Today's Headlines - more at Metro

2/12/2010

Transportation Headlines for Friday February 12, 2010

TheSource.metro.net

Anatomy Of A Bikeway: L.A.'s Abandoned Class 1 Bike Path
Biking In LA

Bad Traffic Not Exclusive To L.A. Freeways
USC Daily Trojan

The Bicycle Grief: In The Quest For Bike-Friendly Cities, Are Snobby Cyclists Their Own Worst Enemies?
American Prospect

Bipartisan Senate Jobs Bill Has Highway Trust Fund Rescue But No TIGER
DC StreetsBlog

DOT A Leader In OpenGov
(initiative lays out the Administration's view of what transparent, collaborative, and participatory government will look like when it's pushed out to the departments. Users are encouraged to submit ideas on ways to improve USDOT and vote on their favorites)
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog
Open DOT: Share Your Ideas

Electric Bikes Face Long Road In U.S.
USA Today

Expo Light Rail Project Moves Down The Line After Construction Authority OKs EIR
Argonaut

Governor’s Plan Would Shield Projects From Lawsuit
Palm Springs Desert Sun

Korea Eyes $45 Billion Train Deal In US (California high-speed rail)
Korea Times

L.A. Sees 29% Jump In Bike Thefts, Prompting Some Vigilante Justice: Downtown L.A., Parts Of Hollywood, Venice And The USC Campus Area Are Hot Spots As Nearly 2,000 Bicycles Are Reported Stolen In 2009
Los Angeles Times

LA Sheriffs Get High-Tech Screening Vessel, Helicopter For Port Security
Southern California Public Radio

Long Beach On The Path To Becoming A Top “Bike Friendly” City
Travelin’ Local

Midtown Pedestrian Mall Gets Green Light (New York’s Times Square and Herald Square traffic projects to become permanent as Mayor Michael Bloomberg cites increased safety and public acceptance)
Crain’s New York Business

New Campaign Aims To Keep People Off The Tracks
San Francisco Chronicle
Common Sense, Use It (railroad safety tips)

OCTA Approves Study Of 405 Widening Project
Daily Pilot

Opinion: Slumburbia
New York Times

Street Extensions Could Ease Traffic In East Pasadena, Officials Say
Pasadena Star-News

Supervisor Won't Drop His Call For MTA Audit: Ridley-Thomas Going It Alone On Request
Los Angeles Daily News

Underground Inspiration
(The winner of the SHIFTboston Ideas Competition is a proposal to turn the unused Tremont Street Subway tunnel under Boston Common into a network of underground cultural venues)
Metropolis
Map, Layout, And More Information

Vancouver: An Olympic Urbanist Preview
Human Transit

Who’s Dependent On Cars? Try Mass Transit
New Geography

Wi-Fi Turns Rowdy Bus Into Rolling Study Hall
New York Times

Women, Transit, And The Perception Of Safety (interview with UCLA professor of urban planning Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, author of a study of 120 Los Angeles bus stops, environmental attributes, and crime who urges planners to incorporate women’s voices into planning processes)
Planetizen

Wrap-Up: Bruins For Traffic Relief Party
Be A Green Commuter

2/11/2010

Transportation Headlines for Thursday February 11, 2010

TheSource.metro.net

AASHTO Stimulus Report Omits Jobs Data Comparing Transit With Roads
DC StreetsBlog

Advocates Love The Bicycling Backbone Network
LA StreetsBlog

Alternate Ways To Fund U.S. Transportation System (Congress should take the opportunity provided by the pending re-authorization of the federal transportation bill to consider new ways to fund the U.S. transportation system, shifting from indirect fees such as fuel taxes to ones that charge drivers directly for the miles they travel)
Rand Corporation
Report Summary (14p. PDF)
Full-Text Report (151p. PDF)

Boxer, LaHood, Coming To Metro To Discuss Transportation Funding Bill
LA StreetsBlog

CA Senate Democrats Include HSR In Jobs Package: Will US Senate Dems Do It Too?
California High Speed Rail Blog

Caltrans Picks New Boss For L.A. And Ventura Counties
Los Angeles Times

The Clean Air Act's Investment Returns Rival Warren Buffet's
National Resources Defense Council Switchboard
EPA Study Abstract (2p. PDF)
Full-Text EPA Study

Expo Authority Finds Compromise, Has A Lot Of Work To Do
LA Curbed

Free Airport Wi-Fi Takes Off (advertising and sponsorship may be the future for transportation-related hot-spots)
USA Today

The Gas Tax Versus A VMT Tax: Is “All Of The Above” An Option?
DC StreetsBlog

Gold Line Station Ceremony (sign unveiled to mark location of future Aracadia station)
Arcadia's Best

Governor Gearing Up To Sell Ads On Freeway Electronic Signs
Sacramento Bee

L.A. County 10 Years Later: “A Tale Of Two Cities, One Future” Unveils Threatened Social And Economic Climate In County
United Way Of Greater Los Angeles

OCTA To Axe 130 Jobs, Cut Bus Service In March, Likely Cut More Service In September
TransitRiderOC

Officials Say No To Parking Plan: Proposed Bill Steps On Local Transportation Administrators’ Toes, Leaders Say
Glendale News Press

Our View: Keeping Gold Line Extension On Track
Pasadena Star-News

Ports Of L.A., Long Beach Expected To see Imports Surge: National Retail Federation Forecasts A Jump In Imports Of As Much As 28% For The First Half Of 2010 As The Economy Recovers
Los Angeles Times

Proposal Would Lower Fines For Red-Light Violations In L.A.: Councilman Says Drivers' Fines Will Go Down And City Revenue Will Go Up If The City Processes Its Own Tickets
Los Angeles Times

Quantifying The Value Of Biking
GOOD

Streetcar Sends $25 Million Request To Feds (Los Angeles Streetcar)
Blog Downtown

2/09/2010

Transportation Headlines for Tuesday February 9, 2010

TheSource.metro.net

3rd & Final Map Of L.A.’s Bicycle Backbone Map Released: South L.A./Harbor Gateway
LAist

Building A Farm Where A Freeway Used To Be
(a defunct onramp’s transition from “freeway to food forest”)
SF StreetsBlog

Bruins For Traffic Relief Launch Party
Be A Green Commuter

City Hall To Pay For Integrating Expo
Santa Monica Daily Press

Creating “A Better Tomorrow” In America With Sustainable Transportation
The City Fix

Effort Underway To Suspend California’s Global-Warming Law: Conservatives Propose An Initiative That Would Delay Curbs On Greenhouse Gas Emissions Until The State’s Unemployment Rate Drops To 5.5%, A Level Not Seen Since 2007
Los Angeles Times

The End Of the Road For Cul-De-Sacs?
DC StreetsBlog

EXPOsing The Westside To Mass Transit - Finally!
CityWatch

Federal Smart Growth (coordinating the work of HUD, DOT, and EPA)
Lincoln Institute Of Land Policy

HSR Lessons From China
California High Speed Rail Blog

Muni Joins Twitter For Real This Time, But Won’t Offer Service Alerts
San Francisco Appeal

Opinion: Transit Bills Fight Climate Change
(OR Rep. Earl Blumenauer)
Politico

Racking Up Miles? Maybe Not
(Vehicle-miles-traveled tax is looking increasingly like the future of transportation financing, so how could such a new system work?)
Washington Post

RSVP For Metro’s First Bicycle Rountable On 2/19
Green LA Girl

Urban Planning Away The Pounds: Study Links Weight Gain With Traffic
LA Curbed
Full-Text Report

A Vow To “Bring Republicans To The Table” For A New Transport Bill
DC StreetsBlog

Walkscore As A Planning Tool
California Planning & Development Report

What’s The Best Way To Curb Distracted Driving?
National Journal Transportation Blog

What’s The Problem With A National Infrastructure Bank? Capitalism (And Politics)
Infrastructurist

Why Not Rail?
(rail vs. bus rapid transit debate)
Planetizen

2/08/2010

Transportation Headlines for Monday February 8, 2010

TheSource.metro.net

710 Freeway Talk Ramps Up: Najarian Says Opponents Need To Speak Up, Or Connector Might Finally Happen
Glendale Press News

Amtrak Plans $11 Billion Of Train Equipment Purchases
Business Week

Beyond The Motor City: High Speed Rail America
PBS Blueprint America

Bike Boulevards: The SLO Solution
LA StreetsBlog

Bikes On Board: The Latest Research On Bicycle/Transit Integration
The City Fix

Cal High-Speed Rail Agency Looking To Korea For Planning Advice
San Francisco Examiner

City Official Gives Up His Hummer In A Race To City Hall: Jaime De La Vega Turns Over The Keys In A Challenge Between Freeways And Commuter Rail
Los Angeles Times

Commentary: High-Speed Rail: Make Use Of The Wait Time
Las Vegas Sun

Editorial: Traffic Fines As Cash Cow - It May Be A Good Way To Raise Revenue, But Planners Should Think Carefully Before Imposing Outrageous Fines For Relatively Minor Violations
Los Angeles Times

Expo Board Approves FEIR For Phase II: Off To Construction Or Off To Court?
LA StreetsBlog

Finding A Parking Space Could Soon Get Easier: Networking Sensors Attached To Taxis Could Ease The Hunt For Street Parking
MIT Technology Review

LA's Best Bike Plan - The Plan With A Backbone!
SoapBox LA

Light Rail A Step Closer To Reality
Santa Monica Daily Press

Michael A. Barbour, The Roadie: Overseeing The Widening Of The 405 Freeway Is Only The Latest Challenge For Metro's Mike Barbour
Los Angeles Times

Money Woes Could Threaten High-Speed Rail's Future: State, Federal Money Woes Could Threaten High-Speed Rail's Future Even With Stimulus Funds
ABC News

Obama's Money Trains: More Than Half Of High-Speed Rail Grants Will Go Into Freight Corridors To Build Up Inter-City Passenger Service
Journal Of Commerce

The Plane Or The Train? Comparing Travel Options In An HSR Era
California High Speed Rail Blog

Privatized Transit And (Or Vs.) The Public Good
Human Transit

Reforming Anti-Urban Bias In Transportation Spending
New Geography

Risks Are Seen In L.A.'s Plan To Privatize Parking Structures
Los Angeles Times

Students Voice Support For Phase Two Of Expo Line
USC Daily Trojan

TIGER Grant Winners To Be Announced By February 17
DC StreetsBlog

Transit Advocates Discuss Financial Crisis
Orange County Register