Today's Headlines - more at Metro

12/16/2010

AQMD Interviews Art Leahy, Freeway Expansion Construction Delays, Jaywalking Ticket Fees Breakdown, HOT Lanes, Walkable Cities & More

America's Most Walkable Cities ("A majority of Americans--six in 10--say they would prefer to live in walkable neighborhoods, in both cities and suburbs, if they could.")
The Atlantic

AQMD On The Air: Art Leahy (video)
South Coast Air Quality Management District via YouTube

Breaking Down The Cost Of Jaywalking: Where Does Money From A $190 Ticket Go?
Blog Downtown

Car That Runs On Thin Air (video : Meet the Air Pod, a three-wheeled vehicle with no steering wheel whose creators think it could be the future of urban transportation -- and it is powered by a compressed air engine)
CNN

Developers Announce Deal With City, Labor To Tear Down, Rebuild Wilshire Grand Hotel
(Plans for new office tower and luxury hotel at 7th and Figueroa)
Southern California Public Radio

The Federal Interest In Non-Highway Transportation
Planetizen

Freeway Expansion Coverage Focusing On Construction Delays, Still Missing The Magic Question ("There are so many people that don’t drive because of congestion, that relieving that congestion induces more driving and leads to new lanes being filled more quickly than we can
build them. When construction will create delay for years, as it will for this project, one really has to question whether the project would be worth it if it were free.")
StreetsBlog LA

Help Kickstart CicLAvia Into A Successful 2011!
("With events planned in April, July, and October, CicLAvia is going to generate more smiles, more health, more foot traffic for the local economy, and more civic pride.")
CicLAvia

Is High-Speed Rail Travel In America's Future?: The U.S. Lags Europe And Asia, But Critics Say There Are Reasons For Caution
(A look at high speed rail's future in the U.S. by first looking at rail's domineering past, noting the huge change after the Interstate Highway Act along with the land use changes the auto brought, but concludes it all comes down to the American voter)
Consumer Affairs

Nearly $1 Billion Sought For Pet Transport Projects
Reuters

Renderings Unveiled For NFL Stadium Next To L.A. Live
Blog Downtown

Santa Monica Picks Up Speed Toward Cycling Sustainability
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Third Quarter 2010 Public Transit Ridership Declines Slightly
APTA

Transit Benefit (Wrapped In Tax Cuts) Clears The Senate
StreetsBlog DC

The Truth About HOT Lanes (interview with Jack Finn, head of toll services for HNTB Corporation, the infrastructure firm that designed the toll system for Route 91 in Orange County, the country's first HOT Lanes which opened 15 years ago this month)
Infrastructurist

Why Did The Elk (Or Bear Or Deer Or Lynx) Cross The Road?: Landscape Architects Compete To Create Highway Overpasses For Wildlife That Allow Safer, Free Roaming Across Habitats
Wall Street Journal