Los Angeles Transportation Headlines : 8/19/12

8/24/2012

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

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

8/23/2012

Connected Cars, 710, Gold Line Foothill Extension, MAP-21, Bikes and more...

August 23: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The first streetcars roll out for Los Angeles Railways)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

33 Democratic Legislators Come Out Against CEQA Reform

California High Speed Rail Blog

California lawmaker wants to spike plans for 710 Freeway extension - Anthony Portantino, who had requested the recent audit of Caltrans, asks the agency to halt tunnel study. Area residents call for a criminal probe of Caltrans.

Los Angeles Times

CBO: If nothing changes, we’re in for another recession

Washington Post

Change Coming to Beach Cities Transit - Changes to the Beach Cities Transit fixed routes—including the elimination of Line 104—will take place Saturday.

Redondo Beach Patch

China’s Growing Role in U.S. Infrastructure

ThomasNet

Connected Cars Take to Michigan to Reshape the Driving World

Wired

Environmental Study Available for Gold Line's Next Move - Though the funding situation for the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair remains unresolved, a draft environmental impact report has been completed for the proposed project.

Monrovia Patch

Huizar Introduces 710 Resolution - Huizar's motion calls for the City Council to oppose all of Metro's currently proposed freeway and highway routes, save for one, F-7, which is a tunnel that would be built beneath the city of South Pasadena.

Highland Park Mount Washington Patch

INLAND: ONT teamwork
Press Enterprise

LAX is a regional economic force. But it still needs major work

KPCC 89.3

Living Green & Clean in Southern California - September 6 Salon Examines Sustainable Building Initiatives
Breath California of Los Angeles County

Long Beach: Finding Ways to Get More People Walk

LA StreetsBlog

MAP-21 Public Webcast: A Legislative Overview. Friday, Aug. 24, 1:00-2:30 pm Eastern

Federal Transit Administration

Metro gearing up to lock down turnstiles, transition to TAP card system

blogdowntown

Metro Motion Summer 2012 Edition (video)

Los Angeles Metro YouTube Channel

New Long Beach bike sharing program a two-wheel revolution

Long Beach Press Telegram

Poll: Will You Support Extended Sales Tax Increase for Transit Projects? If the extension of the half-cent sales tax gets on the November ballot, will you vote for it?

Westwood Century City Patch

Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus Gears Up for School

Santa Monica Surf/Lookout News

Thinking Outside the Farebox: Creative Approaches to Financing Transit Projects

Reconnecting America

Update: Furor grows over Caltrans audit, 710 extension - Portantino wants freeway extension killed; neighbors want criminal probe of Caltrans

La Canada Valley Sun

U.S. Hits 30 Bike Shares In Just Four Years

ThinkProgress

Want a Bike Share in Your Backyard? If You Live Downtown, Tell Bike Nation

LA StreetsBlog

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.

8/22/2012

Bikes, Gold Line EIR to Montclair, High Speed Rail, Boyle Heights, X-Train to Vegas and more...

August 22: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The Southern California Rapid Transit District, a direct predecessor of LACMTA, is established)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

APTA President and CEO Michael P. Melaniphy to Deliver Keynote Address at 17th Annual BusCon Conference and Expo

Mass Transit

Bike Rack City Ride: Learning How to Install Bike Racks in Boyle Heights

LA StreetsBlog

The Case for Separated Bike Lanes

The Atlantic - Cities

CEQA Reform Proposals Announced

California High Speed Rail Blog

Construction Authority Releases Draft Environmental Impact Report for Proposed Light Rail Extension from Azusa to Montclair Project

NBC

Explosion interrupts New York City subway construction

The Hill

High Speed Rail Creates Jobs (Video)
US High Speed Rail Association via YouTube
More: http://www.ushsr.com/videos.html

Honolulu's Rail Project Back in the Crossfire This Fall

The Transport Politic

In the Global Economy, All Job Creation Is Local

The Atlantic - Cities

Labor Day Travel Figures Expected to be Strong

USA Today

LAX Flyaway® Bus Sservice at Irvine Stations to Cease Operations

LAWA

Livable Environments: A freeway-free future for world cities?

Richmond Times Dispatch

A lot riding on California dream of high-speed rail - California is moving ahead with a massive high-speed rail project, with construction of the first link set to begin early next year. The project could put the state in the vanguard of a transportation revolution – but is it more a dream than reality?

Christian Science Monitor

Myth of the High Speed Rail "Boondoggle"

Daily Kos

Plans Released for Gold Line Train to San Bernardino County

Curbed LA

Port of Long Beach grants to fund variety of pollution-curbing projects

Press Telegram

Renderings Revealed For X Train and Its Las Vegas Station

Curbed LA

Ridership Numbers Continue to Rise on Expo Line to Culver City

Culver City Times

Take Back Boyle Heights (Demand that Metro replace what they demolished with the Gold Line construction)
East LA Community Corporation (Via Facebook)

Obama plan for high-speed rail, after hitting a bump, chugs forward again - High-speed rail plans, announced by the White House in 2009, are back on track after Amtrak commits to upgrades in the Northeast and California approves billions to build new tracks.

Christian Science Monitor

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.

8/21/2012

Bus-Cycles, 710, Transit Oriented Development, LAX Economic Impact, Biking and more...

Big Blue Bus Offers $1 Rides to Culver City Expo - New nonstop service will take riders from downtown Santa Monica to the light rail station and UCLA
Culver City Patch

Billions evaporate from Measure M2 tax take
Orange County Register

Bombardier's New High Speed Train Design Unveiled in Italy

Bombardier

Bus-cycles will shuttle participants at political conventions
The Transit Wire

A Bus Fight or Sign of More Transit Conflicts?
KCET SoCal Focus

Divide and Conquer on the 710 Big Dig
LA StreetsBlog

Good News from RTA this September!

Riding in Riverside

How to Build a 21st-Century Tunnel in Earthquake Country

Wired - Autopia

How Transit Oriented Development Can Help Get America To Work
Huffington Post

LADOT Puts Adds Bike Parking to Online Map

LA StreetsBlog

LAX operations pump $40 billion into Southern California economy - Los Angeles International Airport supported more than 294,000 jobs in 2011 and added about $2.5 billion in taxes to the city, county and state, a report says.

Los Angeles Times

Making City Biking Less Scary

The Atlantic - Cities

Meet Measure R's Brother, Transit-Accelerating Measure J

Curbed LA

Metro all-access transit passes to go paperless
BlogDowntown

Our View: When Caltrans owns 500 historic houses
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Rail Impact: Mapping Gentrification in Los Angeles
Institute of Transportation Studies - UCLA

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.