Measure R+, Orange Line, Union Station, Walk/Ped & More

Big U.S. Cities Boom As Young Adults Shun Suburbs
Detroit News

Blazing A Path By The New Orange Line ("The rapid transit busway features a dedicated bicycle/pedestrian path that’s being billed as the longest “transit-adjacent” bikeway of its kind in Los Angeles County. The path runs next to the new 4-mile northward extension of the Orange Line, which opens to the public this weekend with free bus rides on Saturday and Sqaunday, and connects with the original line’s 14-mile bikeway for a total of 18 miles.")
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District

Conference Bill Preserves Transit Funding, Wastes Opportunities For Progress
StreetsBlog DC

Congress Set To OK Bill That Would Help Fund L.A. Transit Projects
Los Angeles Times

Fate Of California High-Speed Rail Is Iffy In State Senate
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Gold Line Official Calls Metro's Ballot Measure Illegal
Monrovia Patch

Grimshaw And Gruen Score Contract For Union Station Master Plan In Los Angeles
Architectural Record

A High-Speed Rail Dream Unrealized: America's Vision Of Replicating Europe's Flashy, High Speed Trains Is Quickly Fading As Many Obstacles Stand In The Way
Crosscut

Jerry Brown Signs Budget That Relies On Voter-Backed Tax Hikes ("The governor signs a budget that makes deep cuts to social services and assumes that voters will pass $8 billion in tax hikes in November.")
Los Angeles Times

Little Tokyo's Third Street Getting Ped-Friendly Street Updates
Curbed LAG

Measure R Sales Tax Could Be Extended Another 30 Years
LAist

Metro Approves Measure R Extension As Way To Possibly Fund Gold Line Extension Through To Claremont
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Metro Board Approves Grimshaw/Gruen Team To Create Master Plan For L.A. Union Station And 40-Acre Site
MarketWatch

Metro Board Backs Sales Tax Extension For November Ballot
Los Angeles Daily News

Metro Board: Let The People Vote On Extending Sales Tax
StreetsBlog LA

Metro Endorses Measure R Sales Tax Extension ("Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said the extension had a high risk of failing, because of state tax increases that will be before voters in November.")
Lynwood Patch

Metro Officials Endorse Measure To Extend Half Cent Sales Tax
Los Angeles Times

[D.C.] Metro, Other Transit Agencies To Gain Safety Oversight From Federal Agency In New Law
Washington Post

Metro Votes To Extend Measure R
Beverly Hills Courier

Metrolink Expanding Weekend Service In San Clemente
Orange County Register

Possible Speedier Finish Times For 7 Rail Lines As Transpo Tax Extension Moves Ahead
Curbed LA

SunLine Approves Riverside Bus Plan ("Early-morning commuters will have another form of transportation between Riverside and the Coachella Valley beginning in September.")
Desert Sun

Team Picked To Reimagine Union Station And Surroundings
Curbed LA

Transpo Bill Cuts Bike/Ped Funding, Lets Strates Spend It On Left-Turn Lanes
StreetsBlog DC

Transportation Bill Inching Forward To Passage
Politico

Trulia's New Maps Show Your Commute Time From Your New House (Want to know how long it will take to pick up the kids at school, drive to your favorite restaurant or the baseball game, take the bus to the park? And all at once? Trulia's new innovative map does just that)
Fast Company Design

US Congress To Vote On Transportation, Student Loan Bill (Today)
Reuters

Which States Do The Most (And Least) To Support Biking And Walking?
StreetsBlog Network


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.

Tentative Transpo Bill, HSR, Grand Park, Expo Line, Gold Line & More

Battle Lines Drawn In High Speed Rail Vote
StreetsBlog LA

Boxer Confirms That Some Bike/Ped Protections Remain In Final Bill
StreetsBlog DC

City Asks For Input On Third Street Improvements
Rafu Shimpo

Complete Streets Provision Eliminated From Final Transpo Bill
StreetsBlog DC

Congress Readies Transportation Plan With Focus On Roads
Business Week

DTLA's Civic Park Partially Opens (With Dance Party) In Late July
Curbed LA

First Stage Of Expo Line Complete With Opening Of Culver City Station
Culver City News

Grand Park Set For Partial Opening On July 26
Los Angeles Downtown News

House Puts Brakes On Taxing Cars By The Mile
The Hill

How The Feds Are Building More Sustainable Cities
The Atlantic: Cities

It's A Deal: Conference Committee Reaches Agreement
StreetsBlog DC

L.A. City Council Allocates $500K In Former CRA Funds For Broken Sidewalks In Northeast San Fernando Valley
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. County Budget Approved With New Spending, No Deep Cuts ("The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $24.53-billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, its first in four years without significant cuts in public services.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Long Beach Calls Seal Beach Racist, Pulls Buses
Orange County Register

Metro's Gold Line Comments "Extremely Disappointing," GLCA CEO Says
Monrovia Patch

Mica: Transpo Bill Lasts Through September 2014
StreetsBlog DC

On Congestion Charging: Carrot Or Stick?...Mixed Responses
Transportation Nation

Orange Line Busway Is Metro's Quiet Success Story ("The Orange Line in the San Fernando Valley, which will soon be extended, has prompted a new focus on the role of rapid buses in L.A.'s transit plans.")
Los Angeles Times

Rails-To-Trails: Final Transpo Bill "Bad News For America"
StreetsBlog Network

San Francisco Taxis Put On Notice With Peer-To-Peer Ridesharing Service
GOOD

Tentative Deal Reached On 2-Year Transportation Bill
New York Times

That's A Lot Of T Tokens: MBTA Has 3.4 Million Unused Coins To Get Rid Of
Bostinno

These Transit Riding Politicians Don't Support Public Transit (Many people don't realize that Congress has its very own subway system under the Capitol)
The Atlantic: Cities

Train Stops In Azusa: No Measure R2 For Gold Line To Claremont
Curbed LA

US Gasoline Prices Cheapest Since January
Associated Press


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.

LA's Bike Share, 405, Measure R+, Gold Line, TAP, Westside Subway, Biking Data, Transpo Bill & More

2010 Bike Commuting Data Released
League Of American Cyclists

1,000 Days With No Transpo Bill. How Much Longer Will The Wait Last?
StreetsBlog DC

Analysis Of Bicycling Trends And Policies In Large North American Cities: Lessons From New York (63p. PDF)
Rutgers University / Virginia Tech University

Behind The Scenes Of Bike Nation's Deal With Los Angeles
StreetsBlog LA

Commentary: Subway Debate Turns Uncivil, Nasty
Westwood-Century City Patch

Drivers Test 405 Freeway Commute Without Wilshire Boulevard Ramps
NBC Los Angeles

Editorial: Measure R Is A Transit Tax; We Don't Need To Mess It Up By Extending It Indefinitely
Long Beach Press-Telegram

First Expo-Adjacent Mixed-Use Starting Work In Culver City
Curbed LA

House Rejects Further Cuts To Transportation Spending Bill
The Hill

More Murals Unveiled On The Hollywood Freeway
Caltrans District 7

MTA Executive: Gold Line Not Part Of New Measure R Plan
Pasadena Star-News

Our View: Keep ACE Funds In Measure R
Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority

Proposal To Extend Measure R: Lots Of Unanswered Questions
CityWatch

Public Transportation: Communities Of Health And Prosperity (Infographic explains numerous benefits of transit)
Credit Donkey

Report: Driving Less Won't Hurt The Economy
OTREC

A Take Out Order Of The Westside Subway Extension
Huffington Post

TAP Card Now Good For Transit On LA City Buses ("City DASH buses will now accept the "smart card" pass known as TAP (Transit Access Pass) that the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority uses.")
West Hollywood Patch

Transit Struggle: Holding Onto Affordable Housing (subscription required for full content : "Across America, rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) lines have proliferated during the past decade. Los Angeles will have a total of 71 light-rail and BRT stations operating by the end of this year...As growing numbers of middle- and upper-income Americans choose to live within walking distance of transit, the price of housing near rail and BRT lines is rising and may well escalate.")
Better Cities & Towns

Transportation Bill Is Critical For America's Productivity And Competitiveness (video)
Brookings

Vehicle Miles Traveled And Economic Growth
Cyclicious

Where Did The Senate Get The Extra Money To Pay For Its Bill?
StreetsBlog DC


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, 405 Ramps, Measure R+, TIGER, Green Buildings, HSR & More

June 26: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (A major thoroughfare is dedicated 75 years ago today)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Bicyclists And Other Cyclists (5p. PDF : A traffic safety facts sheet that compiles 2010 statistics on pedalcyclist fatalities and injuries in traffic crashes)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Call To Local Artists For Expoline Metro Station Art
Boulevard Sentinel Daily

City Looking Towards New Lynwood Breeze Trolley And Accompanying Contractor
Lynwood Patch

Community Open House: Gold Line Foothill Extension
Arcadia Patch

Drivers Test 405 Freeway Commute Without Wilshire Boulevard Ramps
NBC Los Angeles

Expo Line Gets Mixed Reviews So Far; Metro Says Issues With The New Train Are Normal
Blog Downtown

Families And Transit-Oriented Development: Creating Complete Communities For All (28p. PDF : Santa Monica is one of the featured case-studies)
Reconnecting America

Google Brings Free Wi-Fi To Some New York Subway Stations
New York Times

Green Building's Growing Pains ("A fresh generation of green building evaluation mechanisms is gaining popularity in the United States, signaling a new phase in the industry’s engagement with environmental and sustainability issues, one in which simple building certification is no longer enough and the commercial real estate marketplace is increasingly having to negotiate a variety of new building codes, additional ratings systems, and even performance measures.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Guide For Optimizing The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Roadway Lighting (38p. PDF)
New York State Energy Research And Development Authority

Has South America's Most Sustainable City Lost Its Edge? (Transit usage and automobile usage is up is down in Curitiba, Brazil, the birthplace of bus rapid transit)
The Atlantic: Cities

Measuring The Odds For Measure R+
StreetsBlog LA

MTA Pitches A Permanent Measure R Sales Tax
Los Angeles Daily News

Port Accepts $17 Million Grant To Further "Green Port Gateway"
Long Beach Post

Slippery Road Detection And Evaluation (64p. PDF)
Michigan Department Of Transportation

Temporary Extension May Be Necessary Even If Lawmakers Reach Highway Bill Deal
The Hill

TIGER A Good Start For Nation's Transit Agencies
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Transit Funding Cuts Are Putting Bus Drivers In Danger
StreetsBlog DC

Transit Riders Get New Option To Pay Fares: LADOT Will Now Accept The TAP Card With The Elimination Of Paper Passes And Trip Tickets
Northridge-Chatsworth Patch

What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options To Support Public Transit, Highways, And Local Streets And Roads? Results From Year 3 Of A National survey
(104p. PDF)
Mineta Transportation Institute

Wheel, Rail Or Sail, Transit Prices Are Going Up
San Francisco Examiner

Why Bother? ("This is an awful lot of hoopla for a milk-toast two-year highway bill as the best possible outcome. Is it worth it? What's the difference between six months and 15 months? Won't state transportation departments be reeling under the severe pressures of budget uncertainty no matter what happens? Why should the transportation community kill themselves to lobby for a bill that will be obsolete almost as soon as the ink is dry?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Will California Be Left Behind As Globe Embraces HSR? ("If you get off the bullet train at LA Union Station in 2030, around the time the system is fully built out, you can actually board a train to get to most places you’ll want to go. Already LA’s rail system is better than most people realize and it gets heavy usage.")
California High Speed Rail Blog


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.

Measure R+, Orange Line Extension, Expo Line Ridership, "Rampture", Metrolink, Bullet Train, LA Parking & More

Advocates Plea To Boxer: Save Funds For Safe Streets, Don't Let House Gut NEPA
StreetsBlog LA

Authority Puts $1.75M Toward Metrolink Train Station ("New Metrolink site would be a big boost to Antelope Valley line, official says.")
Burbank Leader

Boehner Masks GOP Attack On Safe Streets By Opposing Flowers
StreetsBlog DC

California Bullet Train Faces Tough Vote In Senate ("Gov. Jerry Brown is requesting $6 billion to start construction in the Central Valley, but some senators hope to distribute the funds elsewhere.")
Los Angeles Times

Caltech Bicyclists Seek East-West Corridors Through Pasadena
Pasadena Star-News

Caltrans Renters Gripe To Auditors ("Residents in homes in the 710 gap are full of complaints about living conditions.")
Pasadena Sun

City Plans For Development Around Rail Stations ("With Metrolink expecting to begin service to Redlands at five rail stops later this decade, the City Council last week took an early step toward planning for development around the stations.")
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Confessions Of A Straphanger (Interview with author Taras Grescoe : "Even Los Angeles, I stayed downtown at the Biltmore. I rented a car for a little while, but I ended up discovering a whole different side of the city because I was in proximity to the Los Angeles subway, which a lot of people don't know exists.")
The Atlantic: Cities
Los Angeles & The Straphanger: Surviving The End Of The Automobile Age  (" Grescoe writes extensively about the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, our “tortuous” freeway system, the Bus Riders Union, plans for a Westside Subway Extension, “the trouble with Downtown,” transit-oriented development and more.")
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

County Officials Fight To Keep Transit Funds Loophole
Ventura County Star

Do You Drive The 405 In Westwood? New Website Shows How Rampture Impacts Your Commute
StreetsBlog LA
Rampture Calculator

Drivers On The 10 Get Ready To Pay For Carpool Lane (Includes map and infographic)
Pasadena Star-News

Editorial: Can L.A. Afford An Indefinite Tax For Transit? ("Extending Measure R's sales tax increase to speed up planned public transit projects could create financial problems down the road.")
Los Angeles Times

Global Visions Of Bullet Trains ("In the international race to build bullet trains, California is not only getting crushed by the likes of France and Japan, but also Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.")
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Jerry Brown Suggests High-Speed Rail CEQA Proposal Only Delayed
Sacramento Bee

L.A. Expo Line Opens Two More Rail Stations; Ridership Still Very Low
Reason

L.A. River Excursion: Bicycle Journey To Long Beach
KCET

MTA To Vote On Putting Indefinite Extension Of Measure R Tax Measure On Ballot
Daily Breeze

New Federal Office Building Planned At Civic Center Site ("General Services Administration plans to exchange Old Courthouse for Construction of new building.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

Orange Line Could Boost Valley Business ("Proprietors of stores, restaurants and other establishments along the extension are already taking steps to turn passengers into customers.")
Los Angeles Daily News

Proposed Streetcar Would Connect Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove ("Imagine a streetcar that would allow you to get off a Metrolink train in Santa Ana, maybe take care of some business in the Civic Center, and then head to the Anaheim Resort for the evening. Or, would take you from your home in Garden Grove to your job at Disneyland or west Santa Ana. Three cities -- Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Anaheim -- are moving ahead with plans to develop a fixed guideway to connect people, jobs and entertainment destinations.")
Orange County Register

"Ramp Jam" Is LA's Latest Freeway Fright Fest
Associated Press

Reading The TEA (LU) Leaves: This Week Determines An Extension Or New Bill
Transportation Issues Daily

Review Of The 21st Century Truck Partnership, 2nd Report (191p. PDF)
Transportation Research Board

Santa Monica Pedestrian Action Plan To Make Sidewalks More Friendly
Santa Monica Mirror

Santa Monica Traffic: Is It Really So Bad? (Part 1)
StreetsBlog LA

Signalized Crosswalk Coming For Sunset And Vista ("Small victories such as this one will be common place as the advocacy network of people concerned with safe streets continues to grow.")
StreetsBlog LA

Streetcar Tax Study Begins: Vote On Tax To Pay For Project Could Come By End Of Year
Los Angeles Downtown News

Top 10 Reasons Sen. Boxer Must Keep Her Word On Bike/Ped Programs
StreetsBlog DC

Traffic Troubles Near Wilshire Boulevard And 405 Freeway Ramps May Be Biblical
Los Angeles Daily News

Transit Guide To L.A.
Caltech Bike Lab

"Transformative" Bike Projects Win Big In Fourth Round Of TIGER Grants
StreetsBlog DC

What You Need To Know About The Ongoing 405 Freeway Wilshire Ramp Closures
Santa Monica Mirror

Who Needs Parking? Who Wants Parking? A Debate About AB 904 (June 26 : "Are you available...to join us in a lively roundtable discussion about AB 904 and parking policy reform? We'd love to hear your perspective!")
AIA Los Angeles / The Planning Report


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.