Today's Headlines - more at Metro

3/19/2010

Transportation Headlines for Friday March 19, 2010


$45 Million For Maglev Shifted To Airport Road Project
Las Vegas Sun

Atlanta-Area Transit System 14 Days From Shutting Down, 2 Million Rides [Per Year] Disappearing (C-Tran, Clayton County Georgia’s bus system, is scheduled to shutdown entirely March 31)
Transportation For America

California Plans "Full Speed Ahead" On Build America Bond Sales
Business Week

A Complete Rethink: William Mitchell And The MIT Media Lab Take On One Of Urban America’s Hidden Foes: The Car
Metropolis

Editorial: 30/10 Does The Job - The Mayor's Innovative Plan To Complete Regional Transit Projects In Just 10 Years Is A Win-Win
Los Angeles Times

Exploring L.A.'s Railway Past In Perris (visit to and photo tour of Orange Empire Railway Museum)
Franklin Avenue

Feinstein Backs Villaraigosa Plan To Speed Transportation Projects
Los Angeles Times

Freeways Responsible For Emptying Out Cities (interview with author of recent study showing that for every significant freeway that gets built in a major city, population declines by about 18%)
Planetizen

Fun Times Ahead As Transportation Bill Takes Shape
Wired

Hayes Valley: A Former Freeway Turns Into A Farm
GOOD

How To Find Out What Your City Will Get From Transportation Stimulus Funds
Los Angeles Times

Johannesburg Rolls Out New BRT Routes Against Odds
The City Fix

L.A. Streets Summit 2010: Biking, Walking And Beyond!
(Saturday, March 20 : L.A. Trade Tech College)
Occidental College Urban & Environmental Policy Institute

Mayor Talks Transit Projects, Future Of LA
(Villaraigosa speaking at the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles 10th Annual Urban Marketplace)
Globe St.

Metrolink May Cut Service To Camarillo
(as well as Oxnard and Ventura)
Camarillo Acorn

Once More: HSR Does Not Produce Sprawl
California High Speed Rail Blog

President Signs Jobs Bill, Extending Highway Trust Fund
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Public Surveying: The Quicksand Of Hypotheticals
Human Transit

RTA, Seeking Cash, Looks Into Ads On Its Web Site (its three service boards — Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace Suburban Bus — may follow suit)
Chicago Sun-Times

Sepulveda Boulevard Closures Expected To Worsen Westside Traffic Woes
Los Angeles Times

The Sprawling Effects Of High-Speed Rail
Transport Politic

The Still Beating Heart Of L.A. History (Downtown's El Pueblo De Los Angeles Historical Monument Is Much More Than A Cute Tourist Trap)
Los Angeles Times

Transportation Research Collaboration Pilot Website (to improve the collaborative capabilities offered to transportation researchers and other related stakeholders both inside and outside the DOT)
U.S. DOT Research And Innovative Technology Administration

Various Freeway On- And Off-Ramps To Be Closed For The L.A. Marathon
LAist

3/18/2010

Transportation Headlines for Thursday March 18, 2010


1 Car = 2 Bicycles: See The Transformation Live, Starting Saturday
(Artists,with the help of students, dismantle an old car and turn it into two fully-operational bicycles)
LAist

30/10 Transportation Initiative Gaining Steam
Huffington Post

Broad’s Grand Plans: LA Collector Said To Have Selected Downtown Site For New Museum
Architects Newspaper

Brown Offers Senate Plan For More Federal Operating Aid To Local Transit
StreetsBlog DC

California Releases Detailed List Of Transportation Projects Financed With $2.5 Billion In Stimulus Funds
Earth Times
California Department Of Transportation American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009 (ARRA) Summary Of Apportionment And Obligation (168p. PDF)

CEQA Exemptions For HSR?
California High Speed Rail Blog

Clive Thompson To Texters: Park The Car, Take The Bus
(suggests that the solution to the problem of texting while driving is not to stop texting, but to stop driving. The popularity of texting is a good reason to support public transit)
Wired

Coming Soon: "Oil-less" Economic Growth
Reuters

Critics: HSR Will Fail Because The Federal Railroad Administration’s Too Small
Infrastructurist

DIY Goes Legit: Hills Community Wants To Pay For Its Traffic Calming (Mt. Olympus)
StreetsBlog LA

Grade Separation Project Moving Forward In Ontario
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

High-Speed Rail As A Conduit Of Sprawl
Wired

If It Does Matter Where CO2 Is Released, Cities Are In Trouble (includes map)
Grist

NYC Wants To School LA On Traffic...With Bicycles
LAist

Oberstar Proposes Federal Loan To Fill Highway Funding Gaps: Chairman Of House Transportation And Infrastructure Committee Floats Plan For $130 Billion Loan From General Treasury To Cover Highway Trust Fund Budget Shortfall
DC Velocity

Parking Policy Reform More Important Than LEED Certification
Planetizen

Ray LaHood: “The End Of Favoring Motorized Transportation”
GOOD

Renegade Sharrow Push Underway Across The City
Curbed LA

“Sea-Change” Coming To Transportation Planning
Planetizen

Villaraigosa Steps Up Case For “30 In 10” In D.C.
StreetsBlog DC

Was O.C. Shortchanged On Stimulus Aid?
Orange County Register

What's In A Name? "Transit" Vs. "Public Transportation"
Boise Weekly

Why L.A.’s New One Block Railway Is A Sign Of Things To Come
True Slant

3/17/2010

Transportation Headlines for Wednesday March 17, 2010

21 Top Time-Saving Cities (factors consider include commuting, walkability, traffic congestion; Seattle ranks first, Los Angeles ties for #16)
Real Simple

Burbank Lobbies For Airport Stop: Officials Say High-Speed Rail Should Have A Stop Near Transit Center
Glendale News Press

Coalition Formed To Promote Public Road Safety
PR Newswire
Partnership For Advancing Road Safety website

Educating Congress About Mass Transit
Huffington Post

End Of The Road For The LADOT!
CityWatch

Engaging Communities, Improving Neighborhoods (new GIS tools allow community members to collect data about their streets and improve their neighborhood livability)
Planetizen

Feinstein Says She’s Out Of The Loop For L.A. Transit Plan
LAist

For Cyclists, It’s A Bridge To Nowhere
StreetsBlog LA

Frail Pensioner Forced To Take 14-Mile Bus Ride When She Wants To Cross The Road…Because Village Has No Pedestrian Crossing
Daily Mail (U.K.)

The Fundamental Attribution Error In Transportation Choice
Psystenance
Commentary from Human Transit

Gas Prices And Consumer Behavior (among several critical points made: gasoline price changes have a larger impact on aggregate fuel consumption than on traffic levels)
New Republic

High-Speed Rail Gains Traction In Spain (Two years ago, 90% of the 6 million travelers between Madrid and Barcelona, the world’s busiest air corridor, went by air. Earlier this year, the number of train travelers has already surpassed fliers)
New York Times

How Infrastructure Shapes The Way We Move
StreetsBlog

How Many Hours Do We Waste In Traffic In Major U.S. Cities? (Infographic compares 14 major U.S. urban areas; Seattle most improved while Los Angeles shows virtually no change in past 10 years)
Infrastructurist
Way To Go, Seattle! (one-stop source for programs, tools, and information about walking, biking, using transit, and carpooling)
City Of Seattle

How To Get A Crosswalk For Your Neighborhood In 6-ish Weeks
GOOD

LACBC Bike Counts: Strong Relationship Between Infrastructure And Riders On The Road
StreetsBlog LA

Maps: Road Closures Announced For L.A. Marathon
(Sunday, March 21)
LAist
LADOT Press Release Including Stadium-To-The-Sea Route Map And Closures (3p. PDF)

Orange County Transportation Authority Names New Deputy CEO
OC Metro

Postcard From A Guangzhou Traffic Jam
(after one month in service, this Chinese city’s Bus Rapid Transit system serves 800,000 passengers a day)
New York Times

Public Transportation In The Well-Deserved Spotlight
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Public Transportation Leaders Convene In Washington: Call On Congress To Vote For Public Transit And Jobs
APTA

A Regional Gas Tax Surcharge To Sponsor Infrastructure Investment (Expanded taxation at the state level could simplify the financing of regional high-speed rail networks)
Transport Politic

Schwarzenegger To Veto Democrats' Public Transit Cuts: The Rejection By The California Governor, The Second In Two Weeks, Kills The Democrats' $4-Billion Deficit-Reduction Package
Los Angeles Times

Signs Of Bad Traffic Loom Over Echo Park (new changeable message signs on Sunset Boulevard cost $240,000 each, with questionable benefits)
Eastsider LA

The Street Names Of Los Angeles: A History (video : Part 1)
The Seaver Center For Western History Research, Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County
Part 2 (video)
Part 3 (video)

The Taming Of The Motorcar (noted architect Victor Gruen on why traffic planners fail to help us domesticate the automobile)
Planetizen

TIGER Grants Highlight New Transportation Paradigm (A look at where $1.5 billion is going)
New Urban News

U.S. Transportation Department Makes Good On Promise To Ensure Our Streets Are Made Safer
Transportation For America

Villaraigosa In D.C. Seeking Support For Faster Subway, Transit Funding
Los Angeles Times

Waiting For The Paris Metro? You Might Be In An IKEA Ad
Fast Company

Woonerg: It’s Dutch For Smart City-Building (narrow streets with no curbs and finished with pavers lets drivers know that they are “guests” and people take precedent)
Toronto Star

3/16/2010

Transportation Headlines for Tuesday March 16, 2010

After A Year, How Are [Department Of Homeland Security] And [Transportation Security Administration] Doing?
National Journal Transportation Blog

Angels Flight, The “Shortest Railroad In The World,” Reopens In Downtown L.A.
Los Angeles Times

Bay Area Officials Want Transit Funds Restored
San Francisco Chronicle

Bicycling And Walking In The United States: 2010 Benchmarking Report Quick Fact Sheet (2p. PDF)
Alliance For Biking & Walking

Blocking Bike Lanes With Cars Or Trash Cans Is Illegal
LAist

China To Bid On US High-Speed Rail Projects
Associated Press

The City As Platform
Urbanophile

Cyclists Take On One Of L.A.’s Steepest Hills: At A Whopping 33% Incline, Fargo Street Is One Of The Sharpest Grades In L.A.
Los Angeles Times

From New York To Guangzhou: Lessons Learned From Congestion Pricing
The City Fix

The Good Haul: Freight Innovations For The 21st Century
Environmental Defense Fund Way2Go Blog
Full-Text Report (68p. PDF)

Housing + Transportation Affordability Index Methodology
Center For Neighborhood Technology & Center For Transit-Oriented Development

Ho-Hum Statistics Come Alive With Google Public Data Explorer (Google has launched a new experimental effort to visualize much of the public data it now searches and displays)
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Has Scored $591 Million In Stimulus Funds So Far
LAist

LaHood Reaches Out To Transit Industry, Lamenting “Lousy Economy”
StreetsBlog DC

Parsons Brinkerhoff Awarded US High-Speed Rail Contracts
International Construction

Planes, Trains, And Automobiles (Of The Future) (wearable motorcycles, NASA personal air vehicles, tubular rail, and space elevators)
GOOD

Samples Will Mark Start Of Work On Metro Crenshaw Rail Line
Daily Breeze

State Transit Projects May Be U.S. Models (Measure R and 30/10 getting more attention outside of Los Angeles)
San Francisco Chronicle

A Time To Consider Local Fuel Fees (Could San Francisco become a model for transit financing?) New York Times

[Today] Is “L.A. Transportation Freedom” Day
LAist
CalPirg: How Long Must You Work To Cover Your Transportation Costs?

What’s A “Train Cycle” And How Does It Affect Me?
Metrolink

3/15/2010

Transportation Headlines for Monday March 15, 2010

Angels Flight Funicular To Reopen Monday
Los Angeles Times

Archiving Angeles: Wilshire & Crenshaw (1934 photo)
MetBlogs LA

Bikes Are More Than A Part Of Life, They Are A Way Of Living (Initiative of Bikes Belong is gathering a million names of support, to speak with one powerful voice - to make bicycling safer, more convenient and appealing for everyone)
People For Bikes

Budget Cuts Could Curtail Street Service: Repair, Cleaning Of Roadways May Be Affected
Los Angeles Daily News

Bus Service Between Union Station And Dodger Stadium Is Back
LAist

Could Shamu Station Be Around Bend? Transit Officials Weigh Selling Naming Rights
San Diego Union-Tribune

Dodger Stadium Shuttles Are Back: The Service, Which Had Been Discontinued Last Season Because Of The City's Financial Constraints, Has Resumed Through State Funding
Los Angeles Times

Downtown Streetcar Campaign, Downtown Park At Ninth And Hill
Curbed LA

Early Estimate Of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities In 2009 (If projections are realized, fatalities will be lowest since record-keeping began in 1954; 2p. PDF)
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts

End Of The Lines? Foothill Transit Plans To Cut Hours And Cancel Routes In Light Of $12.5 Million Deficit
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Expo Authority Says It Will “Vigorously” Defend Line In Lawsuit
Curbed LA

How L.A. Could Build 12 Major Transit Projects In 10 Years
LAist

Is 2010 The Year For Federal Bike Aid? The Answer: A Big “Maybe”
StreetsBlog DC

It's Lights Out For Late-Night Bus Service
Orange County Register

King's Cross To Beijing In Two Days On New High-Speed Rail Network (China announces ambitious plan to build high-speed rail across Asia and Europe to England)
Telegraph (London)

LaHood To Airlines: Get Onboard The High-Speed Rail
Wall Street Journal

LAPD Takes First Steps To Train Officers On Bicycle Laws
LAist

A Linked-Fee For Carbon Reduction?
New Republic

Map Of The Day: What Streets Have Been Repaved So Far This Year? (liberating city data for residents)
LAist

Nine Years Later, Angels Flight Opening To Riders
Curbed LA

Opinion: On Board With The Mayor - Villaraigosa's 30/10 Plan To Fund L.A. Transit Projects Is Winning Supporters In High Places, And Deservedly So
Los Angeles Times

Opposition Intensifies For 710 Freeway Tunnel Plan
Los Angeles Times

Panelists Stress Need to Constantly Monitor 24-Hour News Cycle
AASHTO Journal

Petition To Kill California’s Anti-Pollution Legislation Is Off To A Rocky, Slimy Start
Huffington Post

Ray LaHood Rocks Summit Crowd With Tabletop Speech
Bike Portland

Redevelopment Field Trip: Past, Present & Future (Past: Old Town Pasadena; Present: Los Angeles Downtown Arts & Old Bank Districts; Future: North Hollywood)
California Planning & Development Report

Testifying On Our 30/10 Plan (Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa)
Huffington Post

Think Renewables Need Huge Subsidies? Federal Energy Subsidies Visualized (President Obama has proposed eliminating federal subsidies for fossil fuels in 2011, but for now they're still a $72 billion piece of the pie. Solar, wind and geothermal? $12.2 billion)
Ecopolitology

Train To (Near) LAX To Begin Exploratory Drilling On Monday
LAist

Transit Authority Responds To Lawsuit Against Train From Culver City To Santa Monica
LAist