Today's Headlines - more at Metro

1/06/2012

"Measure R Plus," Gold Line, Crenshaw Subway, CAHSR, 710 Surface Route, LAX Rail, BH Seismic Work & More

January 6: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History
January 7
January 8
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

2011 DOT Year In Review: FRA Creating Jobs, Building American Infrastructure, Ensuring Safety
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

California High-Speed Rail Authority Meets In L.A. January 12, 2012
StreetsBlog LA

Caltrans Offers Transportation Planning Grants
Santa Clarita Valley News

Can Amtrak Ever Be Profitable?
Freakonomics

City Pushes Transit Officials To Kill 710 Surface Route: Local Lawmakers Want Caltrans To Sell More Than 500 Homes Along The Proposed Route
Pasadena Sun

Commuter Transit Tax Break Could Reclaim Parity With Parking In 2012
StreetsBlog DC

Crenshaw Rail Line Receives Final Approval From FTA
Los Angeles Wave

Crenshaw Subway Coalition Sees Opening In FTA Approval Of Crenshaw Environmental Documents
StreetsBlog LA

Do Rankings Affect Our Opinions Of Cities?
The Atlantic: Cities

Eyes On The Fleet: Civil Rights Stickers Posted On Metro Vehicles
StreetsBlog LA

Feuer Kicks Off Legislative Season With "Measure R Plus" And Fast Track For Rail Challenges
StreetsBlog LA

Gold Line Appeals Ruling, Denies Acting Illegally ("A Superior Court judge ruled last week that the Gold Line Construction Authority violated environmental law when clearing the Monrovia maintenance yard site, but GLCA officials insist the judge erred.")
Monrovia Patch

Gold Line Work Going Ahead While It Fights Bad Legal Break
Curbed LA

How AB 1x 26 Will Pick Up The RDA Carcass
California Planning & Development Report

L.A. County Voters May Be Asked To Extend Transit Sales Tax ("Officials want an item on the November ballot to extend the Measure R levy at least 10 years so they can borrow against the anticipated revenue to complete projects faster.")
Los Angeles Times

Looking To The Skies For Answers: A Second Look At Gondola Transit
Toronto Star

Metro Admits Santa Monica Blvd. Seismic Work Not Adequate
Beverly Hills Courier

Metro Moves Closer To Connecting Light Rail To LAX
Culver City Patch

Monrovia, Gold Line Officials Continue Attempts To Reach Land Deal For Maintenance Yard
Pasadena Star-News

New System Uses Radar To Detect Bicyclists At Intersections
Wired

New Town Square At Port Of LA Breaks Ground This Month
Curbed LA

New York Ferries: The First Smartphone Payment System For Transit?
Human Transit

Opinion: Pranksters To Exercise The Right To Bare Legs ("If you're not interested in seeing more of your fellow passengers than you're accustomed to, avoid the Red Line this Sunday.")
Los Angeles Times

Paved, But Still Alive ("There are said to be at least 105 million and maybe as many as 2 billion parking spaces in the United States.")
New York Times

Public Input Period For Glendale's Master Bike Plan Is Drawing To A Close
Burbank Leader

Residents Sue Over Crumbling L.A. ("Every one of the hundreds of commercial and residential developments in the past 10 years has been approved by the City Council with no clear way for them to know if our infrastructure can handle them.")
LA Weekly

Ron Paul: Subsidizing Highways, Let "Transits" Flourish
StreetsBlog DC

Six Projects That Will Shape Downtown's Districts In 2012
Los Angeles Downtown News

State Bill Targets Buy Here Pay Here Used-Car Lots
Los Angeles Times

The Struggle To Define L.A.'s Transitional Moment (A look back at Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne's yearlong study of the 27 seminal works about L.A.'s urban history)
The Atlantic: Cities

What's The Outlook For Smart Buildings In 2012?
Infrastructurist

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.

1/05/2012

Crenshaw Line, Gold Line, Universal City Station, 710 Gap, 2012 Predictions, LA's Lost Tunnels, Freeway Pollution & More

January 5: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

2012: Another Big Year For Motorized Transit In L.A. (Initial list of several local transit-related events on tap for the year)
StreetsBlog LA

2012 Is The Year America Must Get Serious About Its Infrastructure
Forbes

After Three Decades, Tax Credit For Ethanol Expires
New York Times

At The Start Of 2012: Downtown's Continuing Rollercoaster Ride (More transit, Union Station and more)
KCET

Can California Afford To Build High-Speed Rail?
(audio)
KCRW Which Way L.A.?

Congressional Inaction On Extending Commuter Benefits Leads Public Transit Riders To See Taxes Increase More Than $550 In 2012
APTA Press Release

Crenshaw Light Rail Line Wins Final Approval From Feds
Daily Breeze

The Current Dispute Over High Speed Rail Job Numbers
Fox & Hounds

Did $98.5 Billion High-Speed Rail Project Just Hit A Wall In California? ("An independent review panel says the plan for a high-speed rail corridor linking northern and southern California poses 'an immense financial risk' to the state and should not move forward.")
Christian Science Monitor

Gold Line Files Objection To Court Ruling
Pasadena Star-News

GOP Candidates' Transportation Infrastructure Talk Praises Tolls But Ignores Jobs
Huffington Post

Groups Want Pollution Monitoring Near California Freeways
Los Angeles Daily News

Ideas For Downtown LA: Redesign 888 International Tower Plaza Into A Pedestrian-Friendly Open Space
Brigham Yen

Is It Time For Metro Rail To Get A Face Lift?
StreetsBlog LA

LADOT: Finally Getting Serious About Safe Routes To School?
StreetsBlog LA

LA, Long Beach Ports End Dirty Truck Fees
Journal Of Commerce

Lost Tunnels Of Downtown L.A. ("Other tunnels in downtown Los Angeles, including L.A.'s first subway, were landmarks for decades but are no longer open for exploration or exploitation." Includes several vintage photos from Metro Transportation Library and other local collections)
LA as Subject via KCET

Making Streets Safer With On-Street Bike Parking (video)
StreetFilms

Microwave Radar Gun Helps Time Traffic Lights For Bicyclists
Government Technology

NBC's Big MetroStudios Project Killed, Smaller Facility Planned ("Known as MetroStudios@Lankershim, the project would have been built in two phases above the Metro Red Line station on Lankershim Boulevard across from Universal Studios. NBC Universal would have been its anchor tenant.")
Los Angeles Business Journal

One Anti-Rail Congress Is No Reason To Delay California HSR
StreetsBlog Network

Opinion: Bus Drivers And Subway Workers Are The Real Environmentalists
New York Daily News

Opinion: Why California Needs High-Speed Rail
San Francisco Chronicle

Paramount Boulevard Bridge Won't Be Complete For Six To Eight Months
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Performance Measures For Public Transit Mobility Management (202p. PDF)
Texas Transportation Institute

Pol Proposes Measure R Extension, Legal Fast Track For Rail ("Today, [California Assemblyman Mike] Feuer introduced legislation in Sacramento for a pseudo-Measure R sequel that would allow voters to extend the length of the tax increase, which currently lasts until 2039. The new deadline has yet to be determined. The move "would enable Metro to bond against future Measure R proceeds and build those transit projects much sooner than originally contemplated, without relying on federal or state funding.")
Curbed LA
Feuer Legislation Would Expedite L.A. County Transit Projects, Creating Construction Jobs And Reducing Congestion
Mike Feuer, California Assembly 42nd District, Press Release

Public Transit To LAX Kinda, Sorta Closer To Reality: Crenshaw Light Rail Project Gets Federal OK
LAist

The Rail Story Of Transforming Los Angeles (January 20 : Panel discussion : "Can stations be designed to integrate into the growing Metro system, cognizant of scarce public dollars, while also being emblematic of the communities where they are located? What do communities around the new stations want to become and what can planners, developers, and community activists do to ensure these outcomes? What can Los Angeles learn from other cities?")
Westside Urban Forum

Report Of Minnesota's Mileage-Based User Fee Policy Task Force (24p. PDF)
Minnesota State DOT

Romney Wins Iowa, Loses The Rail-Passenger Vote
StreetsBlog DC

South Pasadena Council To Discuss Metro's SR-710 Extension Environmental Study Tonight
Pasadena Star-News

Success Factors In The Reduction Of Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Incidents (4p. PDF)
Federal Railroad Administration Research Results

Sword-Inspired Chinese Train Hits 311 MPH In Testing
GizMag

Trains And Buses Leap Ahead This Year
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Urban Information Networks, Part 1: The Invisible Rendered Visible ("An example of how information enables the inhabitants to most effectively use the immediately available capacity of the total, multi-modal transportation system comes from our work with CalTrans.")
Building A Smarter Planet
Part 2: Information For Resource Management
Part 3: Open Data 2.0

Your Customers Are Mobile, Are You?
Talking Transportation

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.

1/04/2012

Union Station, Expo Line, OC Toll Road, CAHSR Threatened, LA-Coachella Valley Train & More

January 4: This Date In Los Transportation History
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Bay Area Tries To Rein In Greenhouse Gases With Growth/Transportation Plans
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Big Blue Bus Gets New COO
Santa Monica Daily Press

California High-Speed Rail Funding Could Be In Jeopardy
Los Angeles Times

County's Transportation Priority Loses Out On Federal Funds
Ventura County Star

Cycle Like The Danes To Cut Carbon Emissions, Says Study (A warning that it would be a mistake to invest heavily in technological solutions like electric cars)
Guardian (U.K.)
Cycle More Often 2 Cool Down The Planet!: Quantifying CO2 Savings Of Cycling (16p. PDF)
European Cyclists' Federation

A Daily Passenger Train Between LA And The Coachella Valley?
Southern California Public Radio

Districts To Pick Up School Bus Tab: Glendale And Burbank Won't Cut Transportation Services Despite Loss Of State Money
Burbank Leader

Editorial: Excuses And Hot Air Dogging Expo Line: New Problem Real, But Why Is It Coming Up Now?
Los Angeles Daily News

Experts: Don't Build $99 Billion California Bullet Train
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Announces Proposed Enhancements To Passenger Train Emergency Systems
U.S. DOT Press Release

In Iowa, GOP Candidates Ignore Transportation And Urban Issues
StreetsBlog DC

Local Transit's Future Depends On The Feds ("It doesn't come up in the debates, it's not a line in the stump speeches, but transportation advocates in the nation's largest city believe the 2012 election will decide the future of mass transit in the United States.")
City Limits

Mini Carmageddon East? 210 Freeway Closures Overnight For Gold Line Construction
LAist

The Nature Of Context-Sensitive Solutions, Stakeholder Involvement And Critical Issues In The Urban Context (97p. PDF)
Mineta Transportation Institute

New Transportation TV Program Launches To Highlight Innovation
AASHTO Press Release

O.C. Road Agency Brings Toll Project Back From The Dead
StreetsBlog LA

The Problem With Naming Transit Stations ("A fear of commercialism is the least of many reasons why cities should cease recycling this tired idea.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Public Policy By Extension ("What will happen if there are more extensions of the aviation and surface transportation authorizations? Are there benefits, even small ones, to putting off the tough decisions until lawmakers are in a better mood? Would it make sense to punt and extend both authorizations until 2013? Or should Congress force the discussion by enacting shorter-term stopgaps? Will there be genuine political consequences (like members' seats at risk) if Congress fails to complete the transportation measures?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Putting The Brakes On: Constance Harris Is Retiring After 35 Years As A Long Beach Transit Bus Driver
Long Beach Press-Telegram

The Real Reason Why Bicycles Are The Key To Better Cities ("The most vital element for the future of our cities is that the bicycle is an instrument of experiential understanding.")
Secret Republic

Record Fuel Exports Don't Mean The U.S. Is Not Addicted To Foreign Oil
StreetsBlog DC

Rethinking Transit: How Cities Are Repairing Disconnects Between Downtowns And Historic Neighborhoods ("As Los Angeles embarks on building the largest, most comprehensive transit system in the country, reconsidering factors such as density and integration into the surrounding neighborhoods will determine how Union Station becomes a new heart and center for the city.")
Urban Land Institute

Review Urges Delay In Borrowing Billions For Bullet Train ("State-mandated panel concludes that the high-speed rail program 'is not financially feasible.' Gov. Jerry Brown's office signals that he isn't likely to be swayed by the findings.")
Los Angeles Times

Romney: I'd Stop Funding Amtrak
Transportation Nation

Santa Clarita Transit Bus Routes To Change Jan. 9
Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Use Of Buses Increases At Local Colleges
San Bernardino Sun

Webinar: Public Transportation Systems As Foundation For Economic Growth (free : January 12)
Rutgers University National Transit Institute

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.

1/03/2012

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.