Today's Headlines - more at Metro

1/21/2011

Westside Subway Station Locations, Villaraigosa Pitches Projects, Threat To Federal Transit Funding, TTI UMR Flawed?, "Road Trains" & More

2010 UMR Remains A Flawed And Misleading Guide To Urban Transportation (Criticism of the Urban Mobility Report, released yesterday, includes that of the Travel Time Index as "being built on the unrealistic baseline assumption that travel times should (and could) be no longer during peak periods as during non-peak periods and obscures the effect of land use patterns in creating longer travel distances.")
CEOs For Cities
The Maddening Wrongness Of TTI's Annual Urban Mobility Rankings
StreetsBlog Network

Community Redevelopment Agency Panel Fast-Tracks New Broad Museum Parking Plan: Commission Members Agree To Spend Up To $52 Million On Improvements Around The Museum Planned For Grand Avenue In Downtown L.A. The Move Comes As Cities Try To Tie Up Funds Targeted By Gov. Jerry Brown
Los Angeles Times

Debate On Main Street Road Diet Proposal Takes Unexpected Turn
StreetsBlog LA

Environmental Report OK'd For Gold Line Extension To Azusa
Pasadena Star-News

Europe's Parking U-Turn: From Accomodation To Regulation (84p. PDF)
Institute For Transportation & Development Policy

Garcetti Explores Mayoral Bid, Garage Vote At Community Meeting: The Los Angeles City Council President Is "Seriously Leaning" Toward Running For Mayor
Hollywood Patch

Gold Line Clears Another EIR Hurdle
Arcadia's Best

Gold Standard For Green Buildings Under Fire: LEED Wilts As New Gauges Better Measure Energy Use And Costs
Crain's New York Business

GOP Block Presses Leaders To Slash Even More ("As a result, its effect on the entire array of government programs, among them education, domestic security, transportation, law enforcement and medical research, would be nothing short of drastic.")
New York Times
Republicans Propose Spending Cuts Targeting Amtrak, Transit Funding
StreetsBlog DC
Here's A List Of Things The "Spending Reduction Act Of 2011" Would Cut

Next American City

Gov. Jerry Brown Asks Cities To Help Fix Budget: Taking Redevelopment Funds Will Help Stop More School Cuts, The Governor Tells 200 Civic Leaders. City Officials Had Denounced His Plan To Shut Down Redevelopment Agencies
Los Angeles Times

Government Execs Discuss Strategies For Updating Social Media Accounts
("Many agencies are using Facebook and Twitter as venues for one-way, press-release style communications. But others insist that true social networking must consist of two-way communication. Each approach presents its own challenges. Debates about whether governments should even bother with social media are ongoing in many state and local agencies, especially since staff reductions have increased employee workloads in many jurisdictions.")
Government Technology

Hating On The California High-Speed Rail Haters
Infrastructurist

House Republicans Zero In On High Speed Rail
Transportation Nation

Jerry Brown To Declare California In State Of "Fiscal Emergency"
Los Angeles Times

The Lorenzo Project in South L.A. Is Controversial, But Is It T.O.D.?
StreetsBlog LA

Los Angeles Transit Projects Pitched To New Congress By Mayor Villaraigosa: With The House Now In Republican Control, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Transit Project Ideas Get A Mixed Reception
Los Angeles Times

Making Room For Modes Other Than Cars
StreetsBlog Network

Metro Presenting Revised Route For Regional Connector: New Plan Would Build Tunnel Under Japanese Village Plaza
Rafu Shimpo

New Television Report Makes The Case For Investing In American Passenger Rail
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Opinion: All Aboard The Crazy Train
Pasadena Star-News

Public Transportation Relieves Traffic Congestion: TTI Report Says Without Public Transit, Travelers Would Have Suffered An Additional 785 Million Hours Of Delay On Our Nation's Roads
APTA Press Release

Rail Politics: Freeways Aren't Free, Either
PBS

"Road Trains" Can Improve Fuel Efficiency - And Driver Downtime - By Turning Cars Into Conga Lines (includes video)
Grist

Smarter Planning And Increased Transit Make Us "Grow Wealthier"
Transportation For America
Growing Wealthier: Smart Growth, Climate Change And Prosperity (98p. PDF)
Center For Clean Air Policy
Executive Summary (4p. PDF)

Southern California Is Still In The Slow Lane, But Not The Slowest: A New Study Finds That The Region's Drivers Faced 63 Hours Of Delay On Average In 2009 Compared To 70 Hours During Peak Travel Periods In Chicago And Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles Times

Sticking Out And Flying Solo In The HOV Lanes
UCLA Be A Green Commuter!

Studio City Asks For Name Included On Metro Station: Fuzzy Borders Leads To Oversight, And Studio City Wants Its Own Metro Stop To Be Recognized
Studio City Patch

Sustainable Transport Moves Center Stage As Brazil's 2014 World Cup Looms
The City Fix

Villaraigosa Had "Great Meeting" With Obama, Other Mayors
LAist

West Virginian Is Highest-Ranking Democrat On Transportation Committee
Transportation Nation

Where Do You Want Westside Subway Extension's Stations?
Southern California Public Radio

1/20/2011

Metro's Field Trip Plan, Gold Line Monrovia Maintenance, TTI's Urban Mobility Report, CAHSR's Station And Land Purchase & More

2010 Urban Mobility Report (In-depth analysis of congestion in 439 urban areas)
Texas Transportation Institute
Summary Report (60p. PDF)
An Early Look At The 2010 Urban Mobility Report: "Change" Is Improving The Information (11p. PDF)
Press Release

AEG Pitches Stadium To Council Committee ("Leiweke expressed confidence that at least one NFL team is going to come if we build it (the stadium). He also tried to ease concerns about potential congestion around the stadium, saying most NFL games will be played on Sunday afternoons, when traffic is light.")
Beverly Hills Courier

"Angelenos?": You Say AN-Jell-Ease, I Say AN-Juh-Luhs
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Bicycle vs. Transit Problems
Human Transit

Buses Using Virtual World To Navigate: The Driver Assist System Raises Bus Drivers' Awareness Of Obstacles And Help Them See The Shoulder Of The Road
Minneapolis Star-Tribune

California High-Speed Rail Sets Aside $30 Million To Buy Union Station: The Hub Is Slated To Be A Major Stop On The 800-Mile Statewide Bullet Train System. The Money Would Also Go Toward Purchase Of Land In Downtown L.A.
Los Angeles Times

CRA's Downtown Shortlist: Projects Include The Streetcar, Cleantech Site, The Grand Avenue Plan And More
Los Angeles Downtown News

Eyes On The Street: Expo Tracks All The Way To Culver City
StreetsBlog LA

Gold Line Authority: Monrovia Gets Our Maintenance Facility
Curbed LA
Site For Light Rail Maintenance And Operations Facility Approved: Approval Is Critical Milestone For The Foothill Extension Pasadena To Azusa (PDF)
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension

Graph Shows Influence Of Gasoline Price On Miles Driven In The U.S. (fascinating depiction of gas prices contrasted with number of miles driven leads to some interesting conclusions)
TreeHugger
Enlarged graph

Highway-Affiliated Pew Climate Report Favors "Clean" Cars Over Transit
StreetsBlog DC

Highway Officials Take Road Needs To Social Media: Campaign Urges Facebook, YouTube Users To Spur Congress On Infrastructure
Journal Of Commerce

How Obama Should Address Transportation In The State Of The Union
StreetsBlog DC

Los Angeles, Long Beach Ports Have Record-Breaking Year In 2010: Port Of Los Angeles Sets A New High In Exports, And The Long Beach Port Sees The Biggest Annual Increase In Cargo Traffic. Experts Believe The Recovery Will Continue, Though Not At Such A Rapid Pace
Los Angeles Times

Mayors Meet In DC: Villaraigosa Looking For Transportation Loans
Southern California Public Radio

Metro Unveils Student Field Trip Plan, Transit People Weighs In
StreetsBlog LA

New River Boss: Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation Names First Executive Director
Los Angeles Downtown News

"Road Train" Technology Trials Get Rolling: Technology That Links Vehicles Into "Road Trains" That Can Travel As A Semi-Autonomous Convoy Has Undergone Its First Real World Tests
BBC

See More Views With The Google Maps Widget (Further transit information enhancements are discussed)
Google Lat Long Blog

Six Reasons Free Parking Is The Dumbest Thing You Didn't Know You Were Subsidizing
Grist

A Smashing Success: Pasadena's Streets And Sidewalks In The Hands Of The People
StreetsBlog LA

Street Science: All Eyes On The Street
Next American City

1/19/2011

TAP "2.0," New Metrolink Chair, New Transpo Bill Coming?, New And Notable Titles, 710 Grid Project, Shielding CRA Funds & More

Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide To Best Practices (339p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

The Backlash Is Brewing Against Chinese High-Speed Rail: Here's Why It's In Trouble
Business Insider

Bussing It To The Airport: The Life And Death(?) Of Line #439
More Than Red Cars

California Cities Race To Shield Funds From State
Los Angeles Times

CRA Maneuvering To Protect $930 Million From State: Proposed Deal With City Would Save $456.7 Million For Downtown Projects
Los Angeles Downtown News

Drop In Travelers Leveled Out In 2010: Bob Hope Airport Has Seen Fewer Fliers Since The Recession Began, But The Numbers Have Improved Slightly Since Then
Los Angeles Times

Emerging Answers: The Second Strategic Highway Research Program Accelerating Solutions For Highway Safety, Renewal, Reliability, And Capacity (28p. PDF)
Transportation Research Board

How London Leads The Way In Techno Wizardry (The advantages of releasing government data to developers "is not just a win for the government and the public but also for the economy — it is helping to create a thriving developer community.”)
London Evening Standard

How Much Urbanism Is Enough?
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

The Incrementalists: New Plans To Modernize Our Aging Rail Infrastructure Are Modest, In The Extreme (Bemoans America's slow pace of growth in transportation infrastructure, and blasts efforts as being too incremental)
Metropolis

Interview: John Mica Says Transpo Bill Needs "Alternate Means Of Financing"
Transportation Nation

LaHood: Transport Funding Bill To Be Signed By August Recess: DOT Secretary Says He's Confident Congress Will Transcend Partisan Differences To Pass Multiyear Reauthorization Law
DC Velocity

Maglev Rail Transportation System Moving Closer To Reality
Los Cerritos News

Metrolink Board Of Directors Elects Richard Katz As New Chairman And San Bernardino Mayor Judge Patrick Morris As Vice Chair
Metrolink Press Release

Mica Wrestles TIGER
Journal Of Commerce

More Redevelopment Agencies Rush To Squirrel Away Funds
Curbed LA

New & Notable: Language Of Towns And Cities, Urbanism And Climate Change & History Of The Paris Metro
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Plans For Light Rail Are Toodling Along
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Residents Discuss Alternative To 710 Freeway Projects: Presentation At South Pasadena Public Library Offers Look Into GRID Project
South Pasadena Patch

A Role For Business In Infrastructure?
("What is the appropriate role for businesses in government infrastructure? Can public-private partnerships be leveraged to bring forth projects that otherwise would languish for lack of funding? Are there barriers that keep businesses from stepping up to invest in major infrastructure? If so, what can be done to remove them?")
National Journal Transportation Blog

Seats Available For Ride To International Space Station
Wired

TAP 2.0 Overview
("Metro's TAP card just got a bit more awesome. You can now purchase TAP cards and add cash value via selected automated fare machines located at Union Station." Here's how)
Plus Metro

1/18/2011

710 Tunnel As Cargo Rail, BHUSD Hires Firm To Oppose MTA, Redevelopment Fallout, Japan Looks At CAHSR, Reducing Transpo Greenhouse Emissions & More

BHUSD Retains Major National Firm To Oppose MTA
Beverly Hills Courier

Bicycle Advocates Thank LaHood, Talk Strategy
StreetsBlog DC

A Budget Bomb For Downtown: Offiicals Fear Brown's Cuts Will Kill Plans For Cleantech Corridor And More Affordable Housing
Los Angeles Downtown News

Chicago's Bus Tracker: Taking The Guesswork Out Of Waiting For The Bus
(video)
StreetFilms

Citywide List Of Projects CRA Wants To See Through
Curbed LA

Griffith Park Railroad: A Tiny Train To Nowhere
LAist

The Invisible Cyclists: Immigrants And The Bike Community ("For thousands of immigrants in Los Angeles, the bicycle is their primary means of transportation.")
GOOD
City Of Lights Program

Is Focus On Distracted Driving Going Down The Wrong Road
USA Today

Jerry Brown's Bid To Kill Redevelopment Agencies Sets Stage For Fierce Battle
Los Angeles Times

LADOT Bike Program Launches Facebook Page & Twitter Feed
LADOT Bike Blog

London's Bike Superhighways Are Incredibly Successful
GOOD

Mica's Goal: More Cars Off Of The Highway
StreetsBlog DC

New GOP Party Chief Not A High Speed Rail Fan (Reince Priebus, newly-elected head of the Republican National Committee)
Transportation Nation

New Report Examines Paths To Cleaner, More Secure U.S. Transportation Solutions
Pew Center On Global Climate Change Press Release
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions From U.S. Transportation (122p. PDF)
Pew Center On Global Climate Change
Pew's Greenwald Says Efficiency Improvements Could Lead To Significant Emission Cuts ("The transportation sector accounts for 27% of the nation's greenouse gas emissions." The new report is discussed in depth)
Environment & Energy Publishing

A New Wave Against 710 Tunnel: Former Port Worker Presents Plan To Scrap The Idea In Favor Of A High-Tech Cargo Rail
Glendale News-Press

No McMansions For Millennials ("Here’s what Generation Y doesn’t want: formal living rooms, soaker bathtubs, dependence on a car.")
Wall Street Journal

Opinion: California's High-Speed Rail Project Is On The Right Track (U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood)
Washington Post

Opinion: Let's Talk, Stranger: Why Our Subways Should Have Conversation Cars
New York Daily News

Project And Static On The Regional Connector: New Route In Little Tokyo, While Fifth And Flower Station Debate Continues
Los Angeles Downtown News

Questions Raised Over MTA Inspector General's Ability To Do Its Job: With Less Than Half The Staffing Of A Decade Ago, The MTA Inspector General's Unit Is Heading Into A Boom Time In Los Angeles County Transit Projects
Los Angeles Times

Redundancy In Transit Networks: A Good Thing?
Human Transit

A Road Diet For Main Street In Venice?: Bike Coalition, LADOT Make The Case Tonight
StreetsBlog LA

Shed No Tears For The Last Diesel Bus (Looking back at the first diesel fleet and the advent of Los Angeles' smog)
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

A Snapshot Of City Priorities: Bike Applications To Metro's Call For Projects
StreetsBlog LA

State Won't Raid Public Transit Funds This Year
San Jose Mercury News

Streetcars Vs. Monorails: The Future Of Urban Transportation Looks A Lot Like The Past
Slate

Tonight's The Night: StreetsBlog Brings Interactive Planning To Pasadena
StreetsBlog LA

Transit Committee Backs Mega Station In Anaheim Amid Funding Questions
Los Angeles Times

Transportation Officials Seek Gas Tax Swap -- Again
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Tribute To MLK: Public Transportation As A Civil Right
The City Fix

"We'll Put Up Half The Money For California HSR" Says Japan's Ambassador To The United States
California High Speed Rail Blog

Why Streetscars? Evaluating The Alternative
The City Fix

Will The Remake Of California State Route 2 Mean Less Traffic For Echo Park?: The 50's Era State Route 2 (aka The 2) Abruptly Ends, Spilling Out Onto Glendale Boulevard In Echo Park. Local Transportation Authorities Have Another Plan In Mind, But Will It Improve Gridlock?
Echo Park Patch