Today's Headlines - more at Metro

7/06/2012

30/10, Bullet Train Vote, Transpo Bill Reauthorization, L.A. HOT Lanes & More


All Aboard! How To Escape Los Angeles This Summer (Metrolink)
LAist

Assembly Approves High-Speed Rail Funding ("Speaker John Pérez said high-speed rail has "enormous potential for California." But funding for the $8 billion project faces an uncertain future in the Senate, which is expected to vote Friday.")
Los Angeles Times

Assembly Votes To Approve Funds For California High-Speed Rail
Sacramento Bee

Buck Up, Reformers: Despite The Hard Knocks, This Bill Is A Step Forward ("Based on what we are up against, we did okay. Transportation Enhancements survived — and 50 percent of the money, about $400 million, is directly delegated to metropolitan planning organizations in urbanized areas with populations over 200,000 for project selection and oversight. The rest is still controlled by state DOTs but is up for grabs -- if we can convince governors not to opt out of the program.")
StreetsBlog DC

California High-Speed Rail Plan Faces Tough Vote In Senate
Reuters

Can Twitter Manage Vehicle Fleets?
Government Technology

Civil Rights Groups To Build Toward 2014 Transportation Bill Reauthorization
StreetsBlog DC

Claremont Metro Gold Line Funding Decades Away
Claremont Courier

Congestion On The 4th Of July, The Orange Line And Dennis P. Zine
StreetsBlog LA

Congress Approves Federal Highway Bill Valued At $105 Billion: Bill Ensures Intelligent Transportation Systems Initiatives Are Eligible For Increased Levels Of Funding
Market Watch

Council Raises Parking Fees, Exempts New Car Dealers From Taxes
LA Observed

Don't Blame Cars For The Shortcomings Of Mass Transit
Washington Examiner

The End Of Taxis
The Atlantic: Cities

Federal Transportation Bill Could Help Local Transit Projects
Los Angeles Wave

Filling A City With Moving Walkwalys: Is This A Good Ideas?
The Atlantic: Cities

FTA Issues Decision On L.A. Transit Corridor's Environmental Guidelines
Progressive Railroading

High-Speed Rail Boss Says CA Project Will Stop If Lawmakers Vote "No"
Sacramento Bee

Impact Of New Highway Bill On Transportation Construction
For Construction Pros

Lawmakers Drop Provision That Would Have Boosted Mass Transit Tax Break
Business Insurance

Local Schools To Benefit From $48.5M In Caltrans Grants
Los Angeles Daily News

Loudon Board Votes To Support Silver Line (The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to support extending D.C.'s Metrorail to Dulles Airport, ending months of uncertainty over the project's fate)
Washington Post

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sen. Barbara Boxer Praise Federal Transportation Bill ("President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill, which will accelerate transportation projects in Los Angeles County, Friday.")
NBC Los Angeles

Mayor Celebrates Big Win ("Although most of the news media and the local political community have treated this effort with great indifference, approval of America Fast Forward is one of the most important transportation developments in recent local history.")
LA Observed

More Details On L.A. HOT Lanes Project
Road Pricing Blog

New Federal Transportation Bill to Accelerate Local Subway, Freeway Projects (video : "A new $100 billion federal transportation bill could help expedite several major road and rail projects in the Southland.")
CBS Los Angeles

New Math At Muni Led To Decade Of Inflated On-Time Performance: Officials, Informed Of Accounting Maneuvers In 2010, Did Nothing
Bay Citizen

Nothing Really Pays for Itself (Except Maybe Toll Roads)
Planetizen

Obama's Transportation Secretary Hails Chinese Infrastructure
Foreign Policy

Pacific Electric Subway Opens (Photo essay of construction and other images from 1924-1925)
Los Angeles Times

Report: Traffic Studies Systematically Overstate The Benefits Of Road Projects
StreetsBlog DC

Richard Close Explains The Process of Overseeing The Dissolution Of The Los Angeles CRA
The Planning Report

Some Senators Want Dramatic Shift In Bullet Train Plan
California Watch

A Step To Lose Face Over ("An 87-second video montage online showing travelers tripping on the stairs. By day’s end, it had reached an audience of more than 300,000, including at least a few officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Hours after the video was posted, in what maintenance workers classified as perhaps the fastest response to a customer complaint in agency history, a crew was dispatched to inspect the step.")
New York Times

Villaraigosa Praises Transportation Bill Expected To Accelerate L.A. Projects: The Bill Could Speed Up Several Major Transportation Projects In L.A. County Including The Westside Subway Extension
Westwood-Century City Patch

Villaraigosa, Yaroslavsky And Boxer Praise Federal Transportation Bill That Will Fund L.A. Projects
Los Angeles Daily News

Villaraigosa's Lobbying Pays Off: 30/10 Loan Program Approved By Congress
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Wait 'Til Next Year: Parking Reform Bill Pulled From Assembly Committee
StreetsBlog LA

Will Bullet Train Be Stopped In Its Tracks? ("After nearly two decades of debate, the decision to move ahead on the California bullet train will come down to a state Senate vote today. It may be decided by one or two members.")
Los Angeles Times

Will China Pay More For A VIP Subway Seat?
Wall Street Journal

Yesterday's Car Subsidies Are Still Shaping Today's Landscape
StreetsBlog Network
Rethinking The "Subsidy" Debate
Seattle Transit Blog


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

We invite you to visit Metro's The Sourceyour window to what's happening with agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles.