101 Cap Park, Long Beach Transit, 710 Extension, CEQA Overhaul, Complete Streets, Griffith Park & More

We are taking a Summer Break next week.  The Los Angeles Transportation Headlines will return Tuesday, September 4th.

August 24:  This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission is created)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

33 Democratic Legislators Come Out Against CEQA Reform
California High Speed Rail Blog

710 Freeway Extension Routes Thinned ("Connector to the 2 Freeway is among seven eliminated, but a tunnel remains under consideration.")
Pasadena Sun

Aileen Getty Foundation Donates $1.2 Million To Hollywood Central Park ("Friends of the Hollywood Central Park (FHCP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a 44-acre street-level park over the Hollywood Freeway in a densely populated and park-poor area of the city, accepted a $1.2 million gift today from the Aileen Getty Foundation. The donation, combined $825,000 from the city fully funds the park’s environmental study, a study needed before fundraising can truly begin for design and construction.")
StreetsBlog LA

A Brief History Of The Birth Of Urban Planning
The Atlantic: Cities

A Bus Fight Or Sign Of More Transit Conflicts? ("Local bus riders are hoping Long Beach Transit officials and Seal Beach council members can get past a bizarre encounter at a public meeting in May where Seal Beach residents were invited to comment on route changes.")
KCET

California Department Of Transportation: Its Poor Management Of State Route 710 Extension Project Properties Costs The State Millions Of Dollars Annually, Yet State Law Limits The Potential Income From Selling The Properties (100p. PDF)
California State Auditor

Carmageddon II PSA (video featuring Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa)
Metro via YouTube

CEQA Overhaul Amended Into Senate Bill
Sacramento Bee

Coast Rail Corridor Now Has Joint Timetable
StreetsBlog LA

Complete Streets: Policy Analysis 2011 (66p. PDF : "This report documents the growth of that diverse movement and its strengths by analyzing the more than 350 existing written policies adopted by states, regions, counties, and communities before January 1, 2012. Policies that come closest to meeting the ‘ideal’ are highlighted.")
Smart Growth America

Connecting With Trouble: Lawmaker Calls For An End To 710 Extension And A Probe Of Caltrans Following Scathing State Audit
Pasadena Weekly

Councilman Tom LaBonge Wants Olympics To Return To Los Angeles
NBC Los Angeles

El Sereno Group Seeks To Renovate Caltrans Bungalows
EGP News

Fewer Tech-Savvy Teens Are Driving ("The more time young people spend connecting through texting, email, Facebook and other social media sites, the less interest they have in driving, study finds.")
Los Angeles Times

Finally, The Presidential Race Turns To Transportation
StreetsBlog DC

How Grid Systems Promote Urbanism And Winding Streets Undermine It
StreetsBlog Network

How L.A. Got One Of The Country's Largest Urban Parks ("The Ostrich Farm Railway connected Los Angeles to Rancho Los Feliz and, later, Burbank. The line eventually became part of the Los Angeles and Pacific Railway, which later merged into the Pacific Electric Railway system.")
LA as Subject via KCET

How Much Should Agencies Explain Their Planning Thoughts?
Human Transit

How Well Will "Google Now" Get You Around? So Far, Not Very
The Atlantic: Cities

Huizar Takes Stand On SR-710 Extension Options
EGP News

Learning From Los Angeles (The entire August/September issue of "The Urbanist" dedicated to Los Angeles)
SPUR: San Francisco Planning And Research Association
The Benefits Of Big ("On a recent visit to Los Angeles, SPUR discovers the benefits — and challenges — of living in a county that encompasses over 4,000 square miles.")
Transit, Transformed ("Los Angeles County is at a moment of transformation. If things continue on their present course, in the next decade we may remedy one of urban America’s most fabled and historic missteps, made seven decades ago. At that time, the seemingly endless opportunity for development offered by Southern California real estate conspired with the boundless ambitions of the American automobile industry to demolish the Pacific Electric Railway, Southern California’s then-extensive rail transit system.")
A New Course For The L.A. River
Urban Field Notes ("A Trip on L.A.’s Rapidly Growing Rail Network.")

McCarthy Breaks Ground On $73M L.A.-Area Transit Center
Commercial Property Executive

Metro Phasing In TAP Cards
NBC Southern California

Metro Unveils Station Design For Regional Connector
StreetsBlog LA

Positive Train Control: Implementation Status, Issues, And Impacts (53p. PDF : "The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration has released a report that summarizes technical and programmatic issues experienced by railroad carriers that may inhibit them from implementing Positive Train Control systems by December 31, 2015.")
Federal Railroad Administration Report To Congress

Realizing The Potential Of Bay Area Boulevards ("Can the Bay Area follow in Los Angeles’ footsteps in re-envisioning its boulevards and arterials?" Discusses Downtown Los Angeles Metro Service)
SPUR: San Francisco Planning And Research Association

Romney Energy Plan: More Drilling, More Oil Dependence
StreetsBlog DC

San Rafael Neighborhood Association: "No 710 Freeway, Anywhere"
Pasadena Star-News

Three-Foot Passing Bill Up For Vote At State Assembly Friday
StreetsBlog SF

Using Smartphones To Collect Bicycle Travel Data In Texas (84p. PDF)
Texas Transportation Institute

Vehicle-To-Vehicle Technology Hits The Streets In Ann Arbor Safety Pilot
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Will Driverless Cars Abolish Buses?
Human Transit

With Regional Connector Stations, A "Less Is More" Design
Los Angeles Downtown News


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