreach Process For Potential Fare Policy Changes, A Fare Increase, Title VI Policies
Metrolink News Release

Metrolink To Offer "Rail Series" Connection As Angels And Dodgers Battle
Metrolink News Release

[N.Y.] MTA Blows Up Inflatable Subway Plug At South Ferry Station ("Transit workers on Wednesday inflated a 30-foot-long, 14-foot-diameter plug in an unused subway tunnel for evaluation as a possible defense against flooding such as the inundation of Hurricane Sandy.")
New York Daily News

New Metro Bus Is On Its Way For Olive View Staff (letter from Metro CEO Arthur T. Leahy)
Los Angeles Daily News

Opinion: "Ode To Bike Sharing" (wonderful short animated film)
New York Times

Raising The Grade On Infrastructure: Money, Methods And Message
Governing

Real-Time Transit Mapping: Watch Your System In Motion
Human Transit

Six Things We Learned About USDOT Secretary Nominee Anthony Foxx ("His affinity for transit began early, as he relied on transit to reach his very first job, at age 12.")
Transportation Issues Daily

Synthesis Of Freight Research In Urban Transportation Planning (98p. PDF)
National Cooperative Freight Research Program

T Minus 5 Days: New York's Bike Share App Is Now Live
Transportation Nation

This Summer Vacation Season Brings 7% More Tourists To Cities And Public Transportation Than Last Year ("70 million plan to "Travel Like a Local" and use public transit in U.S. cities this summer with Millenials leading the way.")
APTA
2013 "Travel Like A Local" Summer Travel Survey (19p. PDF : city-by-city and demographic statistics)
APTA

Transportation Nominee Foxx Breezes Through Senate Confirmation Hearing
Washington Post

Visualizing America's Absurd Parking Requirements
StreetsBlog DC
Parking Requirements For Office Buildings (infographics)
Graphing Parking

What Does [Tuesday's] Election Mean For L.A. Transportation Issues?
StreetsBlog LA

You're Going To Be Forced Into Amtrak's New Pet Car, And It'll Be Worse Than WiFi
The Atlantic Wire


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.

5/22/2013

Garcetti Elected Mayor, Metro Blue Line, Leimert Park Station, Westchester Station, LAX Terminal, DOT Secretary, National Rail Funding & More

May 22: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Division 3 opens in 1907 (check out our 1915 photo); Los Angeles Railway gets its first labor agreement on working conditions and wages 76 years ago today)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

3 Recommendations For Strengthening The Federal-State Partnership On Passenger Rail
Transportation Issues Daily

Anthony Foxx Confirmation Hearing For Transportation Secretary Set For Wednesday
Washington Post

The Business Of Bike Sharing ("To function efficiently, there needs to be enough bikes to borrow, and enough spaces in the rack to receive returned bikes. Capital Bikeshare has a staff of 25 that tries to keep that delicate balance in order by redistributing bikes around the city.")
Washington Post

Centerpiece Of Remodeled LAX Terminal Named For Villaraigosa
Los Angeles Times

Five Essential Elements Of A Placemaking Campaign
Project For Public Spaces

The Forgotten Urban Transportation Problem We Should Be Trying To Fix
The Atlantic: Cities

Funding For Leimert Park And Westchester Stations On Crenshaw Line To Be Discussed In Special City Council Session On Wednesday
StreetsBlog LA

GOP, Amtrak Debate Responsibility For Long-Distance Train Routes
The Hill

Just 15% Of L.A. Voters Turned Out To Elect A New Mayor
The Atlantic: Cities

L.A. County To Study Demolishing Part Of Men's Central Jail
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Mayor's Race: It's Eric Garcetti By Wide Margin ("Garcetti took 54% of the vote compared with 46% for Greuel in preliminary results, ending speculation that the race was so tight that a winner might not be known for weeks. Some mail-in ballots must still be counted, but they are not expected to significantly change the results.")
Los Angeles Times

Lane Splitting: Should It Be Legal In California?
Riverside Press-Enterprise

A Look Back At L.A.'s Most Significant Mayors And The Work That Remains For Tuesday's Winner
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

A Los Angeles Primer: The Blue Line
KCET

Public Transportation Users Predict Big Increases In The Use Of Smartphones, Paperless Travel And Social Media
Accenture
Future Of Public Transport: Highlights From The 2013 Accenture Survey Of Public Transit Users In Nine Of The World's Major Cities (PDF infographic)
Accenture

Taking The Guesswork Out Of Designing For Walkability
Planetizen

Taxes Too High? Try Building Walkable, Mixed-Use Development
StreetsBlog DC
Building Better Budgets: A National Examination Of The Fiscal Beneftis Of Smart Growth Development (53p. PDF)
Smart Growth America

Visualizing The Impact Of Mega-Storms On Transit
The Atlantic: Cities

W Hollywood Penthouses: All The Glitz, None Of The Grit
Los Angeles Times

Water, Transit And Toxic Hotspots Are Among Environmental Issues Awaiting LA's Next Mayor
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Where Is Public Transportation Going? Insights From The High Performers (2p. PDF)
Accenture
Beyond The Traditional: Establishing New Rules And Roles For Public Transportation (12p. PDF)
Accenture


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.

5/21/2013

Metro Gold Line Chinatown Station, LAX, LGB, CAHSR, VMT, Metro Social Media & Planning, Bus Funding & Health, Bike Lanes, OC Toll Roads & More

May 21: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (90 years ago today, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors call for a comprehensive highway study which leads to two remarkable studies and associated maps)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Alameda County Details How Transit Cuts Harm Health
KQED
Getting On Board For Health: A Health Impact Assessment Of Bus Funding And Access: Executive Summary (14p. PDF)
Alameda County Public Health Department

Areas With Most Commuters Reap Benefits And Costs
Governing

Bike Lane Critics, Supporters Meet On San Pedro Street Corners
Daily Breeze

California High-Speed Rail Challenge Will Move Forward
Transportation Nation

Colorado Esplanade Moves Forward ("The Colorado Esplanade, as it’s called, is first and foremost a street project that will make Colorado Avenue one-way between Fourth Street and Ocean Avenue to provide more space for pedestrians and bicyclists disembarking from the Exposition Light Rail line, which will end slightly east of the project.")
Santa Monica Daily Press

Could This Be A Solution To VMT Privacy Concerns?
Transportation Issues Daily

Crumpled Railcars Led To Designs Saving Commuters' Lives
Bloomberg

A Decade Later, Blossom Plaza Breaks Ground ("The project will also add a walkway connecting the Metro Gold Line Station to Broadway, making it easier to get from the light rail line to the heart of the community.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

Density: Census Numbers Betray an L.A. Cliché
KCET

Do We Suddenly Hate Driving? ("Is PIRG on the mark in terms of its projections about reduced driving? How does the data change the way we should think about infrastructure? Will millennials' driving behavior increase when, like me, they have to start carting children to baseball games and martial arts classes? Is there a business opportunity to be developed in the country's overall change in behavior? If driving continues to decline, how far would that go toward solving the infrastructure funding shortfall?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Giving Bike Rack Power To The Bus Drivers
Mass Transit

Great Hall At LAX's New Bradley Terminal To Be Named For Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles Daily News

How Clean Is The Air We Breathe In Cities?
The City Fix

LA Metro Uses Social Media In The Planning Process ("This was the first time that Metro incorporated comments received via social media into the official record for projects governed by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)." Interview with Jody Litvak, community relations director at Metro)
The Transit Wire

Long Beach Airport Has Lowest Fares In California, Second Lowest In Nation
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Mayor Found $40MM For Crenshaw Line's Leimert Park Stop
Curbed LA

Metro Wants To Charge Developers For Traffic Mitigation
Curbed LA

The Next Stop In Public Transit Advertising: Audio
Governing

Obama's Budget Would Save The Transpo Trust Fund. If Only It Were Real
StreetsBlog DC

O.C. Toll Roads Land CEO For Pared-Back $240,000 ("The offer wasn't quite the $615,000 handshake that Orange County toll-road operators initially had in mind, but in the end it was enough to land a chief executive described as both a veteran and a visionary.")
Orange County Register

OCTA Board To Revisit Pay-Toll Idea On 405 Project
Orange County Register

SanBag Reaffirms Support For Extending Gold Line To Montclair
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin


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.

5/20/2013

Orange Line Crush, Crenshaw Leimert Station, Big Blue Bus, 405 Delays, Subway Noise, Mayoral Race & Transpo, OCTA Toll Roads & More

A $750 Billion Infrastructure Bank -- With No Federal Funds
Transportation Issues Daily

BBB Any Line, Any Time For SMC Renewed
Santa Monica Mirror

Bus Stop At Olive View's Mental Health Center Could Be Lifesaver
Los Angeles Daily News

Congressman Can't Stomach 405 Delay
Malibu Times

Does The General Disparity In Engineering Harm Cycling In The U.S.?
StreetsBlog DC

Editorial: L.A. County Should Slow Down On Fee To Limit Traffic
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

For Many Angelenos, Every Day Is Bike-To-Work Day
StreetsBlog LA

If You Live In The South Bay, Take A Stand Tonight For New Bike Lanes
StreetsBlog LA

Infographics: Where Is Bike Comuting Growing The Fastest?
League Of American Bicyclists

L.A. Philharmonic Concerned About Potential Subway Noise ("A test suggests that a new downtown connector line might be heard in Disney Hall. Metro says it will find a way to eliminate all sounds.")
Los Angeles Times

L.A.'s Next Mayor To Have Regional Impact ("The city's mayor also plays a key role in transportation policy - controlling three or four seats on the Metropolitan Transportation Agency's board of directors - and also has influence on issues such as goods movement from the ports through the Inland Empire as well as airports such as Los Angeles International and L.A./Ontario International.")
Pasadena Star-News

Mayor Candidates On Transportation: Innovation vs. Tried And True ("L.A. mayor candidates Garcetti and Greuel have similar track records on city transportation problems, but there are a few notable differences...A key challenge for the new mayor will be influencing decisions on the countywide Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. ")
Los Angeles Times

Mayor Villaraigosa Committed To Funding For Leimert Park Station-Stop
Los Angeles Sentinel

Metro Considers Adding Fees To Every New Home, Store Or Office Building To Fight Congestion ("Developers in Los Angeles County are bracing themselves for a new layer of congestion fees that would add about $1,900 per new home and about $30,000 on a new Trader Joe's store, The added fees are being considered as part of a developing Congestion Mitigation Fee Program, 10 years in the making by the county's Metropolitan Transportation Authority or Metro.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

New CEO For Toll Roads ("Transportation industry veteran Neil Peterson has agreed to take the chief executive post of the Transportation Corridor Agencies in Irvine...Peterson also was executive director of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission")
Orange County Business Journal

Ontario, San Bernardino County Set To Sue LAWA
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Orange Crush ("The Orange Line is feeling the squeeze. An immediate success upon its opening in 2005, ridership continues to surge on the San Fernando Valley’s dedicated busway, which runs from Woodland Hills and Chatsworth to North Hollywood. The line currently handles more than 30,000 passengers on an average weekday, making it the second busiest bus line in Los Angeles County.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

Santa Monica Awarded Silver & 83/100 Bike Score, But Just How Helpful Are Such City Rankings?
StreetsBlog LA

Transportation Nominee Anthony Foxx Prepares For DC Debut At Confirmation Hearing
Charlotte Observer

Transportation Workers Are Most Obese ("Transportation workers have a 36% obesity rate, the highest rate among 14 occupation groups measured by Gallup.")
Town Talk

Westlake-MacArthur Park: How A Neighborhood Park Became A City Treasure
LA as Subject via KCET

With Less Driving, Can We Tone Down The Hysteria About Congestion?
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.