Today's Headlines - more at Metro

5/07/2010

Transportation Headlines for Friday, May 7, 2010

Arcadia Draft Plan Adds Residential Component To Downtown, Live Oak ("The future Gold Line rail station could become the new heart of an active downtown under a proposed general plan update.")
Pasadena Star-News

BBB Fare Increase Shelved Once More
Santa Monica Daily Press

Bikes Belong Supports CicLAvia!
CicLAvia

California Can Use $2 Billion In Local Money To Balance Budget, Judge Says
Sacramento Bee

Can Americans' Car Dependence Be Changed? A Q&A With The Author Of "Carjacked"
Infrastructurist

Does "Sustainable Transportation" Mean Better Cars Or Fewer Cars?
Grist

Editorial: Rail Gains?
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Eyes On The Street: DIY Parking Spaces
StreetsBlog LA

The Fine Art Of Balancing A Street's Ecosystem
StreetsBlog LA

Filling In Map Gaps With Waze Games
New York Times

Firm Selected For Study Of Route 66 In California
(The California Preservation Foundation wishes to assemble existing studies and do new research to produce the first definitive document on the storied highway's history from its early days until it was de-certified in the 1980s.)
Los Angeles Times

Freeway Projects Receive Funding, Local Congestion Expected ("Dubbed the “West County Connector Project”, the construction will connect and enlarge the carpool lanes from I405, I605, and the 22 freeways.")
OC180 News

The Future Of U.S. Transit Operations Funding
Human Transit

Help In Shaving Minutes Off Your Underground Commute
New York Times

How Is Transit-Guide HopStop Profitable In A Fight With Google Maps? (video)
San Francisco Chronicle

How Mass Transit Integrates With Foursquare
ZDNet

The Implementation Of Visions For Regional Economic And Environmental Sustainability: The Fourth Annual Leonard Transportation Center Forum
(May 14, 2010 : Cal State San Bernardino)
Leonard Transportation Center Forum

Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. "X" Train Acquires First Passenger Train Railcar Set
MarketWatch

Los Angeles County Economic Forecast: 2010-2014
(47p. PDF)
Beacon Economics

Low-Speed Train Proposals Clash: Group Says "Brand X" Stole Its Idea For L.A.-To-Vegas Plan
Las Vegas Sun

Megacities Of The World: A Glimpse Of How We'll Live Tomorrow ("By 2050, 7 out of 10 people will live in megacities, offering the benefits of concentrated living but also some of the biggest public-works challenges in human history.")
Christian Science Monitor

New Chief Chosen For High-Speed Rail Project ("Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to approve the choice of Roelof van Ark, but some question his ties to the industry.")
Los Angeles Times

Periodic Table Of City Planning Elements
Stephens Planning via Planetizen

Rethinking The Way We TAP
Plus Metro

Thinking Outside Rails And Runways, And Taking The Bus
(Rise in popularity of U.S. interurban bus lines, especially for business travelers)
New York Times

Training Day: GOP Tries To Kill Rail Resolution
(Conservative Republicans nearly derailed the non-binding National Train Day tribute Wednesday because they objected to passages praising Amtrak)
Politico

Want To Prevent Oil Spill Disasters? Stop Driving
AlterNet

When Is A Fare Fair? Bus Riders Union Complains About Pending MTA Fare Hikes
Pasadena Weekly

5/06/2010

Transportation Headlines for Thursday, May 6, 2010

50 Years Ago This Week: The Launch Of Freeway Flyer Service
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

The $775 Million For Bus Repair: The DOT Responds
Infrastructurist

Advocates For Los Angeles Clean Truck Program Tout Success At Congressional Highways & Transit Hearing
PR Newswire

As Congestion Mounts, Transit Agencies Consider Varying Pricing
Transport Politic

El Sereno Bridge Opens
Curbed LA

Estimating Soft Costs For Major Public Transportation Fixed Guideway Projects
(144p. PDF : "an important resource that addresses the costs for professional services for major transit investments. The Guidebook is a resource intended for project managers and cost estimators working for transit agencies or other organizations in the early phases of planning a major fixed guideway public transportation project. It defines and describes soft costs and provides a new methodology to estimate soft costs based on historical projects.")
Transit Cooperative Research Program Report

Fact Check: How Much Can Your Vehicle Stick Into A Red Zone?
LAist

Form Based Codes Reach Critical Mass
New Urban News

Growing America: Demographics And Destiny
("With America expected to grow by 100 million people in the next 40 years, how will states and localities run a bigger, more diverse country?")
Governing

Highway Bill Delay Seen Stretching Into 2011
Journal Of Commerce

Hollywood Charged Up For E-Bikes
StreetsBlog LA

Intelligent Technologies Promise Greater Road Safety
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

L.A.'s New High-Tech "Coin & Card" Parking Meters Debut
LAist

Marking Americans' Love Affair With The Rails: Events Commemorate National Train Day On May 8
MSNBC

Nationwide Reports Identify Transportation Policy As Essential To Improving Health
Transportation For America
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Transportation Recommendations
CDC
Transportation, Land Use, And Community Design
National Physical Activity Plan

New California High-Speed Rail Chief Likely To Be Named Thursday
Los Angeles Times

Riding Public Transit Saves Individuals $9,453 Annually (AAA reports higher fuel prices leading factor in 4.8% increase to own and operate a vehicle in 2010)
APTA

Should Fares Be Higher During Peak Hours?
Human Transit

Steps To Tear Down Sunset Boulevard Bridge Over 405 Freeway Begin Friday
LAist

Streetcars Could Be Free In Parts Of D.C.
WTOP

Texas To Be U.S. Transportation Testing Ground
("Texas is about to become IBM's test subject for a series of telematics transportation technologies with the blessing the U.S. Department of Transportation.")
CNET

TOD In LA Often Means "Transit Oriented Districts"
StreetsBlog LA

Urban Parks Take Over Downtown Freeways
USA Today

5/05/2010

Transportation Headlines for Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Can Traffic Improve Along 5 Miles Of La Cienega Boulevard?
LAist
La Cienega Boulevard Study
SCAG
La Cienega Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project Existing Conditions (116p. PDF)
SCAG
La Cienega Boulevard Corridor Improvement Project Community Input Meetings (19p. PDF)
SCAG

City To Unveil Parking Meters That Take Credit Cards
Los Angeles Daily News

Coming Soon: Robots Parking Cars In West Hollywood, Calif.
Government Technology

Court Battle In WA: Do "Highway Purposes" Include Rail Lines?
("If a state gas tax is dedicated to “highway purposes,” can you build light rail on Interstate lanes presumably funded with said tax?")
Infrastructurist
Highways A La Mode
New Republic

Expectations For High-Speed Rail Coming Down To Earth
StreetsBlog DC

Federal Move Toward Sustainable Transportation And Other Infrastructure Matched By Public Demand And Industry Efforts
Smart Growth Online
America THINKS 2010 Sustainability Survey (fact sheet with results : 2p. PDF)

Gary Lauder's New Traffic Sign: Take Turns
(video : 4:27 : Fifty percent of traffic accidents happen at intersections. A new traffic sign combines the properties of "Stop" and "Yield" -- and asks drivers to be polite)
TED

Government To Spend $775 Million To Upgrade Nonexistent Buses
Infrastructurist

High-Speed Rail Is Great, But What About Freight?
Supply Chain Brain

High-Tech Transportation For A Growing Nation: A Look Under The Hood At China's High-Speed Rail Investment ("Stepping off the rail platform, it was hard not to get the feeling that China is racing ahead in investing in mass public transit infrastructure while the United States is lagging behind in the race to develop clean energy industries.")
Center For American Progress

The Key To Transportation Research: Harnessing The Wealth Of Information In The TRB Databases
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Lobbying For HSR Funding On Capitol Hill
California High Speed Rail Blog

New Analysis: 59% Of Road Stimulus Went To Repair, 33% To New Capacity
StreetsBlog DC

Obama Rail Chief Feels No Need For Speed
Progressive Fix

Riverwalk Progressing: Project That's Been Discussed For Years Is Nearing Construction
Glendale News Press

Roads Are In The Transportation Business
The Economist

UCLA Start Team Update (Student Transportation Action Research Team)
UCLA Be A Green Commuter!

Villaraigosa Picks Former Paramount Executive To Lead Redevelopment Agency
Los Angeles Times

5/04/2010

Transportation Headlines for Tuesday May 4, 2010

AAA Encourages Motorists To Share The Road With Bicyclists
PR Newswire

Another Delay For Grand Ave.?
Los Angeles Business Journal

The History Thats Led Us To This Weekend's Special Metro Board Meeting
StreetsBlog LA

How Should We Prioritize Highway Spending?
National Journal Transportation Blog

An HSR Tunnel Under Dodger Stadium?
California High Speed Rail Blog

IBM's CityOne Is like Sim City, Except The Solutions Are Real ("a video game that plops you into the role of being a city planner, trying to solve the sorts of business and environmental problems that grip today's modern cities. The ultimate aim for this so-called "serious game" is to teach laypeople how to better cope with complex modern problems by showing them the forest of solutions that have to be brought to bear, ranging from technological wizardry like smart grids, to better IT, to smart environmental policy.")
Fast Company

Japan: The Model Of A Train Riding Experience
Infrastructurist

Knowledge Is Power: How TRB's Databases Improve Access To Transportation Research (90 minutes : audio/video webinar : explores practical tips for using the Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS), Research in Progress (RiP), and Research Needs Statements (RNS) databases)
Transportation Research Board

Metrolink Previews New State-Of-The-Art Crash Energy Management (CEM)-Enabled Passenger Cars: Industry-First Cars Join Comprehensive Rail Safety Program (New CEO ushers in era of enhanced safety, service, efficiency, and environmental stewardship)
Metrolink

Move To "Delay" California's Greenhouse Gas Law Gaining Steam
StreetsBlog LA

New US DOT Report Identifies Win-Win Transportation Emission Reduction Strategies
Planetizen
Full-Text Report: Transportation's Role In Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Volume 1: Synthesis Report (605p. PDF)

Obama Administration To Award $775M For Bus Transit Upgrades
StreetsBlog DC

Ocean Park Boulevard To Become A "Complete Green Street"
LAist

Planning Departments Struggle To Cope With Budget Cuts
California Planning & Development Report

Traffic Alert: Sunset Blvd. Bridge Over 405 Fwy To Be Demolished & Rebuilt
LAist

Transit Fares May Increase And Routes Shorten (Corona)
Riverside Press-Enterprise

USDOT Seeks Applications For "Tiger II" Grant Program
Progressive Railroading

5/03/2010

Transportation Headlines for Monday May 3, 2010

All Aboard For A Trip To The Glory Days
San Bernardino Sun

Antonovich Goes To D.C. To Push 30/10 Plan
Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Broadway's Mixed Bag: Plan To Revive Street Takes Key Steps Forward, But Huge Hurdles Loom
Los Angeles Downtown News

City Finds Bike Ideas In The Bay: Officials Glean Concepts To Make Glendale Friendlier To Bicyclists
Glendale News Press

A Clean, Vertical Los Angeles: The 30/10 Love Train
StreetsBlog LA

Few Riders On Metrolink
Burbank Leader

Fullerton Residents Fear Impacts Of High-Speed Rail
Orange County Register

Kids Are Workin' On The Railroad
(Visitors to major cities in Eastern Europe and Russia can find several vocational education programs consisting of railroads run entirely by children)
Wired

Line Numbering: Geek Fetish Or Crucial Messaging?
Human Transit

Mayor Villaraigosa, Let's Promote Biking And Walking In Los Angeles
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Metrolink To Unveil Commuter Train Cars With Crash-Absorbing Impact Zones: Trying To Shed A Record Of Deadly Accidents, The Agency Takes A Leap Forward With The Nation's First Commuter Train Cars Designed To Better Protect Riders And Crews
Los Angeles Times

More Bike Amenities Headed To Santa Monica
Curbed LA

Move LA Serious About 30/10, Though Questions Still Remain For Cyclists
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

NYC Social Networking Site Connects Subway Commuters
("Submate.com aims to connect people on all different levels -- romantic or otherwise. You could potentially hook up with your next girlfriend, or find a new drummer for your band. Others say the site is a great way to make new friends, while passing the time on your way to and from work.")
WPIX

Op-Ed: Putting Parking In Its Place: City Of Los Angeles Would Benefit Physically And Financially By Axing Car Spaces To Make Room For Bikes
Los Angeles Business Journal

Public Transportation As A Civil Right
PRI Public Radio International

Pushing Back Against The Flawed State Auditor Report
California High Speed Rail Report

San Francisco: The Rolling Transit Museum Known As The F Line ("Cities from around the world have sent historic streetcars, which roam the streets here as part of daily commuter service. Riding, and watching, is a trip back in time.")
Los Angeles Times

State And Local Public Agencies Grapple With Social Media Liability Concerns
Government Technology

State Bill Offers Twist To Expand Car Sharing
San Francisco Chronicle

Station By Station, Breaking Down Expo Line Delays
Curbed LA

Streetcars And Spontaneity
Human Transit

Whittier City Council Awards Contract For 24 New Bus Shelters
Whittier Daily News

Why America Still Needs Amtrak
Chicago Tribune