Gold Line Ruling, Expo Opening, Orange Line Extension, 2012 Starts, BH vs. Metro, This Date In History, CRAs, Hwy Commission Anniversary & More

January 3: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History
Metro Transportation Library & Archive begins 2012 with the launch of a new feature today, celebrating the anniversaries of both notable events and little-known milestones in our transit and transportation history dating back to the 1870s. We are building out dates for the entire year with links to photos, videos, documents and more, as well as a searchable calendar on our Primary Resources blog.

100 Years Ago Today: The California State Highway Commission, Caltrans Predecessor, Is Launched
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

2011's Biggest Transportation Failures
The Atlantic: Cities

BART Airport Connector Rising But Still Stirring Debate
Oakland Tribune

BART Planners Begin Work On New Vision For Future ("54 years and 4 million people later, it's BART's turn to think big. Planners are working on a new vision for the future - one that could include express trains, all-night service, new stations along existing lines, trains traveling different routes and extensions.")
San Francisco Chronicle

Between The Lines ("That prized garage space or curbside spot you’ve been yearning for may be costing you—and the city—in ways you never realized. A journey into the world of parking, where meter maids are under siege, everybody’s on the take, and the tickets keep on coming." Includes an interview with and profile of Donald Shoup and has caught the attention of a Decatur, Georgia web news outlet)
Los Angeles Magazine

BHUSD's $15/K Month Lobbyist Fights Fed Funding For Subway
Curbed LA
Board Of Ed Extends Contract Of D.C. Lobbyists: The School District Is Spending $15,000 A Month To Persuade Federal Officials To Oppose Metro's Proposal To Tunnel Under BHHS
Beverly Hills Patch

Bleak New Year For Los Angeles River Parklands Unless Developer Walks Away From Sale
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

The Bold Urban Future Starts Now: Cities Are Broke? Unimaginative? Hardly. From Coast To Coast, These 2012 Projects Will Be Transformative
Salon

Buena Park Eyes Beach Boulevard Takeover
Orange County Register

Burbank Officials Eye Nearly $1M For Bikeway ("A 12-foot wide path for cyclists and pedestrians that would stretch from the Lake-Alameda Greenway to the Metrolink station downtown.")
Glendale News-Press

Busway Extension From Canoga Park To Chatsworth Ahead Of Schedule ("Construction is expected to be completed by June, about two months earlier than originally expected.")
Los Angeles Daily News

California Cities Seek Restoration Of Some Redevelopment Spending ("Some say that if the state Legislature doesn't act soon, there will be lawsuits, layoffs and more economic stagnation. An aide to Gov. Jerry Brown calls the rhetoric 'exaggerated and often untrue.'")
Los Angeles Times

Caltrans Wants To Shed Responsibilities For Highway 39 ("After announcing three months ago it was dropping plans to reopen the long-closed upper portion of Highway 39, Caltrans is now pursuing plans to legally abandon the highway used by millions to access the Angeles National Forest.")
Pasadena Star-News

Candidates Steer Clear Of Transportation Before Iowa
Politico

Clock Is Ticking On Taylor Yard Purchase Option For Potential Riverfront State Park Site
Curbed LA

Congress Adjourns Without Passing Transit Benefit Extension
Passenger Transport

Content Marketing: We Are The Media
Talking Transportation

A Developer's Option Could Take The Rio Out Of Rio De Los Angeles State Park
LA Creek Freak

Double Dose Of Bad News For The Gold Line Extension
Curbed LA

Driving Has Lost Its Cool For Young Americans
Grist

Editorial: Away With The CRAs
Los Angeles Daily News

Editorial: How We Go To Work Each Day ("Ensuring that in the future many of their residents will be able to live and work in the same town should absolutely be a priority for our dozens of city halls in eastern L.A. County.")
Pasadena Star-News

Editorial: The Recession Squeeze On Buses And Trains ("Of the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax, only 2.86 cents goes to public transit and almost all of the rest is reserved for highways. Although Congress has increased transit support in recent years, it is still too stingy to maintain stable services in many areas.")
New York Times

Editorial: TSA Spreading Its Wings Beyond Airports
Orange County Register

Elimination Of Redevelopment Imperils Ongoing Projects, Stops Future Developments In Their Tracks
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Expo Line Opening Delayed While Bugs Are Worked Out
Park La Brea News / Beverly Press

Firm To Start Designs For Metrolink Parking Structure
Orange County Register

Flashmob Performs Lil Wayne's "How To Love" On L.A.'s Subway
KCET

For High-Speed Rail, Support In The Past From G.O.P. Presidential Hopefuls
New York Times

Gold Line Confident Ruling Will Be Overturned ("A Superior Court Judge ruled Wednesday that the environmental study of a site in Monrovia violated the law, potentially forcing the Gold Line to repeat the environmental review process and delaying the Foothill Extension indefinitely.")
Altadena Patch

High Court's Ruling To Kill Redevelopment Surprises Santa Monica
Brentwood Patch

The Hollywood Community Plan Update: A Fiasco In The Making
CityWatch

How To Pay For America's Infrastructure
The Atlantic: Cities

If Not A Groundbreaking Year, Then A Year For Groundbreakings
Los Angeles Downtown News

Important Reminders For Rose Bowl Travelers (A Wisconsin media outlet advises readers on navigating Los Angeles, warning those attending they must rent a car to attend the Rose Bowl because "the public transportation is not reliable and not convenient. It's not located near any of the tourist hot spots.")
TMJ4

In Madrid's Heart, Park Blooms Where A Freeway Once Blighted (An ambitious 6-mile long freeway cap park is proving wildly successful in several ways)
New York Times

Judge: Gold Line Construction Authority Violated Environmental Laws
Pasadena Star-News

LA's Big Year In Transportation, Planning, And Parks
Curbed LA

Learning From Expo's Early Problems ("Planners say money and deadline troubles in the first phase have wised them up for the second. And train-timing issues that have prompted delays in the first part of the route shouldn't affect the last, from Culver City to Santa Monica.")
Culver City Patch

Local Funding For Public Transportation Operations: Producing Inequitable Results?
The Transport Politic

Los Angeles And Long Beach Ports See Market Share Trickle Away ("The twin port complex expects to end 2011 having moved 200,000 fewer cargo containers than last year as East Coast docks gain business.")
Los Angeles Times

Nearly $10 Million Approved For Expo Line Betterments
Santa Monica Mirror

New York's Lost Subways (Complete With Map And Dusty Pics)
Transportation Nation

Night Life, Night Train Finally Connect In L.A.: The Red Line Subway Linking Downtown And Hollywood, With Its Thriving Club Scene, Draws Hipsters Who Yearn To Be Cosmopolitan And Are Drawn To The Renegade. Fans Of Classical Music Ride The Line To Concerts Too
Los Angeles Times

NYU Students Create "MetroChange" To Deal With Your Leftover MetroCard Money ("The physical card would be taken for recycling, and the money on it would go to charity." Includes video)
Gothamist

Opening And Construction Starts Planned For 2012 ("At least 33 metropolitan areas in the U.S. — and five in Canada — are planning to invest in new BRT, streetcar, light rail, metro rail, or commuter rail projects in 2012.")
The Transport Politic

Opinion: The Future Of Hollywood ("The mayor and other city officials have big plans, for jobs, transit and housing. Residents worry about being left out of the process.")
Los Angeles Times

Overturning Of Prop. 13 Sought In Lawsuit
San Francisco Chronicle

Plan To Use Amtrak As Fallback For High-Speed Rail Criticized ("Federal rules require another use for the track if the high-speed project unravels. But Amtrak officials have concerns about changing their popular Central Valley route.")
Los Angeles Times

Reading L.A.: The Once And Future Plaza, Nature In The City
Los Angeles Times

Redevelopment Will Be Back -- But At What Price?
California Planning & Development Report

Reid Wants To Move FAA, Highway Bills In 2012
Politico

Road Construction Continues Into 2012 And Beyond
Riverside Press-Enterprise

San Gabriel River Bike Trail Closed Until Late January Near Whittier Narrows
Pasadena Star-News

Technical Problems Delay Expo Line's Debut: Metro Says Issues With Circuitry And Ventilation Must Be Fixed Before It Can Finish Testing The Expo Line And Training Operators
Los Angeles Times

Transit Commuter Tax Benefit Will Be Slashed Almost In Half January 1
Huffington Post

Transportation LA: Wishing Well For 2012 (Part 1) and (Part 2)
CityWatch

Transportation: The Four Irrefutable Lessons Of 2011
CityWatch

United States Highway Projects Get Little Oversight
News-Press

An Urbanist's 2012 Calendar
The Atlantic: Cities

What's Ahead For Transportation In 2012? ("The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials offers this look at the top 10 issues that will be talked, written, or tweeted about and legislated in the year ahead.")
PR Newswire

Wilshire Subway: This Train Keeps Coming Back To The Station
CityWatch

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.