Metro Free On Christmas Eve & New Years Eve, Gold Line Monrovia, LA & LB Ports, Year In Review & More

We are taking a holiday break next week and will return January 3, 2012. We wish all our readers and supporters Happy Holidays and the best of everything in the coming New Year!

Snow Globe Los Angeles from All Cut Up Films on Vimeo.

$6 Billion Needed For Southern California's $40 Billion Need ("The region would need to spend $40 billion over the next 25 years to create the sort of walkable and bikeable communities it says it wants. That’s nearly eight times as much as SCAG is recommending.")
The Atlantic: Cities

2011 DOT Year In Review: FTA Connects Americans With Transit Investments
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Another Test In Providing A Transportation Network To Serve All Segments Of Society (Incorporating Greyhound service into multimodal transit stations)
Transportation Issues Daily

The Case For Business Investment In Public Transportation
Infrastructure USA

City Officials Reopen First Street Bridge
Rafu Shimpo

The Delusion And Deception In Megaproject Cost Estimates
The Atlantic: Cities

Editorial: U.S. Senate Bill Clouds Effort To Clean Up Trucks At Long Beach And L.A. Ports
Los Angeles Daily News

Free Bus And Rail Service Offered On Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve ("The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is offering free bus and rail service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The free rides are available between 9 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday, then again Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Officials said the free service is a move to prevent drunk driving and promote a safe holiday season.")
Los Angeles Times
Officials Promote Free Rides On Christmas Eve And New Years Eve
The Source

Gold Line Board Moves To Condemn Monrovia Land ("The Gold Line Construction Authority will pursue eminent domain action to take Monrovia's land in case a court ruling effectively voids a $56 million deal it reached with the city.")
Monrovia Patch

A Look Inside The "Spectacular" $1.4B Fulton Street Transit Center (23 photos accompany story about Manhattan's new subway hub opening in 2014)
DNA Info

Los Angeles, Then And Now (1894-2011)
The Atlantic: Cities

NYC Transit Offers Email Alerts For Elevator And Escalator Status
Transit Wire

Opinion: Bay Area Airport Connector Should Be Cautionary Tale For LA Metro
California Progress Report

Opinion: Constellation Station On Track With The Facts
Beverly Hills Patch
Westwood-Century City Patch Version

SF Bay Transit Panel Squabbles Over HQ Membership
San Francisco Chronicle

Tanker Fire: $2 Million In Federal Aid Will Help Fix 60 Freeway
Los Angeles Times

Transit As A Stepping Stone To Prosperity
Regional Plan Association

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

LA-Palm Springs Rail?, Glendale, HSR, Vegas Monorail, Millennials & Cars, 2011 "Best Of" Lists & More

2011 Streetsies: It Was The Worst Of Times
StreetsBlog LA

BBB Reduces Service During Holidays
Santa Monica Daily Press

The Best Metro Data Releases Of 2011
The Atlantic: Cities

Best Of 2011: Designing High-Speed Rail's Future
Next American City

Building Your Professional Network In 140 Characters Or Less: How Social Media Tools Can Enhance Professional Networking (Annual TRB meeting session spotlight)
Young Professionals In Transportation

California High-Speed Rail: To 2012 And Beyond!
California Progress Report

Caltrans To Study Cost Of Palm Springs Area Train Service: State To Research Creating Or Expanding Local Passenger Rail Line ("A $400,000 study will be launched in January to explore the potential ridership and inevitable costs of creating a new passenger rail system between the Coachella Valley and Los Angeles.")
Desert Sun

City Renews Rail High-Speed Rail Ties: Council Approves Membership Dues To High-Speed Orange Line Plan ("The authority began in 2003 to explore the possibility of a high-speed rail line between Orange and Los Angeles counties that was expected to cost more than $19 billion.")
Glendale News Press

GSA Will Put Federal Agencies Near Metro Stations
Better! Cities & Towns

How Monorail's Fate Might Have Been Different
Vegas Inc.

L.A., O.C. Gas Prices Fall For 41st Consecutive Day
Los Angeles Daily News

LA Unified Files For Court Order To Stop Midyear Busing Funding Cuts
Southern California Public Radio

Most California High-Speed Rail Jobs Too Good To Be True
Silicon Valley Mercury News

New Study: Millennials Prefer Car "Access Over Ownership"
The City Fix
Milennials & Driving (survey results : "Millennials welcome the collaborative consumption movement and are motivated to participate in sharing programs like car sharing because of potential savings they could accumulate for major milestones such as retirement, housing, and college tuition.")
Zipcar via Slidshare

Photos: Holiday Celebrations Of SoCal's Past (Metro Transportation Library's collection of historic holiday photos features prominently)
LA as Subject via KCET

Repairing 60 Freeway Overpass Could Cost More Than $5 Million ("Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Lakewood) says the work could be paid for with federal funds if it is completed in six months. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency at the busy freeway corridor.")
Los Angeles Times

San Clemente Celebrates Railroad Quiet Zone
Orange County Register

Senate's Changes To TIFIA Could Mean More Toll Roads, Less Transit
StreetsBlog DC

TIGER III Will Boost Freight Transportation But Not Transform It
StreetsBlog DC

Top Cities Stories Of 2011
Grist

Transportation Contracts Should Always Require Open Data
Greater Greater Washington

Truck Tolling: Understanding Industry Tradeoffs When Using Or Avoiding Toll Facilities (90p. PDF)
National Cooperative Freight Research Program / National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Why The World Needs To Start Car-Sharing (detailed infographic)
This Big City

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

1st Street Bridge, Archival Christmas Images, Hollywood Fwy Anniversary, GAO & High Speed Rail, TIGER III & More

60 Years Ago, Hollywood Freeway Opened Through Civic Center
Blog Downtown

2011 Streetsies: It Was The Best Of Times
StreetsBlog LA

77% Of Americans Oppose Raising The Gas Tax, Reason-Rupe Transportation Poll Finds
Sacramento Bee
Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey Winter 2011 Topline Results (13p. PDF)
Reason Foundation

AIA Los Angeles: Political Leadership Could Bolster Green Design
The Planning Report

Baldwin Park Plans To Construct Transit Center
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Barbara Boxer's Transportation Bill Would Drop Environmental Criteria In Much-Touted TIFIA Loan Program
Huffington Post

The Best City Reads Of 2011
The Atlantic: Cities

Beverly Hills School District To Conduct Earthquake Study; Hoping To Disprove Metro's Findings
LA Weekly

Biking And Walking Score Big In TIGER III
StreetsBlog DC

Calif. Governor Brown Declares State Of Emergency Following State Route 60 Accident
California Wire

Candy Cane Buses And Streetcars Of The Past (Vintage images of 1950s Los Angeles transit decked out for the holidays)
Metro Transportation Library via Flickr
Historic Santa Claus Images From Los Angeles' Transit Past (1950s-1980s)
Metro Transportation Library via Flickr
Christmas Transit Photos From The Archives: 1953 Hollywood Boulevard And More
Metro Transportation Library via Flickr

Check Out Hollywood Boulevard Decked Out For Christmas In The 1940s (video)
LAist

Despite Lower Gas Prices, Public Transit Riders Still Reap Big Savings
APTA Press Release

Engineering Talk: Explaining Transportation From The User's Perspective (First post in new blog focusing on communicating about the transportation industry)
Talking Transportation

A Fatal Bullet For The California Bullet Train (Seven important questions should now be asked about California high-speed rail)
CityWatch

First Street Bridge P Line Streetcar (The bridge just reopened after a 3-year closure -- here's how it looked with LAMTA streetcar service in 1963)
Metro Transportation Library via Flickr

Fixing Suburbs With Green Streets That Accomodate Everyone
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Gas Takes Its Biggest Bite Out Of Family Budget In 30 Years
Chicago Tribune

Gold Line Construction Authority To Weight Eminent Domain For Monrovia Land
Pasadena Star-News

Health Benefits Of Ciclovia Events Outweigh Costs
StreetsBlog Networks

The Honor System In Public Transit (Lookst at enforcement of Metro Rail and Metrolink fares and ticketing)
Long Beach Post

How To Boost Biking And Walking Even Further In Your City
Shareable

Improving Value Of Travel Time Savings Estimation For More Effective Transportation Project Evaluation (91p. PDF)
University Of South Florida Center For Urban Transportation Research

Infographic Says Angelenos Could Buy 36 Christmas Trees With Money Wasted Annually In Traffic
LAist

L.A.'s Historic 1st Street Bridge Reopens After 3-Year Closure ("Los Angeles officials hail the restoration of a cultural link between the city's core and neighborhoods to the east. The bridge carries tracks of the Gold Line's Eastside extension.")
Los Angeles Times

Leveraging Transit To Remake Suburbia
ULI

Mapping Sustainable Communities Awards
Reconnecting America

McCarthy Requests Federal High-Speed Rail Audit ("Rep. Kevin McCarthy joined 11 other Republican members of the House this week in requesting a federal audit of California's high-speed rail project. Monday's letter asks the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, to dig into the $98 billion project's "viability and questionable ridership and costs projections.")
Bakersfield Californian
House Republicans Want Inquiry Into California High-Speed Rail ("Because of the agency's carefully maintained reputation for neutrality and thoroughness, a GAO study could effectively shape both public and political attitudes toward the California project. One way or another, it's likely to become ammunition...Other Republican lawmakers signing the letter, from California, are Reps. Darrell Issa, John Campbell, Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter, Tom McClintock, Gary Miller, Buck McKeon and Devin Nunes.")
McClatchy via Miami Herald

Meet The Woman In Charge Of Not Blowing Up The 405 Freeway
Curbed LA
Meet The 405 Project's Utility Player
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

New Year, New Ocean Park: SaMo Street Facelift Starts Soon
Curbed LA

Newt Gingrich: Rail Visionary, Lover Of Oil
Transportation Nation

Next-Level GPS Helps You Avoid Traffic Snarls
Globe And Mail (Canada)

OC Freeway Signs Now Tell You How Much Faster The Train Is
Curbed LA

Online City Of Los Angeles Bikeway Map Now Available
LADOT Bike Blog
Downloadable Maps

Perris Station Transit Center Wins CTF Transportation Award
Newswire Today

Recapturing Global Leadership In Bus Rapid Transit: A Survey Of Select U.S. Cities (80p. PDF)
Institute For Transportation & Development Policy

Regional Planning For A Sustainable America: How Creative Programs Are Promoting Prosperity And Saving The Environment
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Senate Bill Would Allow Other Ports To Mimic L.A.'s Clean Trucks Program
Daily Breeze

Southland Leaders Praise Reopening Of Iconic 1st Street Bridge
Southern California Public Radio

TIGER III: A Big And Agile Cat, With Legs
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

TSA Officials Form Holiday Chorus At LAX (video : The agency tries to soften its image)
American Public Media Marketplace

Vintage Los Angeles Map Shows What To Do In The "Wonder City Of America"
LAist

What We Can Learn From City Busways ("The Orange Line, on the other hand, is considered one of the best BRT systems in the country...Since opening in late October of 2005, at a cost of $324 million, ridership has grown steadily; in the past few years it's risen from about 574,000 in November 2009 to 640,000 in November 2011.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Wilshire Grand Hotel Closes Doors Forever Just Shy Of 60th Birthday
Blog Downtown

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Crenshaw Line, Westside Subway, Metro Civil Rights, CAHSR in Federal Spotlight, Mobility 21, TIGER III, Port of LA & More

1959 Film From ULI And National Association Of Homebuilders Warns Of Urban Sprawl (video)
ULI via YouTube

Another Optional Station "Approved" By The Metro Board For Crenshaw Line
StreetsBlog LA

Are We Over High Speed Rail In California?
Southern California Public Radio

Board Approves 3 Month Extension For Venable ("The BHUSD Board of Education continues to keep its arsenal full against the Metro Westside Subway Extension tunnel under Beverly High.")
Beverly Hills Courier

Both Sides Of Pomona Freeway Reopen
NBC Los Angeles

BRU To Metro: Let Public In On Civil Rights Remedies
StreetsBlog LA

Can Americans Make The Switch From Driving To Biking To Work?
Infrastructurist

The Case For Business Investment In Public Transportation (9p. PDF)
APTA

Congressional Transportation Committee Debates CA High Speed Rail
Planetizen

Even In Austere Era, Mitt Romney Promises To Fund Roads, Bridges, And Rail ("Mitt Romney says he doesn’t like borrowing, but he’d do it for infrastructure.")
Transportation Nation

A Fatal Bullet For The California Bullet Train?
CityWatch

Federal Transportation Bill Moves 2 Steps Forward And 1 Step Back In 2011
Transportation Issues Daily

GOP Lawmakers Critical Of Calif. Rail Proposal
Business Week

Griffith Park Turns 115, First Street Bridge Reopening
Curbed LA

Indy To Repurpose Stadium Seats At Bus Stops
Urbanophile

It's Politics: High-Speed Rail Battle Continues
Pasadena Star-News

LA County Unemployment Drops: November Marked The Lowest Jobless Rate In The Southland In Two Years
NBC Los Angeles

A Little Older, A Little Wider, First Street Viaduct Opens
Blog Downtown

Long Beach Transit Offers Free Transportation New Year's Eve
Everything Long Beach

A Measure Of Bicycling Impact On Your Community: Media Attention And Business Generation
Bikeable Communities ("The January 2012 issue of Sunset Magazine, Western America’s largest-circulation regional magazine (more than 1 million subscribers), highlighted Long Beach’s East Village and touted it as a “bike to” destination.”)
Southern California Weekend
Sunset

Mobility 21 Touts $37 Million Funding Award For So Cal Transportation: Riverside County Transportation Commission and Port Of Long Beach Receive Competitive Federal Funding
MarketWatch

Nancy Pelosi: California High-Speed Rail Is On Track
The State Column

The New California Dream: How Demographic And Economic Trends May Shape The Housing Market -- A Land Use Scenario For 2020 And 2035 (73p. PDF : "Housing and neighborhood preference surveys indicate that Californians consider transit options to be far more important in choosing a location in which to live than the rest of the nation: 71 percent in California, compared with 47 percent nationally.")
Urban Land Institute

New Federal "TIGER" Transportation Grants Direct Some Funding To Green Infrastructure Projects, But More Investment Is Needed
Natural Resources Defense Fund Switchboard Blog

New Mexico City Buses Cut Pollution, Generate Cash ("Mexico City's sleek new public bus system is attracting significant international funding in carbon credit sales.")
Reuters

NJ Senator Lautenberg Introduces Bill To Limit Bridge And Tunnel Tolls
StreetsBlog DC

NYC's Top 2011 Google Searches (The top 3 searches are all transit-related)
Huffington Post

Paint Coming Off Green Bike Lane Again
Los Angeles Downtown News

Port Of Los Angeles Gets $17 Million To Speed Trains
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Republican Leaders Seek To Apply Brakes To Bullet Train Project
Los Angeles Times

Santa Monica City Council Approves Development With No Parking ("Under a unique Development Agreement, the Santa Monica City Council voted Tuesday to require the developer of a [56-unit] Downtown housing project that provides no on-site parking to pay $125,000 for transit improvements"..."“We are agreeing to give priority to people without cars”)
Santa Monica Lookout

Transit Flexibility Bill Introduced By Senator Brown Is Badly Needed In Many Cities
Transportation For America

Two Month Drilling Study Begins On BHHS Campus: In An Effort To Stop Metro From Approving A Subway Route That Goes Under The High School, BHUSD Has Hired A Firm To Determine If Faults Under The Campus Are Active
Beverly Hills Patch

Westside Subway Extension Feud: Did Metro Rig A Century City Fault Study To Move The Purple Line?
LA Weekly

Whittier Officials Consider Hiring A Lobbyist To Fight For Light-Rail Line To The City
Whittier Daily News

Will Americans Be Stranded? Inadequate Or Poorly Maintained Transportation: A Looming Crisis
Renew America

Zurich, The World's Best Transit City
Planetizen

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

60 Freeway, Gold Line Expenditures, BHHS Drilling, TIGER III, Bus Shelters, Van Nuys At 100, ONT & More

60 Freeway Closure Sends Commuters To Metrolink: Ridership Was Up Thursday On Metrolink Trains, As Commuters Scrambled For New Ways To Get Around
NBC Los Angeles

60 Freeway Shutdown Makes The Case For Dedicated Truck Lanes
Whittier Daily News

100 Years Ago Today: Pacific Electric Railway Reaches Van Nuys, Launching "Wonderful Growth" In The San Fernando Valley
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Advocates For California's High-Speed Rail Line Speak Of State's Growing Transporation Needs
National Association Of Railroad Passengers Press Release

AEG Officials React To New NFL Timeline
Los Angeles Daily News

All Aboard The Transit Hackathon Express: One Day Event Uses Data To Find Creative Solutions To City's Transportation Woes
Montreal Gazette

Antonovich Calls On MTA To Review Gold Line Expenditures
Glendale News-Press

Blocked 60 Freeway Doubles And Triples Drivers' Commute Times: Motorists Taking Alternate Routes Find Other Freeways And Surface Streets Clogged ("Engineers continue assessing damage to the bridge burned by the truck fire and vow to reopen the 60 by 5p.m. Friday.")
Los Angeles Times

Caltrans Will Tear Down Portion Of Overpass Where Truck Ignited
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

City To Start Yanking Out Tracks From Southern Pacific Railroad's Old Alameda Rathole Section
Curbed LA

Congress Puts Off Key Decisions On Transpo Bill And Transit Tax Benefit
StreetsBlog DC

DOT Takes "We Can't Wait" To Heart; TIGER III Projects Announced Ahead Of Schedule
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Early Data From SFPark: Drivers Still Flock To Blocks With Pricey Parking
StreetsBlog Network

Editorial: High Hopes For New Port Of Long Beach Executive Director Christopher Lytle
Los Angeles Daily News

Environmental Drilling Begins At BHHS
Beverly Hills Courier

Free Rides On New Years Eve
Riverside Transit Agency

GOOD Attacks! L.A.'s Traffic: Will You Be There?
GOOD via Facebook

Have Yourself A Merry TRANSIT Christmas (Beautiful transit holiday photos from around the country)
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

High-Speed Rail In California Is Worrying Itself To Death
StreetsBlog DC

In Chicago, Some Find Public Transit Fares Linked To School Attendance
WBEZ

Infographic Of The Day: How Bikes Can Solve Our Biggest Problems
Fast Company Design

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A...Flying Car? ("A $30 million hotel planned for the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Colorado Avenue could be shot out of the air by, of all things, a flying car.")
Santa Monica Daily Press

L.A. Airport Board Discusses Closing One Ontario Terminal ("Ontario International, which has two terminals, has seen a sharp dropoff in passenger traffic. Inland Empire leaders want L.A. to surrender the airport to them.")
Los Angeles Times

LA Streetcar Not Among Winners Announced For 2011 TIGER Grants
Blog Downtown

LA's Christmas Story: No (Bus) Shelter For Mother And Child (Rainy weather prompts the author to share his story that, four years later, bus shelters have not been replaced along Santa Monica Boulevard in West L.A.)
CityWatch

LADOT, Planning, Update Council On Bike Plan: Everything Is Peachy
StreetsBlog LA

L.A. Moving On Up In Milken Study
LA Observed
Best Performing Cities 2011: Where America's Jobs Are Created And Sustained (40p. PDF)
Milken Institute

Metro Board Members Lecture Agency Over Civil Rights Violations: A Federal Audit Finds Civil Rights Violations In The Way Metro Eliminated Bus Lines, Among Other Issues, Prompting Criticism From Elected Officials. The Agency Has Released A Corrective Plan
Los Angeles Times

Metro Suspends Bus Cuts, Additions
EGP News

More Congressional Outrage On High-Speed Rail ("The entire high-speed rail program has been a bait and switch operation,” said T&I Chair John Mica")
Transportation Nation

Nearly Half Of TIGER Award Money Goes To Roads, 29 Percent For Transit
StreetsBlog DC

Ontario Airport Could Close One Of Its Two Terminals
Los Angeles Times

Raising The Gas Tax Makes (Dollars And) Sense
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Santa Monica Approves $9.5 Million To Upgrade Expo Line Stops
Curbed LA

Santa Monica Authorizes Funding For Metro Station Improvements
Santa Monica Lookout

States Foreit $10 Billion Annually Thanks To Outdated Gas Taxes
StreetsBlog DC

Streetcar Misses Out On Federal Funds Again
Los Angeles Downtown News

Transit Users Await Congressional Action On Pretax Benefits
Washington Post

Two-Month Drilling Study To Begin On BHHS Campus: In An Effort To Stop Metro From Approving A Subway Route That Goes Under The High School, BHUSD Has Hired A Firm To Determine If Faults Under The Campus Are Active
Beverly Hills Patch

U.S. Stands By California Bullet Train Project Despite Critics ("We are not going to flinch" on support, an official says at a House committee meeting. The opposition alleges political corruption in the granting of federal funds for the Central Valley segment.")
Los Angeles Times

U.S. To Fund 46 Transportation Projects In 33 States, Puerto Rico
CNN

Westside Subway Extension Feud: Did Metro Rig A Century City Fault Study To Move The Purple Line?
LA Weekly

Why The Feds Continue To Back California's High-Speed Rail Project
Infrastructurist

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Crenshaw Westchester Station, Bullet Train Problems, 60 Fwy Closure, Congestion Pricing, Downtown Parking, AB 32, Metro Library Research, ULI & More

60 Freeway To Be Closed "Into The Weekend" As Bridge Demolished
Los Angeles Times

Are Streetcars The Answer To our Transit And Environmental Needs? ("The streetcar system came to an unfortunate end in 1954, when the last trolleys were pulled from the streets and replaced with buses financed by General Motors. In the conversion process, the transit system was defrauded by company executives and mobsters, several of whom went to jail.")
Minnesota Post

Battlefield L.A.: Where & Why War Came To Southern California
LA As Subject via KCET

Behold: Metro ExpressLanes Congestion Pricing Transponder!
Curbed LA

A Blueprint For Beating Traffic (successful congestion pricing project)
The Atlantic: Cities

Breaking News: High Speed Rail Designed To Achieve High Speeds (Response to yesterday's critical Los Angeles Times article)
California High Speed Rail Blog

The Bullet-Train Misfire ("It's not easy to sell a major infrastructure investment in the fourth year of a bad economy. If California and other states want to reap the potential economic and environmental benefits of high-speed rail, there's very little margin for error.")
Governing

Bullet Train's Travel-Time Mandate Adds To Ballooning Of Costs ("The ballot measure for the project required that the L.A.-to-San Francisco trip take no more than two hours, 40 minutes. Achieving that would mean building more viaducts and tunnels, which are costly.")
Los Angeles Times

Bus Riders Suffer As City Builds Rails
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

California High-Speed Rail Going Without Statewide PR Contract
Sacramento Bee

The Case For Congestion ("This doesn’t mean that cities should strive for congestion, but they should recognize that traffic is often a sign of dynamism. Moving vehicular traffic is obviously a necessary function, but by making it the only goal, cities lose out on the economic potential created by the crowds of people that bring life to a city.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Downtown Parking Lot Maps (Aerial photographs of many U.S. cities show just how much of our urban centers are dedicated to parking. The visuals may be surprising)
Skyscraper Page

Feds Urge States To Ban Texting, Talking On Roads
Associated Press

Filling The Gap: Chandler Blvd. Bike Lanes Coming Soon
LADOT Bike Blog

Free Holiday Rides On Metro
Los Angeles Downtown News

High Speed Rail Authority Set To Extend Comment Period On New Business Plan
San Francisco Examiner

L.A., Metrolink Work Toward Bike-Friendly City
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Light Rail & Streetcar Conference (November 11-13, 2012 : Salt Lake City)
APTA / U.S. Transportation Research Board

Manhattan Beach Trolley Talks Trail On
Easy Reader News

Metro Ignores Bus Riders, Mayor Ignores Housing Authority, Council Members Ignore Reality
KCET

Metro vs. Reason: Agency Calls Foundation's Light Rail Slam "Factually Challenged"
LAist

A More Perfect Union Station: D.C.'s Train Station Is A Mess. Again (Proposals for improved pedestrian access)
Washington City Paper

New And Powerful Transportation Research Tool: Metro Library Launches Robust Catalog Portal
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Policy In Motion: Transportation Planning In California After AB 32
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Rail Outlook 2012: Passenger Rail (Executives from transit systems around the nation, including LACMTA, explain what they see for the coming year)
Progressive Railroading

Rep. Waters Seeks Westchester Stop On Crenshaw Light-Rail Line
Daily Breeze

Senate Commerce Committee Sets The Standard For Transpo Performance
StreetsBlog DC

Senate Committee Takes Positive Steps For Freight, Multimodalism, Performance And Safer Streets
Transportation For America

Subway Swipe Peddlers Aren't Stealing From The [N.Y.] MTA, New York Court Of Appeals Rules ("The court indicated a lesser charge — unauthorized sale of MTA services — would be more appropriate.")
New York Daily News

TriMet Says Crackdown On Fare Cheats Is A Success, Even If It Hasn't Quite Paid For Itself Yet
Oregonian

Urban Land Institute Celebrates 75 Years Of Leadership In Community Building: December 14 Proclaimed "ULI Day" By Mayors, City Council Members In More Than 30 Cities ("Established in Chicago on December 14, 1936, ULI was created to research, analyze, and encourage responsible patterns for long-term urban growth, and to conduct inquiries into what constitutes sound real estate development projects and practices. Starting with about 200 developers based in the U.S., the institute’s membership grew incrementally, and ULI now has nearly 30,000 members worldwide, with 51 district councils in the U.S., 16 national councils in Europe and Asia, and primary offices in Washington, D.C., London and Hong Kong.")
Urban Land Institute Press Release

U.S. To Award Up To $527 Million For Infrastructure
Reuters

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Gold Line Bridge, Alameda Street, Westside Bike Projects, MAP-21, HSR Hearing, Gas Tax & More

Agenda 21 And Other Wacky Theories ("Anti-smart growth ideologues have never shied away from half-truths and dubious arguments, but recent references to Agenda 21, Portland, Detroit, and Denver are unusually strange.")
New Urban Network

Alameda Street Train Tracks Being Removed ("The effort is on to remove all remaining track on Alameda between First and Seventh streets.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

Building A Better Gas Tax: How To Fix One Of State Government's Least Sustainable Revenue Sources (24p. PDF)
Institute On Taxation And Economic Policy
Executive Summary
Press Release

California DUI Deaths Drop To Record Low: California Also Marks The Biggest Single-Year Decline In DUI Deaths In 14 Years. Officials Credit Safety Campaigns
Los Angeles Times

Cellphone Use While Driving Can Kill, NTSB Says, Urging Full Ban
Los Angeles Times

A Closer Look At The Senate's MAP-21: State Of Good Repair
Transportation For America

Federal Transportation Bill Could Mean Big Changes For Freight -- Or Not
Mobilizing The Region

Fitch Affirms Alameda Corridor Transportation Auth, CA's Ratings At "A/BBB+"; Outlook Stable
MarketWatch

FTA: Metro Deficient In Five Of 12 Civil Rights Categories
StreetsBlog LA

Gold Line Basket Bridge Getting Its Weave On In Arcadia
Curbed LA

High Speed Rail Route, Business Plan, Deserve A Chance
StreetsBlog LA

House To Hold Hearing On "Skyrocketing" Cost Of California High-Speed Rail ("The California railway proposal has received more money from the Obama administration than any other project, making it a prime target for GOP critics.")
The Hill

How The Tea Party Is Upending Urban Planning
The Atlantic: Cities

L.A.'s Bike Lane Blues ("After a few blocks of riding, that bright green starts to dim, with sometimes huge splotches chipped off and eaten away, revealing the black pavement and gray concrete beneath. And that’s after a second coat of paint had been added. In a month.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Los Angeles Schools To Sue California Over Bus Cut
Sacramento Bee

McCaskill-Collins: Tax Cuts With A Side Of Infrastructure, But Hold The Transit
StreetsBlog DC

Metro Chastised For Poor Civil Rights Practices
LA Weekly

No Accountability For State DOTs On Highway Projects
StreetsBlog DC

Opinion: Gold Line Transports Gold To Region ("The current construction project is expected to generate nearly 7,000 new jobs (2,600 in construction) and $1 billion in economic output for the region during its four-year construction period.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Reclaiming The Interstates From Ike
California Planning & Development Report

Regional Planning Is The New City Planning
GOOD

Revenue For Road Repairs: Raise It Or Reform It -- Is It Time For States To Rethink The Gas Tax?
Governing

San Francisco Finds Performance Parking Less Responsive Than Expected
Greater Greater Washington

Senate Banking Committee To Vote On Transit Section Of Transpo Bill Friday
StreetsBlog DC

Senators To Committee: Protect Transit Benefits Before It's Too Late
StreetsBlog DC

Silver Lake "Road Diet" Would Trim Traffic Lanes Instead Of Carbs
Eastsider LA

Suspicious Package At Union Station Prompts Evacuation
Los Angeles Times

UCLA, Stan And Ollie: Hardy Advocacy Of A Transit Laurel For The Blue And Gold
CityWatch

US Congress Eyes Freight Mobility Fund: New Initiative Proposes To Fund Freight Projects By A New Tax On Users
IFW

USDOT TIGER III Grant Awards Announced ("A number of TIGER III grant announcements are leaking out in advance of the official USDOT announcement.")
Transportation Issues Daily

Ventura's Cool Video Calling For More Bicycle And Pedestrian Funding
StreetsBlog LA

Video Calls Out L.A. Light Rail Trains For High Costs, Energy Consumption & Slow Speeds
LAist

We Are The 25%: Looking At Street Area Percentages And Surface Parking
Old Urbanist

Westside COG Considers Biking Projects: Representatives From The Westside cities Council of Government Met Monday To Discuss Regional Transportation Planning ("Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood and Santa Monica as well as Westside portions of Los Angeles and unincorporated Los Angeles County.")
Beverly Hills Patch

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Metro Civil Rights Report, LA Traffic, OCTA & HSR, Sylmar To LAX Rail, Senate Transpo Bill, TIGER III & More

5 Experts For And Against LA's Approach To Bikes
Curbed LA

19th Century California Bike Routes Weren't Too Shabby
Curbed LA
Blum's Bicycle Map Of California Roads (1896)
Big Map Blog

Bakersfield Council To Consider Resolution To Oppose Bullet Train
Los Angeles Times

Commuting Puzzle: Why Driving Is Rewarded Over Taking The Bus
New York Times

Congress Continues To Wrangle Over Long-Term Transportation Legislation
National League Of Cities

Does LA County Need A Rebuilt Men's Central Jail Downtown?
Curbed LA

Driving Drops Again, But What's The Big Picture? ("Americans have sustained annualized driving drops for six consecutive months, the longest sustained drop since 2008. This also comes at a time when the country showed positive economic growth--2 percent annualized growth in the third quarter--and a string of positive, private sector job reports. These divergent trends reinforce the recent decoupling of VMT and economic growth. But does aggregate driving tell us the whole story about American driving habits?")
New Republic

Federal Audit: Metro Failed To Research Effects Of Fare Hikes, Service Cuts
Southern California Public Radio

Federal Officials Criticize MTA For Not Reaching Out To Riders
Los Angeles Times

FTA Releases Civil Rights Compliance Report On L.A. Metro
StreetsBlog LA

Has The Sun Set On Suburban Sprawl In California?
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

High-Speed Rail Could Draw O.C. Funding
Orange County Register

How We Got This Way (Los Angeles Has Always Been Suburban)
KCET

L.A. Drives Us Crazy Again: But Maybe All This Traffic Bustle Is An Upbeat Sign That We're Not Going Bust
Los Angeles Times

LB's New Gerald Desmond Bridge Will Have Dream Bike Path
Curbed LA

Metro Chastised For Poor Civil Rights Practices
LA Weekly

Metro's Changes Criticized
Los Angeles Daily News

Mitt Romney: Metro-Friendly Moderate?
Transportation Nation

MTA Responds To Civil Rights Violations Cited In Federal Audit: The Agency Plans A New Civil Rights Monitoring Program, Improved Review Of Projects And Increased Language Assistance For Passengers
Los Angeles Times

Murals To Flower On LA Walls Once Again
Southern California Public Radio

New Bike Lanes On Washington Place In Mar Vista
StreetsBlog LA

New Bipartisan Jobs Bill Proposes $35 Billion For Transportation
Transportation Issues Daily

OCTA: Hold Funds Until High-Speed Rail Fixes Its Finances
Voices Of OC
OCTA To Call For Moving HSR Funds
California High Speed Rail Blog

Please Combine The Sepulveda And Van Nuys Transit Projects Into One Rail Project Between Sylmar And LAX
Ride The Pink Line

The Relationship Of Title VI Requirements To Planning Processes In Florida (74p. PDF)
University Of South Florida Center For Urban Transportation Research

Road Rage: A Symptom Of Much More Than Bad Traffic?
NPR

Senators Make Case For Mass Transit Tax Credit
The Hill

Title VI Compliance Review Of The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro): Final Report (61p. embedded document)
U.S. DOT Federal Transit Administration Office Of Civil Rights via Scribd
Civil Rights Corrective Action Plan (47p. embedded document)
Metro via Google Documents

To Sleep On The Subway, Maybe, But To Dream? Poor Chance
New York Times

Transit Benefits On The Line ("How important is this transit benefit? Would it do any harm to extend it? Why has it gotten lost in the congressional shuffle? Is mass transit really at a disadvantage with respect to roads and automobiles? Aside from tax benefits, are there other ways to encourage mass-transit commuting?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Transit's Not Sucking The Taxpayer Dry -- Roads Are
StreetsBlog DC

USDOT TIGER III Grant Awards Announced (Updated)
Transportation Issues Daily

Webinar: Leading Innovation In A Time Of Change (Wednesday, December 14)
AASHTO Subcommittee On Organizational Management

With Full FTA Civil Rights Report Due This Week, Metro Plays Chess With Bus Service Changes
StreetsBlog LA

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

MTA Audit, Union Station Plan, CA Transportation Problems, LA Cycling, Fare Cards, Drilling For Roads & More

9 Non-Ugly Bus Terminals
The Atlantic: Cities

Another GOP Transportation Proposal That's Really All About Oil Drilling
StreetsBlog DC

Are Fuel-Cell Big Rigs The Future Of Trucking?
Whittier Daily News

Audit Faults MTA For Lack Of Planning: U.S. Says The Transit Agency Failed To Consider The Effect Of Eliminating Bus Lines, Adding Services Or Changing Fares. Review Finds Problems In Communicating With Those Who Don't Speak English
Los Angeles Times

Blind Spot: DOT Not Tracking Highway Overruns, Delays
Federal Times

California's Quiet Transportation Problems ("In 2003, the California Department of Transportation identified $28.5 billion in needed upgrades to the state highway system over the next five years. By 2008 (the same year voters approved high-speed rail), that figure had almost exactly doubled to $56.5 billion. In its 2010 annual report, the California Transportation Commission found that $37 billion in local road projects waited to be funded with no money in sight, expected to grow to $79 billion by 2033.")
Public CEO

Can "Flexible Routes" Solve The Challenge Of Serving Low Density?
Human Transit

Editorial: Has The Time Come To Derail High-Speed Rail? No Way
Sacramento Bee

An Encyclopedia Of Land Use Codes (The Codes Project at Arizona State University is a website featuring links to and information about dozens of city codes from throughout history)
The Atlantic: Cities

Fare Jumpers, Meet Your Russian Nemesis: Moscow Subway Deploys Innovative Transit Turnstiles To Deter Farejumpers
Transport Gooru

The Future Of Transit Fare Cards Is No Fare Card At All ("Open payments is considered the next stage in the evolution of fare media - a step up from the advent of reloadable proprietary cards issued by transit agencies...[Chicago Transit Authority] will save $5 million a year because it will no longer have to issue and administer fare media.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Imagining A City Without Its Public Transportation
The Atlantic: Cities

In RC, Completed Trail Also Has Sailboats (Rancho Cucamonga)
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

LA County Metro Delays Bus Schedule Changes Until Spring
Southern California Public Radio

L.A. Cycling Enthusiasts Peddling Citywide Plan
Daily Breeze

Patricia Hu, Director, Bureau Of Transportation Statistics; John Horsley, AASHTO (video : segment linked at right under "Video Playlist" : "What makes up the nation’s transportation infrastructure system. Topics include highways, roads and bridges, rail, waterways, oil and gas pipelines and freight volume and traffic. We will also examine the condition of the nation’s infrastructure, the amount of government money spent on it, and current policy debates about it.")
C-SPAN Washington Journal

Plans For SaMo Airport's Future Pit Bureaucrat vs. Bureaucrat
Curbed LA

Results Are In: Cycling Is On The Rise In Los Angeles!
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

Santa Monica Tries To Figure Out What To Do When Bergamot Station Becomes A Train Station Again
LAist
Santa Monica Residents Look At Bergamot Station Options
Santa Monica Daily Press

Some Good Bicycle News -- From Culver City And Mar Vista
L.A. Eco-Village Blog

Some See Flaws In L.A. Bike Plan
Los Angeles Daily News

Study Finds That There Are More And More Bikers In LA
Curbed LA

Surprise! Transit In The U.S. Gets Just As Many Subsidies As Transit In Europe!
Forbes

Sustainable Public Transportation: Environmentally Friendly Mobility (21p. PDF)
Transit Cooperative Research Program

Transit Users Await Congressional Action On Pretax Benefits
Washington Post

Transportation Authority Pledges $772 Million For BART Extension (BART will extend to San Jose)
Milpitas Patch

Union Station Panel Says Area Could Be Downtown's Next South Park
Blog Downtown

U.S. Infrastructure Is In Dire Straits, Report Says
New York Times

Ventura County To Get Expanded Bus Services By 2025
Ventura County Star

Will California Solve Problems Or Quit?
California High Speed Rail Blog

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

SCAG Plan, Transportation Bill, High-Speed Rail, Complete Streets, ONT Airport & More

An Agency Guide To Overcoming Unique Challenges To Localized Congestion Reduction Projects (67p. PDF)
Federal Highway Administration

Bipartisan Coalition Urges Obama To Support Six-Year Transportation Bill
Progressive Railroading

California's High-Speed Retreat From High-Speed Rail
CityWatch

City May Join Effort For Local Control Of ONT
Riverside Press-Enterprise

City Passes Plan To Start Un-Paving And Spiffing The LA River
Curbed LA

Combating The Myth That Complete Streets Are Too Expensive
StreetsBlog DC

Council OKs Plan To Revive Riverfront
Los Angeles Daily News

Downtown History: The Big Life Of Prudent Beaudry -- Remembering An Early Mayor And Major Landowner Of Downtown ("Beaudry was also involved in the Second Street Cable Railway Company, which provided cable car service for the outlying community of Angelino Heights, connecting it with Downtown.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

Farmers Field Traffic Congestion Could Be Stemmed With Mass Transit Tickets
Huffington Post

FHWA Transportation And Civil Rights Symposium Keeps An Important Conversation Going
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Program

Get There For Free With Metro's Holiday Fares
Everything Long Beach

HopStop Data Reveals Top Urban Travel Trends (infographic)
Hop Stop

In London, Riding The Underground Turns Into A Game
GOOD

Is There A Secret $50 Billion To Fund Transportation Bill?
Transportation Issues Daily

LaHood Seeks Federal Texting-While-Driving Ban
USA Today

Las Vegas Monorail Serves 50 Millionth Rider
Progressive Railroading

Margo And Hall Join School Board, Goldberg Assumes Board Presidency ("Top 12 goals for the coming year" include "Stop the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from tunneling under BHHS as part of the Westside Subway Extension, even if that means stopping the subway from being built.")
Beverly Hills Patch

Pasadena Moves To End Red Light Camera Program
Pasadena Star-News

Pomona's 71 Freeway/Mission Blvd. Interchange Is Fully Open
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Public Transportation Ridership Continues To Grow; Agencies Continue To Raise Fares And Cut Service ("Alexander in Los Angeles described to us how cuts have affected him.")
Transportation For America

Senate Republicans Suggest Ways To Fill $12 Billion Gap In Highway Bill
Land Line

So. Cal Approves Transportation/Sustainability Plan ("The Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) unanimously approved the release of its Draft 2012-2035 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) for public review and comment. The draft presents a long-term strategic investment plan for transportation and housing through 2035.")
Metro Magazine

Teamwork In U.S. Railroad Operations (136p. PDF)
U.S. Transportation Research Board Circular

University Avenue To Trousdale Parkway: A Brief History (video : brief history of street adjacent to USC featuring "then and now" photographs)
KCET via YouTube

USB Sticks Lost By Railway Commuters Are Unencrypted And Often Infected
IT World

Why We Should Consider A Per-Mile Road Tax
CNN

Would Roads Be Safer And Greener Without Red Lights?
GOOD

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Expo's Neighbors, Metro & Occupy, Transit Benefit, Transpo Bill, Bike Snobs, People Mover History & More

40 Years Ago: $420 Million Transit Plan Proposed To Link Downtown And LAX
Blog Downtown

Are Urban Bicyclists Just Elite Snobs?: As Cycling's Popularity Rises, The Cyclists Are Despised. If Riders Want To Change Cities, They Need A New Attitude
Salon

As The High-Speed Rail Debate Rages On, Stanford Historian Becomes Big Critic
KQED

At $100 Billion, Californians Have 2d Thoughts About High-Cost, High-Speed Rail
Investors Business Daily

Bipartisan House Group Pushes Six-Year Transportation Bill
The Hill

Climate Change Is Adding A Premium To Infrastructure Costs
American Public Media Marketplace

Copper Thefts Around Tracks Bedevil BART Officials
San Francisco Chronicle

Expo Line Neighbors Worried About Peeping Riders
Curbed LA

Fare Hikes Probably To Cover Part Of [D.C.] Metro's $120 Million Gap
Greater Greater Washington

It's "Deja Vu All Over Again" -- Transit Benefit To Be Cut In Half At The End Of The Year
Transportation For America

LAUSD Superintendent Asks Board To File Suit Blocking Transportation Cuts
Daily Breeze

Long Beach Council Doesn't Back Anti-Railyard Resolution, Seeks More Info
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Metro And The Occupy L.A. Eviction
StreetsBlog LA

My First Ride On The Metro Gold Line To Los Angeles Union Station
Yahoo Voices

O.C.-L.A. 3rd In U.S. Job Growth In October
Orange County Register

OMB: Senate Seeking Too Much Highway Money To Fund Transportation Bill
StreetsBlog DC

Privacy Screens?: Newest Attempt To Snare Expo Gains Key Ally
StreetsBlog LA

Public-Private Partnerships Won't Solve New York's Transpo Funding Crisis
StreetsBlog

Requiem For A Train. High-Speed Rail Is Dead In America. Should We Mourn It?
Slate

Ridership Up On Mass Transit Shows More People Are Working
USA Today

Spinlister: Peer-To-Peer Bike Sharing Gets Rolling
Fast Company Exist

Transit Village Legal Issues Mount: Lawsuit, Restraining Orders Filed Against Former Executives
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Union, Transit Groups Call For Extension Of Commuter Benefits
The Hill

What City Has The Best Public Transportation?: The Community Answers
GOOD

Whatever Happened To The Downtown People Mover? (Look at proposed systems in Miami, Detroit and Jacksonville)
The Atlantic: Cities

The World's 10 Best Transit Poems
The Atlantic: Cities

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Expo Phase II, LA's Embrace Of Transit, WeHo Bike Lanes, OC Toll Lanes, Transit For Retail & More

Are America's Subways And Roads Overpriced?
Washington Post

Are Toll Lanes The Answer To Traffic Congestion?: The Orange County Transportation Authority Board Held A Special Meeting To Discuss Policy At A Time When Toll Proposals Are Spreading In The Region
Orange County Register

Bike Garages Hit Los Angeles Area
Bike Radar

Council Considers Adding Bike Lanes To Weh0's Major Streets: Bicycle Task Force Recommends Adoption Of Bike Lanes On Fountain Avenue, San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards
West Hollywood Patch

Editorial: Public Supports Do-Over On Rail Question
Los Angeles Daily News

Experts Struggle To Express Direness Of Infrastructure Problem To A Wary Public
Washington Post

The Future Of Cities? An Unusual Way Of Untangling Gridlock (video interview with New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan)
MSNBC

Good News For Bikes In Expo Phase II
StreetsBlog LA

High-Speed Rail Has A Bad Day
Politico

Imagine: Rapid Transit From Sherman Oaks To Lakeview Terrace ("Metro is considering a Rapidway project running between Ventura Boulevard and Lakeview Terrace, via light rail, streetcar or bus.")
Sherman Oaks Patch

It's Time To Meet 21st Century Realities With 21st Century Rail
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

LaHood Defends High-Speed Rail Program At House Hearing
StreetsBlog DC

LaHood Squares Off With Critics Of High-Speed Rail
The Hill

Manhattan Beach Examines Trolley Plan
Daily Breeze

Mass Appeal: LA's New Embrace Of Public Transit ("A new survey of Southern California voters sponsored by Move LA, Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Lung Association in CA found that 80% of respondents supported local government expanding public transit — which includes trains, buses and light rail.")
CityWatch

New AASHTO President Says Innovation Must Pave The Way During Lean Times (video)
AASHTO via YouTube

Southbound 405 To Close For Freeway Widening Project: According To Metro, Lanes Will Start Closing at 10P.M. From Dec. 6-8 And Dec. 13

Swedish Group Offers Insurance For Public Transit Scofflaws ("Planka.nu (which roughly translates to "free ride now") has been offering a $15 a month insurance plan that will pay the $175 fine for any policyholders who get caught not having paid their fare. Planka.nu has commuters' best interests at heart: they think public transit should be free. Swedish authorities beg to differ and have spent millions to replace those turnstiles with hop-resistant glass panels.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Track Work Curtails Some Metrolink, Amtrak Trains This Weekend ("Heads up for those thinking about hopping on a train this weekend to go Christmas shopping in Orange and San Diego counties.")
Los Angeles Times

Transit Tax Break To Be Sliced As Parking Tax Break Increases
California Streets Blog

Transportation Forecast ("As both parties hone their job-creation messages, transportation infrastructure spending has emerged as a key area ripe for action. But how to pay for much-needed projects as gas tax receipts dwindle remains a bone of contention.")
Politico

Urban Retailers Call For More Transit, Less Parking ("The nation’s top retailers agreed that the need for mass transportation is beginning to outweigh the need for traditional parking design, according to speakers during day two of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ 2011 New York National Conference & Deal Making event.")
Globe St.

Was Ridesharing Ignored In The Senate Transportation Bill?
StreetsBlog DC

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

Expo Testing, Metro TAP, CA HSR Poll, Infrastructure Banks, 1921 L.A. Information Men, Calif. Greenhouse Gases & More

90 Years Ago Today: Los Angeles Railway Rolls Out "Information Men" Public Service
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Announcing The 2012 TED Prize Winner: The City 2.0
TED Prize

As Washington Drags Its Feet, States Take The Lead On Mileage Fees
StreetsBlog DC

Calif. Takes Big Step Toward Greenhouse Gas Limits (First of two parts)
NPR

Development Of An Integrated Adaptive Transit Signal Priority (ATSP) And Dynamic Passenger Information (DPI) System (124p. PDF)
Caltrans

Earphones Are Cited In Many Railroad Deaths
Pittsburgh Tribune
Foreigners Want America's Public Assets ("It seems like foreign governments and corporations are craving U.S. public assets like toll roads, electrical grids and railways. In the case of our largest creditor, the Chinese government, they don’t want any more U.S. Treasuries, but they do want to own the hard assets that comprise our nation’s infrastructure.")
Reuters

Four Cities That Need Congestion Pricing ("People often come to Los Angeles and shake their head solemnly at the effect that urban sprawl has had on the environment and low-income residents. They have obviously never been to Delhi.")
This Big City

Green Bike Lanes In Los Angeles: City Officials Waste $15K On Premature Paint Job
LA Weekly

A Guidebook For Sustainability Performance Measurement For Transportation Agencies (203p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

High-Speed Rail Looking More Uncertain
KALW Crosscurrents

Infrastructure Banks Explained: A Common State Tool Gets Mixed Marks
Stateline

LaHood To Testify Before House Panel On Rail
The Hill

Metro Expo Line Begins Testing Trains Ahead Of Expected 2012 Opening
Southern California Public Radio

Metro's TAP System Moving Forward, But Some Snafus Remain For Bus Riders
StreetsBlog LA

Plan To Drill For Transportation Funding Is Full Of Holes
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

The Smart Growth Priority Advocates Are Forgetting
The Atlantic: Cities

State Sues Alleged "Palm Rustlers": State Seeks Damages To Replace Stolen Palms That Belong To Taxpayers ("The state of California has filed a civil suit against a ring of alleged “palm rustlers,” that it claims stole palm trees from public land along the Santa Monica Freeway.")
NBC Los Angeles

State Voters Would Now Reject High-Speed Rail Project, Poll Shows ("64% of those surveyed want another vote on the $98-billion project and that 59% would oppose it if another vote were taken.")
Los Angeles Times

Widening Project Prompts Overnight Freeway Closures In San Fernando Valley
CBS Los Angeles

Wireless Internet Now Aboard California Amtrak Trains
KCET

What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Daily, our online digest in newspaper format updated every day.