Today's Headlines - more at Metro

12/21/2011

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

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