West Santa Ana Branch, Metrolink, 110 HOT Lanes, BH Subway, ULI TOD, DesertXpress & More

June 8: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Ground breaking for the Pasadena "Blue" Line and Metro answers the call of duty when a former President passes away)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

At Least One Metrolink Fare Isn't Rising
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Become Immortal: Name A Train And Win $500 ("OLDA is looking to build a train from Los Angeles to Santa Ana, with much of the route to be constructed on an abandoned Pacific Electric right of way that runs straight as an arrow from Lynwood to Santa Ana...OLDA has been trying to get a new name for months, but they haven’t had much luck in getting submissions so far.")
Downey Beat

Boehner Floats Six-Month Transport Funding Extension
Reuters

Carpool Lanes On 110 To Go FasTrak
Orange County Register

City Council Bows To Metro
Beverly Hills Courier

Congress Devolves Into Talk Of Extensions
StreetsBlog DC

Compton Sacrifices But Will Beverly Hills? Transit That Serves All Requires Some To Sacrifice ("The commuters of Compton enjoy the freedom the Blue Line provides, yet have given up much. Meanwhile, the residents of Beverly Hills are fighting against what will likely be a far better deal.")
Los Angeles Times

Could Density Actually Reduce Traffic?
The Atlantic: Cities

Culver City: From Barley Fields to The Heart Of Screenland ("Culver carefully chose the location for his city at the junction of several important transportation routes. Early marketing materials boasted that "all roads lead to Culver City," touting the city's "3 Fast Red Car Lines" (the Venice Short Line, the Del Rey Line, and the Santa Monica Air Line) and "3 Splendid Boulevards (Washington, National, and Pico).")
LA as Subject via KCET

Disney's Newest Attraction Turns Cars Into Fantasy ("Just as new policies are arising in California to wean Californians off their cars, a force more powerful than public policy has arisen to get the next generation all amped up about driving. No, gas prices haven't plummeted and high speed rail isn't dead (yet). Those would be child's play compared to Cars Land -- the newest "world" at Disney's California Adventure theme park.")
California Planning & Development Report

Elevator And Escalator Maintenance And Safety Practices (68p. PDF)
Transit Cooperative Research Program

Hammer Museum Embraces LA Cyclist Scene With Fourth Annual Bike Night
UCLA Daily Bruin

Harbor Commission Rejects Proposal For Rancho LPG Rail Line
Daily Breeze

House GOP Threatens To Wipe Out Local Control Over Bike/Ped Funding
StreetsBlog DC

The Hydrogen Hybrid Bus Is Here (In an Austin, Texas demonstration project, "The prototype bus, manufactured by Proterra, combines electric battery power and mobile hydrogen fuel cells. The bus is a zero emission vehicle; water is the only exhaust. It uses a large lithium battery pack along with an electric drive train and custom transmission. Two hydrogen fuel cells operate to keep the battery pack fully charged.")
Capital Metro Blog

Lobbying For The Northern Extension Of The Crenshaw Line via West Hollywood In 2013
Ride The Pink Line

Mayor Villaraigosa's Remarks At Yesterday's Forum By The Urban Land Institute
StreetsBlog LA

Metro To Feds: Always, Only Constellation, Not Santa Monica
Beverly Hills Courier

Metrolink Fares To Rise; Beach, Other Routes To Be Added (Extended service to Laguna Niguel and Oceanside as well as new ticketing policies)
Los Angeles Times

Norwalk To Buy Compressed Natural Gas Buses ("Funding will come from federal transportation grants, state Proposition 1B funds and Los Angeles County Measure R, a sales tax hike approved by voters.")
Los Angeles Wave

Report: Transit Fares High And Rising? Blame Bailed-Out Banks
Transportation Nation
Riding The Gravy Train: How Wall Street Is Bankrupting Our Public Transit Agencies By Profiteering Off Of Toxic Swap Deals
Refund Transit Coalition

Sen. Reid Suggests Deal To Pay For Transportation, Student Loan Extensions
The Hill

Smart Parking Revisited: Lessons From The Pioneers
American Planning Association

Vegas High-Speed Rail Starts Planning Extension To Palmdale
Curbed LA
DesertXpress Inks Deal To Add Train Link From Victorville To Palmdale, Making Travel To L.A. Possible
Vegas, INC

What Really Matters For Increasing Transit Ridership: Rail Edition
The Atlantic: Cities


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.

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

Expo Line, Foothill Transit, LA's Monorail History, BUR Airport, CRA, Measure R+ & More

June 7: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Light rail to Pasadena takes a step forward and Metro changes the face of Universal City)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Bob Hope Airport May Be Recovering From Loss Of American Airlines
Burbank Leader

Business Lessons From Chinatown Buses
Fast Company

Deregulate Our Streets!
Next American City

Downtown To Culver City Soon To Be Connected By Expo Line
Blog Downtown

Endangered CRA Projects Get Some Funding
Los Angeles Business Journal

Foothill Transit Expected To Drop Fares On Silver Streak Bus Routes
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

New Bike Lanes On Summerland In San Pedro
B.I.K.A.S.

Panel On Transit-Oriented Development Thursday
Los Angeles Downtown News

Pelosi Challenges Boehner To Cancel Recess, Pound Out A Transpo Bill
StreetsBlog DC

Port Of LA's Terminal Island (And Its Canned Tuna History) One Of US's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Curbed LA

Ray Bradbury Would've Crisscrossed LA With Monorails
Curbed LA

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury -- And The FREE L.A. Monorail That Never Was
Southern California Public Radio

Refining The Real-Timed Urban Mobility Report (204p. PDF)
Texas Transportation Institute

Rollin' On The River ("Now there are nearly 30 miles of path, with another 1.5 miles to be added later this year as the West Valley River Bike Path moves towards completion. When the Metro Orange Line Extension to Chatsworth opens on June 30, 4 miles of bike path perpendicular to the river will open with it, eventually connecting to a part of the river path planned for the future.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

What A Data-Rich, Smart City Experience Could Really Be Like
The Atlantic: Cities

When Will USDOT Announce Latest TIGER Grants?
Transportation Issues Daily

Will Measure R+ Reach The Fall Ballot? At Least Two County Supervisors Need A Change Of Heart
StreetsBlog LA


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.

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

Expo Culver City & Farmdale, Crenshaw Line, LAX Project, Bullet Train, Transpo Bill & More

Boxer And Inhofe Make Their Offer To The House, Try To Avoid 10th Extension
StreetsBlog DC

Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council Wants More Barriers To High Density Developments
StreetsBlog LA

Can Ditching Your Car Make You Feel More Free?
GOOD

Crenshaw-LAX Rail Line Is Promising Jobs
Daily Breeze

Downtown NFL Stadium Project Accused Of Being Too Vague
Curbed LA

Editorial: Jeff Morales Has To Show Us The Bullet Train Will Work -- New Head Of Agency Must Persuade Wary Public
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Editorial: Rail Rush
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Expo Line's Culver City, Farmdale Stations Open June 20
Curbed LA

Expo Opens To Culver City On June 20
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

Going To Downtown Los Angeles? Leave Your Car At Home!
Gas 2

How To Ride The Expo Line For Free On June 20
LAist

LAX Construction Project To Disrupt Traffic Over Next Two Years
Los Angeles Times

LAX Construction Project: Traffic Affected Beginning Tuesday
KABC Los Angeles

Low-Stress Bicycling And Network Connectivity (84p. PDF)
Mineta Transportation Institute

New Zealand Bus Policy Model (102p. PDF : Explores a methodology and computer-based model designed to analyze the performance of urban bus services in terms of their operations, market indicators, and financial performance)
New Zealand Transport Agency

Once Again, It's All About How You Ask The Question (Was the recent LA Times poll showing a drop in support for high-speed rail a "push poll?")
California High-Speed Rail Blog

Passing A Transportation Bill Is Job One, Congress
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Performance-Based Highway Maintenance And Operations Management (96p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Ray Bradbury Dies At 91; Author Lifted Fantasy To Literary Heights (Bradbury was a champion of monorails for Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Times

Small Decrease In Driving = Huge Decrease In Congestion
League Of American Cyclists

Stakeholders Beg Conferees To Stop Acting Like Children
StreetsBlog DC

Top 10 Websites: 2012 ("Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.")
Planetizen

Training Of Traffic Incident Responders
(39p. PDF)
Strategic Highway Research Program


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.

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

Metro Lawsuits, Crenshaw Line, Expo Line, HOT Lanes, Transit Ridership, Farmers Field, CAHSR, Measure R & More

June 5: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The "Wilmington Link" is officially dedicated and opened, completing one of the Southland's most important highways)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

3 Burning Questions About House's Soon-To-Come 2013 Spending Bill
Transportation Issues Daily

28 BART Escalators Out Of Service ("What makes matters worse is no one is working on them...One escalator at the West Oakland Station has been out for more than seven months.")
San Francisco Chronicle

As Transit Ridership Continues To Increase, FTA Helps Transit Agencies Meet Demand
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Bellflower Wins Award For Downtown Plan
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Better Bike Beverly Hills In The Los Angeles Times
StreetsBlog LA

Boxer To Speak To Reporters, Address Cloud Over Conference Committee
StreetsBlog DC

Brown Seeks To Reduce Environmental Protections For Bullet Train ("With legal challenges mounting, governor circulates legislation designed to diminish the possibility foes could stop the project with an environmental suit.")
Los Angeles Times

Buyers' Remorse For California's "Bullet Train To Nowhere"
Telegraph (U.K.)

California's Green Exception (subscriber content : "California's environmental laws have made industrial development increasingly difficult -- to the extent that they are now interfering with other green priorities. Witness the request by the state's High-Speed Rail Authority to seek a legislative waiver against green lawsuits, of all things.")
Wall Street Journal

Caltrans To Offer Solo Drivers Premium Access To Carpool Lanes
CBS Los Angeles

Cities Facing Worst Fiscal Situation Since 1980
The Atlantic: Cities

Construction Begins On Crenshaw Light Rail Line
Los Angeles Wave

Creating An Effective Program To Advance Transportation System Management And Operations: Primer (18p. PDF)
Federal Highway Administration

Crenshaw District Light Rail Line Construction Begins
KABC Los Angeles

DOT Official: Obama Support Of High-Speed Rail "Remains As Strong As Ever"
The Hill

Environmental Report For NFL Stadium In Downtown L.A. Blasted
Los Angeles Daily News

Experts Say Rail Plan Improved, But Still Flawed
California Watch
Comments On Revised Business Plan (12p. PDF)
California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group

Expo Line Landscaping Lunacy
CityWatch

Foothill Transit To Lower Fares On Silver Streak
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

FRA Chief: America Is Driving Less And Congress Needs To Catch Up
StreetsBlog DC

Gasoline Prices Continue Falling Nationwide
Los Angeles Times

Highway Infrastructure: Federal-State Partnership Produces Benefits And Poses Oversight Risks (54p. PDF)
U.S. Government Accountability Office

House Dems To Highway Conferees: Steer Clear Of Environmental Provisions
The Hill

How Legal Challenges Are Affecting Work On 4 LA Rail Lines (Expo Line, Crenshaw Line, Westside Subway Extension, Downtown Regional Connector)
Curbed LA

L.A. Councilman Calls For Traffic Specifics From Stadium Developer  ("Bill Rosendahl asks AEG to make clear how it would minimize car trips to the stadium on game days and make firm commitments to create park-and-ride facilities.")
Los Angeles Times

New Understanding Of Traffic Congestion
Planetizen

Opinion: This Is How We Ride (Artist and musician David Byrne. "More than 200 cities around the world have bike-share programs.")
New York Times

Putting Transit To Work In Main Street America: How Smaller Cities And Rural Places Are Using Transit And Mobility Investments To Strengthen Their Economies And Communities (37p. PDF)
Reconnecting America

Reforming The Buddy System ("How should the federal-state partnership on infrastructure projects be structured? Is a performance-based system all that's needed? Or do states need much more oversight? Can they get by with less? Is it time for some grand reform of the federal-state relationship or will tweaks suffice?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Residents Along Crenshaw-LAX Corridor Expected To Contend For Light Rail Jobs
CBS Los Angeles

The Rise Of The Citizen Cyclist
The Atlantic: Cities

Santa Monica City Council Backs Bill Eliminating Measure R Expiration Date
Santa Monica Mirror

Series Links Transportation Infrastructure Decisions And Public Health
Mobilizing The Region
Designing Healthy Communities ("A provocative new 4-hour series...looks at the impact our built environment has on key public health indices – obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer and depression. Dr. Jackson connects bad community design with burgeoning health costs, then analyzes and illustrates what citizens are doing about this urgent crisis by looking upstream for innovative solutions.")
PBS

Stiffer Roads Could Save Billions. That's Right: Stiffer Roads ("Asphalt may feel hard, but it actually squishes when your car rolls over it. That little indentation costs us tons of extra cash. Time to firm up our streets.")
Fast Company Exist

Tolls To Let Drivers Buy Their Way Into The Carpool Lanes
NBC Southern California

Transit Lobby To Congress: Ridership Up, Funding Needed
The Hill

West LA Nabe Council Wants To Kill Expo-Adjacent Apartments
Curbed LA


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.

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

Expo Line, Orange Line, BRT, Highway Bill, Bike Lanes, 710, CAHSR & More

Today marks out 2,000th Transportation Headlines post since we began collecting and disseminating the transit and transportation news stories that impact Southern California in October, 2005.  Since then, we have sent out well over 1 million news digests via email and RSS, making us one of the most widely-read and repurposed industry news sources in the nation.

June 4: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (California voters approve Proposition 5, allowing a portion of the gasoline tax to fund transit projects)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Already 0 For 2, Neighbors For Smart Rail Take Their Case To The CA Supreme Court
StreetsBlog LA

Bill Rosendahl: Mobility Is Westside LA's Priority Number One!
Planning Report

Brown: Golden Gate Bridge A Model For Thinking Big
KTVU

Cantor Hints Highway Bill Deal Might Not Be Reached By Deadline
The Hill

Digital Blackboard Plan Put On Hold ("The program, established by an October 2011 state law, was expected to raise $4 million in new revenue by selling ad space on digital screens placed on the sidewalk-facing side of Big Blue Buses.")
Santa Monica Daily Press

The Evolution Of The Bike Lane
The Atlantic: Cities 

The Future Of Car Commuting (Automated road trains for automobiles)
The Atlantic: Cities

Governor Jerry Brown Proposes Sensible Environmental Review Of HSR Project
California High Speed Rail Blog

"Green Lanes" Mean "Go" For More Cities' Cyclists
USA Today

The Growing Popularity Of Bus Rapid Transit
The Atlantic: Cities

Is California High-Speed Rail An Ego Trip For Gov. Jerry Brown?
Sacramento Bee

Jerry Brown Moves To Protect High-Speed Rail Project From Environmental Lawsuits
Sacramento Bee

Mass Transit Cameras Spot Bad Guys, No Human Judgement Required ("A new camera system for San Francisco's MUNI system will use algorithms and machine learning to track and monitor commuters. Can computer programs predict bad guys... and what will they be looking for?")
Fast Company

New Traffic Safety Guidelines Can Save Lives On Bus Corridors Worldwide
The City Fix
Traffic Safety On Bus Corridors: Guidelines For Integrating Pedestrian And Traffic Safety Into The Planning, Design, And Operation Of BRT, Busways And Bus Lanes (84p. PDF)
EMBARQ

Orange Line, Golden Age ("I encourage you to hop onboard the Orange Line Extension when it opens June 30. And be sure to take a photo. You can say you were there as L.A. was making its move from public transportation punch line to public transportation powerhouse.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

Pasadena Residents Weigh Freeway Extension Options ("One resident says 710 extension would 'be a very congested traffic nightmare' for the city. Others seek a plan that would help ease their daily commutes.")
Pasadena Sun

Public Transportation Ridership Use Surged In First Quarter 2012: Nationwide Increase Of 5% With Nearly 2.7 Billion Trips Taken
APTA Press Release

San Gabriel Valley Cities, Lawmakers Want Measure R Details ("San Gabriel Valley cities and legislators spoke in one voice Thursday evening, saying they needed to know exactly what local rail and highway projects would be funded before they would support a ballot measure making permanent Measure R, the half-cent sales tax passed by voters in 2008 that expires in 2039.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Sen. Boxer: Jobs Report Underscores "The Necessity Of Passing A Transportation Bill"
The Hill

Smart Meters & Sensors Being Rolled Out In Santa Monica Are A Good Thing
StreetsBlog LA

Stalled Grand Avenue Development May Get A Second Look
Los Angeles Times

State Spending Bond Money On MTA Buses, Metrolink Upgrades
Santa Clarita Valley News

States Explore New Ways To Tax Motorists For Road Repair
USA Today

These Smooth Operators Beat The Guys ("Women have won Metro’s rail rodeo before -- in 1998 and 2006 -- but this is the first time an all-female slate swept the internal contest.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

Use Of Public Transit Is Soaring In 2012
USA Today

Voters Have Turned Against California Bullet Train, Poll Shows (55% of voters want to see the high-speed rail bond issue that was approved in 2008 back on the ballot, and 59% say they would now vote against it, according to the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times survey.")
Los Angeles Times

Young Americans Aren't The Only Ones Driving Much Less Than Their Parents
The Atlantic: Cities


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.

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