Today's Headlines - more at Metro

10/11/2008

Transportation Headlines for Saturday October 11, 2008

11-person panel named to study Metrolink safety - The group was formed in response to the Chatsworth Metrolink crash that killed 25 people. A report on improving operations is due in 60 days
Los Angeles Times
Safety Panelists
Los Angeles Times

Afternoon Thinkage: Are LA's Parking Minimums Hindering The City?
CurbedLA

Amtrak announces record annual ridership
Associated Press

Beyond The Gas Tax
Cascadia Prospectus

Call to End Metrolink Service
LAist

Caltrans Rideshare Fair 2008
Flying Pigeon

County Registrar Apologizes to Pomona Councilman for Ballot Argument Omission - Councilman Hunter Officially Submitted His Name to be Listed as an Opponent to County Measure R
Santa Clarita Valley Non Profit News Center

Dana Gabbarb: More Reasons to Vote for Measure R
StreetsBlogLA

Economic Analysis Finds High-Speed Trains Will Be a Boon for Los Angeles and Southern California Region
MarketWatch

Feinstein opposes challenging ports' truck cleanup
Daily Breeze

James Oberstar on the Future of U.S. Transportation Funding
StreetsBlog

LAX Flyaway bus service fares to increase
Los Angeles Times

Metrolink's new cars are reported to be safest yet - Prototype commuter car to arrive in May
Ventura County Star

New Air Powered Car Looks Freakin' WEIRD
EcoGeek

NOW on PBS - Driven to Despair - Overview
NOW ON PBS - Driven to Despair - Timeline of Los Angeles Transit
PBS

OCTA's ridership soars - For the third consecutive month, buses and Metrolink experience large amounts of passengers
OC Metro

Oil prices slip below $78 a barrel - After peaking at $147 a barrel in July, crude futures drop almost $9 to their lowest point in 13 months. That's good news for drivers filling up their gas tanks
Los Angeles Times

PBS Exposes the Joys of Transit
StreetsBlog

Private Role in Public Infrastructure By Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters
Urban Energy

Public Transportation: Who Needs It? (video)
Paul Lynde.info

Reduce Traffic Through Measure R
RedFin

Reinventing American Transportation
Transportation For America

Right Time for Mass Transit
Press Enterprise

South African Electric Car the Crown Joule of Paris Auto Show
Wired

Taxation without road representation
La CaƱada Valley Sun

Will cheap gas mean return to gas-guzzling ways?
Daily News

Photos from the Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive Photo Collections on Flickr:
(Just started, we’re building a Web 2.0 resource for opening up public access to Metro’s extensive archive collection of transportation photographs, 20,000+ photos spanning 1873 to the present)
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrolibraryarchive/collections

Film From the Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive on YouTube:
RTD Operation Teamwork featuring Phil Olsen and Ken Geddes of the Los Angeles Rams
Operation Teamwork – Part 1
Operation Teamwork – Part 2
RTD Park and Ride service TV commercial
RTD Park and Ride

10/10/2008

Transportation Headlines for Friday October 10, 2008

2008 Retail Container Traffic Expected to be Lowest Since 2005
U.S. Custom House Guide

Airport agency has new guidelines workbook for sustainable planning
The Argonaut

Alternative to Freeway Jams: What’s Not to Like?
CityWatch

BART Staff Shoots Down Coffee Proposal
KTVU.COM

BNSF Ready to Implement Positive Train Control
MarketWatch

Caltrans Awards $46 Million in Safe Routes to School Funding
CentreDaily

City leaders weighing options for Metrolink memorial - 10 Simi Valley residents died in collision
Simi Valley Acorn

CTA plans to boost fares
Chicago Breaking News

Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel
Transportation Research Board

Four Class Is to establish PTC interoperability standards; two to implement PTC in L.A. area by 2012
Progressive Railroading

International Rail Safety Expert Russ Quimby on Farmdale and Western
Citizens Campaign to Fix Expo

L.A. tax measures could be a tough sell on Nov. 4 - With so much economic uncertainty, voters are telling politicians they're unsure they can handle an additional financial burden
Los Angeles Times

LA Times For Measure R
CurbedLA

Measure "R" and the Whiners
ExurbanNation

NBC Needs Ventura Boulevard Subway
MetBlogsLA

New-car sales hit brakes in U.S.
Daily News

OCTA to Consider South County Transportation Plan
Capistrano Dispatch

Opinion - Weakest Metrolink: Commuter trains in Southern California have proved neither safe nor cost-effective
Los Angeles Times

pedestrian violation enforcement on the rise in downtown
angelenic

Rails Agree on Positive Train Control
TrafficWorld

Raising the Bar in South LA
LAist

School Buses: Still Vehicles for Change - High Transportation Costs Are Forcing Kids Back To Neighborhood Schools, Limiting Diversity
Wall Street Journal

Some California toll bills hit; others miss
Land Line

Sound of Death on LA’s Streets … and No One is Listening
CityWatch

Times endorses Measure R
Bottleneck Blog

Torrance traffic signals synchronized
Daily Breeze

Two Orange County toll roads will gain additional lanes
KPCC

U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar and future transit funding
PrimeBuzz

10/09/2008

Transportation Headlines for Thursday October 8, 2008

2 railroads plan to beat safety deadline in LA
Examiner

Another smooth week for LA-Long Beach clean trucks
Journal of Commerce

Bailout gives tax break to bicycle commuters
San Francisco Chronicle

Chaos theory, L. A. style - Author Tom Vanderbilt explains the logistics of getting stars to the Oscars
National Post

Clean Tech Open to Hold Transportation Symposium in UCLA
Good Clean Tech

CNG Hybrid-Electric Buses - Combining Two Clean, Fuel-Saving Technologies
Mass Transit Magazine

Counties' agencies push RideShare
Press Enterprise

Dianne Feinstein's testimony at today's Metrolink hearing
Bottleneck Blog

Editorial - Yes on Measure R - It's a tough time to seek a tax hike, but Measure R is worth it.
Los Angeles Times

Entire rail industry should commit to PTC implementation, NTSB's Rosenker says
Progressive Railroading

First Into Recession, California Shows Possible Future for U.S.
Wall Street Journal (requires subscription)

FlyAway bus service fees to climb in 2009
Daily Breeze

Freight railroads pledge to install advanced safety measures by 2012 - Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific, which share tracks with Metrolink, say the system's complexity may prevent a complete rollout by that date, however
Los Angeles Times

House Democrats unveil draft climate change bill
USA Today

Measure R… or massive service cuts?
TransitRiderLA

MiFare Classic vulnerability fully and officially exposed
Tech Herald

Positive Train Control to be Installed on Metrolink Routes
LAist

Progress slow on ways to prevent train wrecks - SAFETY: Feinstein says rail officials commit to installing positive train control by 2012, but challenges remain
Press Enterprise

Rail safety system pledged by '12
Daily News

Sen. Boxer addresses EXPO, touts transit's economic role
Metro Magazine

State budget: The deficit that never seems to end
Capitol Weekly

State's leaders deal with new budget problems
San Francisco Chronicle

'StreetCar RTV' introduced at APTA Expo
Metro Magazine

Study Says Closing Roads Might Cut Congestion. Huh?
Wired

UPDATE PROP. R -- MTA tax tactics
RonKayeLA

10/08/2008

Transportation Headlines for Wednesday October 8, 2008

Activists Slam NBC Universal Project in Times Op/Ed
StreetsBlogLA

Amtrak Bill Clears the Way for Bike-Friendly Trains
StreetsBlog

Campaign donations not jumping aboard Measure R so far
Bottleneck Blog

Colton bike path, once opposed, gets lots of use
Press Enteprise

Council Wants TOD Plans for Future Green Line Extension
StreetsBlogLA

Closing Roads Sometimes Improves Traffic Flow
Christian Science Monitor

Cycling in Los Angeles
Transit LA

Dear Google Maps, What About Orange Line Stations?
LAist

DOT’s Robinson Agrees to Work with NCs on MOU
CityWatch

El Monte residents to vote on sales-tax hike
Pasadena Star News

Every Million Dollars Count When Building a Streetcar
LAist

Feds probe L.A. airport agency's allocation of $40 million to visitors bureau
Los Angeles Times

Fiscal news grows worse for California
Sacramento Bee

Folding Bikes Increasingly Popular on Rail
Planetizen

Heavy buses need some support
LA Now

L.A. mayor warns businesses of tough times ahead
Daily News

Measure R targets road congestion in L.A. County
West Ranch Beacon

Metro Driver Drives While On Cell Phone
The Bus Bench

METRO recognizes '10 Great Transit Systems to Work For' at EXPO
Metro Magazine

Mexico port could take local shipping
Press Telegram

Miracle in Pasadena!: New bike racks at Gold Line station
Bottleneck Blog

Perata says state may face 'another $15 billion to $18 billion deficit'
Capitol Weekly

Officials discover extra $390 million in County's coffers - Money may be held in reserve
Whittier Daily News

President Bush to sign rail safety bill
Bottleneck Blog

Riverside County agency to look at separating road-rail crossings
Press Enteprise

San Diego MTS Rolls Out New Buses
NBC

Santa Clarita Now Using Txt Msgs to Alert Residents of Emergencies
LAist

Speed cameras may track motorists over longer distances
Bottleneck Blog

Steve Lopez: Shining a bright light on a 'green mayor'
Los Angeles Times

Supervisors criticize MTA's mailings on Measure R as biased
Daily News

Traffic Rant: Hey, City Hall, is it really that hard to build a bike lane?
Bottleneck Blog

Transportation leaders say next president must improve U.S. infrastructure
Logistics Management

Two-Wheeled Act – Interview with Bike-friendly Congressman Earl Blumenauer
Outside

Video: Daily Debrief: Subway cards easy to hack
CNet

Wilshire bus lane update (with second update below)
Bottleneck Blog

10/07/2008

Transportation Headlines for Tuesday October 7, 2008

Activist Issues a Call for Councilman Parks to Step Down by Monday or Face a Recall
The Front Page

Back End Developer
FreshMeat

BART Riders Embrace Paying with Mobile Phones -- NFC Trial a Success - Mobile Payments Trial Shows High Transit and Retail Usage
MarketWatch

Big transit show in San Diego this week
Bottleneck Blog

City Finds Another $1 Million in Streetcar Funding
BlogDowntown

Expo right-of-way: should it be a busway?
Bottleneck Blog


High Gas Prices Put Public Transportation on Nation's Agenda
EarthTimes

How Long Does it Take to Fix the Road?
LAist

Long Beach Press-Telegram editorializes against Measure R
Bottleneck Blog

Leaders may call lawmakers into emergency session as new state budget plunges into the red
Los Angeles Times

Measure R Battle
CurbedLA

Five Transportation Measures to Watch
Modal Citizen

Hopes for light rail lines could stay alive - Recommendation by MTA staff will include 3 alternative routes
Whittier Daily News

Little joy at slide in gasoline - Dropping oil prices could break $60 a barrel, an analyst says. That helps motorists, but the weakening economy is creating bigger problems
Los Angeles Times

Measure R targets road congestion in L.A. County
Daily News

Officials of Metrolink operator comment on deadly crash - Veolia Transportation executives say the company is 'stricken with grief' over the collision that killed 25. They decline comment on specifics, citing the continuing investigation
Los Angeles Times

Opinion - The new NBC Universal HQ is too big for a parking lot
In its coverage of the disputed development near Universal Studios, The Times understates the extent of the opposition from the community
Los Angeles Times

Public Transit Users Save $9,499 per Household Annually, Up Over $250 From Last Year
APTA Annual Meeting Blog

Putting America's Transportation System on Track
AFSCME

RaiPAC Campaign To Improve Surfliner Weekend Schedule Succeeds
RailPAC

Race For The Electric Car - Competition To Build A Viable Electric Car Heats Up, As Silicon Valley Gets Into The Game
CBS News

RailTrends 2008 Recap: In these most uncertain times, the 'Rail Renaissance' endures
Progressive Railroading

Santa Clarita Council Member Named to State Board - Marsha McLean Represents North L.A. County on League of California Cities Board
Santa Clarita Valley Non Profit News

Santa Monica Construction Delays
West Hollywood News

Transportation Symposium
California Clean Tech

union station to l.a.x. express train? metro thinks so
angelenic

10/05/2008

Transportation Headlines for Sunday October 5, 2008

California led nation in jobs lost in 2007, study finds
Sacramento Bee

Dan Walters: Will state now shift to vertical growth?
Sacramento Bee

East L.A. wants to be its own city - 96% of 130,000 people who live in area are Latinos
Ventura County Star

Ex-NTSB chief: Safety standards lowered for buses
Houston Chronicle

Forum voices high-speed rail pros and cons
San Francisco Chronicle

Funds Allocated For Plan To Build A Carpool Lane On Northbound 405
Canyon News

Gov. signs bill that'll help slow urban sprawl - The measure will for the first time allow the state to use its transportation funds to reward plans that provide for high-density housing near job centers and transit corridors
Los Angeles Times

Investigating the Metrolink Crash: Was the Light Green?
LAist

LAX cargo traffic sees 16% drop
Daily Breeze

Lawyers swoop in after the Metrolink crash, looking for clients - State bar officials cite possible professional sanctions, but the aggressive attorneys note that time is limited and the stakes are expected to be very high
Los Angeles Times

Letters to the editor - Train fans are on the right track
Los Angeles Times

Metrolink Witnesses: Signal Was Green Before Crash
CBS 2 TV

`No' on vehicle subsidies
Daily Breeze

Plug-In Hybrids Aren't Coming — They're Here
Wired

Port fest draws thousands
Press Telegram

Railroad cargo fee needed
San Bernardino Sun

State Bar Association warns attorneys not to contact Metrolink crash victims
Daily News

State's can of worms budget may be reopened
San Francisco Chronicle

State takeways threaten to cause public transit cuts
Contra Costa Times