Gold Line Bridge, LA Bike Share, Social Media, Measure J, Cornfield, Hollywood Boulevard & More

The Los Angeles Transportation Headlines will be taking a holiday break next week. 

We return on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.  

Happy Holidays from the Metro Library and Archive staff!

Santa Claus and "Miss Dreamliner" Sharon Girot welcome new and modern 

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority buses, December 15,1959.  

Click here to enlarge image. 

More information can be found in the January, 1960 issue of The Emblem, 

the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority employee news magazine.

9 Technologies For Building The "Road Of The Future"
The Atlantic: Cities

The 12 Best Things To Happen To L.A. Pedestrians In 2012
Los Angeles Walks

2012's Year In Maps
The Atlantic: Cities

Behind The Signs: A Look At The DOT Sign Shop (video : "There are more than two million signs in New York City. Ever wonder where they come from?")
NYC DOT via YouTube

The Best And Worst Times To Be At LAX: 2.24M Holiday Travelers Expected
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Bike Nation Announces Nine Kiosks For First Rollout Of Los Angeles Bike Share In April 2013
StreetsBlog LA

Bike-Share Company Plans To Start In Downtown L.A. This April
Los Angeles Times

Bike Stations To Spring Up In Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Costs Balloon For Repair Of Iconic Railroad Bridge In Old Torrance
Daily Breeze

Do Places Seem Farther Away When You Have To Walk To Get There? ("Turns out pedestrians who live in cities consistently over-estimate the amount of time it takes to walk somewhere. Why this matters to density.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Editorial: California Should Not Waste Money On Needless PR ("California taxpayers do not need to spend millions of dollars publicizing a newly reconstructed bridge. The recent revelations about a costly state PR contract help explain why voters mistrust state fiscal oversight. Legislators and state agencies need to carefully monitor spending, to ensure that the state uses tax money wisely...Gov. Jerry Brown last week cancelled a nearly $10 million contract Caltrans had with a public relations firm for work on the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.")
Riverside Press-Enterprise

The Future Of City Driving: Per-Mile Car Insurance
The Atlantic: Citiesa

Gold Line Bridge: The Art Of Design (16p. PDF : Beautiful photographs illustrate the statistics, concept, design, artistry and construction of the San Gabriel Valley's new work of public art -- "This pioneering collaboration resulted in the creation of a sculptural bridge built for the same cost originally estimated for a more conventional structure of its size.")
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority

Government Agencies Working Together On Transpo? YES!!! (LAWA and Metro on Green Line to LAX; Expo Line Construction Authority, Metro and CPUC on Expo/Blue Line "frog"; and other collaborations)
CityWatch

How Social Media Moves New York: Part 2 -- Recommended Social Media Policy For Transportation Providers (16p. PDF : "The goals of social media in transportation are to inform (alert riders of a situation), motivate (to opt for an alternate route), and engage (amplify the message to their friends and neighbors). To accomplish these goals, transportation providers should...")
New York University Rudin Center For Transportation

Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Into The Collaborative Decision-Making Framework (207p. PDF)
Strategic Highway Research Program
Practitioner's Guide To Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Into The Collaborative Decision-Making Framework (229p. PDF)
Strategic Highway Research Program

Just Transportation: Is Los Angeles Making Progress On Transit For All? ("Does rail over bus represent progress? We asked Tom Rubin, a transportation expert. The following is a discussion of transit ridership over the past 30 years in Los Angeles.")
KCET

LA Metro Offers Free Rides Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Light Rail To Los Angeles International: A Questionable Proposition? ("New proposals for light rail connections to LAX put in question whether an extension project will offer any major benefits.")
The Transport Politic

Los Angeles Metro Sprawling Out Slightly Less Than New York
Curbed LA
Residential Construction Trends In America's Metropolitan Regions: 2012 Edition (42p. PDF)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office Of Sustainable Communities, Smart Growth Program

"Miss Subways": A Trip Back In Time To New York's Melting Pot (From 1941 to 1976, more than 200 New York women were honored with posters touting their ambitions and successes. The first African American "Miss Subway" was honored in 1948 -- the same year Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. A new New York Transit Museum exhibit tracks them down to find out what happened to them. Article includes "then and now" photo essay)
NPR
"Miss Subways" Remembered In New Book (includes news feature video : "The Miss Subways are hoping to raise money to buy MetroCards for riders affected by Hurricane Sandy. It's their way of paying tribute to the subways and this city.")
WABC New York

More Cars On The Road Make You Late, But Some Cars Make You Much Later Than Others ("The central finding of the the paper, published today in Scientific Reports, is that while keeping 1% of all drivers off the road cuts traffic congestion by 3%, eliminating the same number of drivers from particular neighborhoods can reduce travel time for everyone else by a whopping 18%.")
The Atlantic: Cities

New Plan Aims For Growth Near "Cornfield"
Los Angeles Downtown News
Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific Plan (98p. PDF)
City Of Los Angeles

These Bikes Are Wishing You A Very Happy Holiday (Must-see photos)
The Atlantic: Cities

This New Device Puts Traffic Patterns In The Hands Of The People ("TrafficCom is an automated traffic-counting device cheap enough that any citizen can find out how much car or bike traffic is on their street--and then work with the city to make changes to urban design.")
Fast Company: Exist

Time To Restore Democracy? (22p. PDF : "Measure J could have won in all these places if the voter threshold was 55%. Our [presentation] makes the case for lowering the voter threshold.")
Move LA

Toll Road Irony Is Not Funny (Orange County toll roads)
Public CEO

When Hollywood Boulevard Became Santa Claus Lane (Archival images illustrate the history of decorating Hollywood Boulevard for Christmas since 1928)
LA as Subject via KCET

X Train Aims To Make A Party Of The Southern California-Las Vegas Trip
Vegas INC


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.

Division 5, 2012 In Review, 405 Tolls, Walkability, Grand Avenue, OCTA & More

December 20: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Aerial construction photos illustrate the opening of the Hollywood Freeway through the Civic Center which promises "the building of other freeways throughout Los Angeles")
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

2012's Biggest Transportation Successes
The Atlantic: Cities

Arthur Winston Division Centennial Celebration 12-19-12 (video : Film from yesterday's celebration of the 100th anniversary of "Division 5" which began as a Los Angeles Railway property in 1912 and is still in use by Metro to this day)
via YouTube

Author Jeff Speck On Walkability And The One Mistake That Can Wreck A City
StreetsBlog DC

Grand Avenue Tower To Break Ground
Los Angeles Downtown News

Ideas For Sepulveda Pass Include Tunnels Requiring Toll Roads
Westwood-Century City Patch

Improving The Department Of Transportation: A Conversation With Ray LaHood
Washington Post

In Homage To Daniel Inouye, Feds Commit To Funding Honolulu Transit
StreetsBlog DC
Feds Sign $1.55B Commitment For Honolulu Rail Project
Honolulu Star-Advertiser

LACMTA Addresses LRT Track Gauge Flaw
Railway Age

L.A. River Revitalization: A Century-Old Idea's Time Has Come
KCET

LeBron James, Bike Commuter
StreetsBlog Network

Officials Ask For Answers On Who Makes Final 710 Decision
Pasadena Star-News

See Tons Of Gamechanging LA Projects That Never Got Built (Metro Transportation Library & Archive has supplied numerous resources for this pending A + D Museum exhibit)
Curbed LA

Supervisors Taking Issue With OCTA Board Majority ("Ongoing tensions within the Orange County Transportation Authority have begun to bubble over in recent weeks as several county supervisors, who also serve on the OCTA board, are going public with their discontent regarding how the $1-billion agency is being run...as the board undergoes a major transition with 10 of its 17 seats changing hands this month.")
Voice Of OC

Wash. Gov Proposes New Fuel Tax For Education ("Gregoire’s solution? A new tax on refineries to help pay for school bus costs.")
Transportation Nation

What Do Anti-Density NIMBYs And Road-Wideners Have In Common?
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.

Metrolink, LAX Transit, 2013 Funding, New House Transpo Chair, CA Gas, Walkability & More

All Eyes On Bill Shuster, New Transportation Chairman ("Shuster wants to explore — but not necessarily enact — a bevy of funding opportunities, including the gas tax, more tolling, a miles-traveled fee for vehicles and tying energy production to infrastructure.")
Politico

The Best Open Data Releases Of 2012
The Atlantic: Cities

Californians Continue To Purchase Less Gas
California High Speed Rail Blog

The Cycle Path To Happiness ("Scientists are confirming what most cyclists instinctively know -- that riding a bike has extraordinary effects on our brain chemistry.")
The Independent (U.K.)

Dangerous Intersections: LA Gets A Few Crosswalk Makeovers, But Are They In The Right Places?
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

A Few Surprises In New Bike Scores
The Atlantic: Cities

Fix For Flawed Light Rail Junction In Downtown L.A. Is Outlined  ("L.A. County transit officials choose a permanent repair option that they say should eliminate safety concerns at the busy intersection of the Blue and Expo lines.")
Los Angeles Times

Foot Forward: Walkability Is The Key To Fixing Cities (interview with author Jeff Speck, author of new book: Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step At A Time)
Grist

Go Metro, Metrolink To 2013 Tournament Of Roses® Celebrations
Mid Valley News

Gold Line Bridge Captures Local Heritage, History
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Is 2013 The Year Of New Transportation Funding?
Governing

LAX Could Have A Subway Stop Connecting To Metro By 2020
Curbed LA

Long Beach: The Simple Art Of Beautification
StreetsBlog LA

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Looks Ahead For Big 2013
StreetsBlog LA

Map: Light Rail Stations, Metro Rail Connection Proposed For LAX Passengers
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Metro Planning Stations To Bring Light Rail To LAX
KABC Los Angeles

Metrolink To Buy Newest, Cleanest Locomotives ("The revolutionary locomotives are expected to reduce emissions by 86%.")
Metrolink News

Miami-Orlando Passenger Train Project Clears Key Hurdle ("The first privately run rail link between two major U.S. cities.")
Reuters

New "Zebra Crossing" Aim To Make 53 LA Intersections Safer
Blog Downtown

[N.Y.] MTA Chief Will Resign As He Looks At Mayoral Bid ("Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has informed the Cuomo administration that he is stepping down from his position, according to four people with direct knowledge of his plans. He is expected to resign on Friday, allowing him to pursue a candidacy for New York City mayor as a Republican.")
New York Times
A Transit Chief In The Mayor's Office?
The Atlantic: Cities

Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus Sees Improvements, Some Setbacks ("Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus will see some $14 million in technological improvements over the next few months, including a new fare collection system that will allow travelers to use the Transit Access Pass (TAP) cards -- used by L.A. Metro -- to pay fares.")
Santa Monica Lookout

Sprawl: What Happens When You Legislate Against Vibrant Streets ("You can look around L.A. and find all kinds of places where streets have been widened to try to handle what they perceived as future traffic needs," Norquist says. "It's wrecked the character of these streets.")
KCET

Time Out For Bullet Train Is What Is Needed
Bakersfield Californian

Walk Score Ranks The Bikeability Of Every Address In 36 Cities
StreetsBlog DC

WeHo's Robot Parking Garage Will Have Glass Wall, Plaza, Art
Curbed LA
Council Takes Another Step Toward Automated Garage
West Hollywood Patch


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 Development, Gold Line Bridge, Burbank Buses, Crosswalks, Mileage Fees & More

Blumenauer: Let's Stop Hiding In Fear Of A Mileage Fee
StreetsBlog DC

A Brief History Of The Barnes Dance ("The Barnes Dance, sometimes called a scramble, is an intersection where car traffic halts for a bit so pedestrians can cross in all directions -- including diagonally.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Burbank To Pursue Advertising On City Buses To Generate Revenue
Burbank Leader

City Officially Unveils "Continental Crosswalk," Promises 50 More In Next Three Months
StreetsBlog LA

Cliff Dwellers, Is This A Big Deal? ("People in Washington D.C. are obsessed with the fiscal cliff, but let's move the discussion beyond that. What are other risk factors to infrastructure in 2013? What is the best prediction of how the fiscal cliff negotiations could impact transportation? How important is it for the construction industry to watch Congress next year? Where will the infrastructure economy grow? Where will it shrink?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

D.C. To Start Testing Streetcars Next Spring (The first in the nation's capital since 1962)
Transportation Nation

Editorial: Congratulations, Streetcar Team
Los Angeles Downtown News

Gas Consumption Keeps Falling In State
Sacramento Bee

Gold Line Bridge Completion Ceremony
Pasadena Patch

How Britain Is Helping Its Citizens Buy Bikes
The Atlantic: Cities

LA Gets Serious About Walkers With 53 Continental Crosswalks
Curbed LA

LA's Last Coin-Op Meter
Curbed LA

LACMTA Begins Utility Relocation Work For Regional Connector
RT&S

Largest Single Public Art / Transit Infrastructure Project In California Completed ("The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority...marked the completion of the landmark Gold Line Bridge by giving guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk across the largest, single public art/transit infrastructure project in California, the 584-linear foot sculpture that will serve as the Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley.")
PR Newswire

Light Rail Plan For Los Angeles International Airport Advances ("Airport agency and Metro, formerly with competing visions, get together on four possible light rail station sites at LAX.")
Los Angeles Times

Money-Making, Congestion-Reducing Express Lanes Spread On California Freeways
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

NACTO 2012: Leading City DOT Commissioners Talk Transportation Politics
StreetsBlog

Post-Sandy Gaps In The NYC Subway Map Remain Stubbornly Unrepaired
Transportation Nation

Study: Transit Apps Make Us Happier Commuters
Fast Company Design

Toll Lanes Could Help Fund The 405 Transit Corridor Project
Curbed LA

Train Travel Makes A Comeback ("Despite some political and economic hurdles, more communities are reviving intercity rail links or making plans for new ones.")
MSN Money

The Typical Municipal Budgeting Process Is Rigged Against Infrastructure Investments
The Atlantic: Cites

We Fought For The Expo Line...Now It's Time To Fight For The Neighborhood ("Four questions must be posed before either LA City Planning or the LA City Council dismisses any and all opposition to this gigantic [Casden/Sepulveda] project.")
CityWatch

W.H.L. Corran's City Of Los Angeles In 1891 (Did you know that USC used to be considered "West Los Angeles?")
Los Angeles Magazine


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.

Regional Connector, 710, OC Transit, Lankershim Bridge, Bike Lanes & More

December 17: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (A high-profile and complex reconfiguration of Figueroa Street under Temple Street to link it to Sunset Boulevard and help traffic flow through downtown Los Angeles)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

10 Trends That Are Changing Cities Forever (changing culture in IT, smartphones, Facebook games, "Office of New Urban Mechanics," less bureaucracy and more leadership, moving away from paper toward big data, and more)
Business Insider

Best Practices: New Green Bike Lane In Thousand Oaks
StreetsBlog LA

Commute To Work On The Roller Coaster Train ("A Japanese train based on a theme park ride could make getting around cleaner -- and more fun...A number of municipalities in Japan have shown an interest in the system.")
New Scientist

Downtown Property Owners Fight MTA Subway Tunnel Plans
Los Angeles Times

Expo Work To Impact Bundy Traffic ("Closures on Bundy Drive and Exposition Boulevard in West LA to last through the spring. Olympic and Cloverfield intersection to close overnight starting Sunday.")
Brentwood Patch

Families And Transit-Oriented Development: Creating Complete Communities For All (28p. PDF)
Center For Transit-Oriented Development

First Phase Of Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Opens ("The $2.1-million project includes horse facilities, park areas and a half-mile trail along the Los Angeles River. One resident sees a 'huge improvement' over what was there before.")
Los Angeles Times

Ford Tries To Sell More Cars By Looking To A Future With Fewer Cars
StreetsBlog DC

Hearing: Northeast Corridor Future: Options For High-Speed Rail Development And Opportunities For Private Sector Opportunities
U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

High-Speed Rail Not Just For Tourists
Vegas Inc.

House Dem's Bill Requires Treasury To Study Taxing Cars By The Mile
The Hill

How To Make Privately Owned Public Spaces Truly Open To The Public
The Atlantic: Cities

Keeping Everyone In The Loop: 50 Years Of Chicago "L" Graphics
Imprint

Keeping Public Transit "Absolutely Essential" In OC (interview with outgoing OCTA CEO Will Kempton)
Voice Of OC

LA Mayoral Debate: Green Economy, Jobs Take Center Stage ("The candidates all supported the expansion of public transportation.")
KABC Los Angeles

Locals Hate Centipede Look Of Lankershim Pedestrian Bridge
Curbed LA
Bridge Over Troubled Lankershim Gets Thumbs Down
North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch

LA Planners Leapfrog NYC DCP, Approve Plan With No Mandatory Parking
StreetsBlog LA

No Parking Required In Mixed-Use Plan For Cornfield Area
Curbed LA

Metro Board Member Blasts 710 Supporters Who Want Him Ousted For His Opposing Views
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Opinion: California Road Funds Fall Far Short
Orange County Register

Opinion: CEQA Stunts Economic Growth
Orange County Register

Protecting NYC Transit From The Next Storm: Searching For Specifics
StreetsBlog Network

Rapid Bus Transit Planned For Foothill Boulevard In Rancho Cucamonga, Neighboring Cities
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Screw Lawsuits: DTLA Regional Connector Rail Line Starts Work
Curbed LA

Smart Growth And Economic Success: Benefits For Real Estate Developers, Investors, Businesses And Local Governments (30p. PDF)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Some Central Valley Farmers Welcome High Speed Rail
California High Speed Rail Blog

Some Chafe At Downtown L.A.'s Business Improvement Districts
Los Angeles Times

Transforming Public Transportation Institutional And Business Models (84p. PDF : "Addresses a wide range of issues important to continued efficient operations, including responding to the needs of affected customer markets, improving operating procedures, implementing effective capital asset management, carrying out long-term planning and mission definition, improving and expanding functional areas as well as expertise and technical skill sets of the workforce, identifying and improving necessary business practices, identifying and implementing innovative funding mechanisms, implementing performance measures and improved governance models, identifying required organizational structures, and instituting effective area-wide collaborative practices. The report identifies the components of transformative change and develops a substantive typology to assist agencies in organizing and structuring an approach to defining and implementing components of productive change. The report further examines potential consequences of change that should be considered by agencies or organizations contemplating new institutional and business models.")
Transit Cooperative Research Program

UCLA Planning Students Design A River-Friendlier North Atwater
Curbed LA

U.S. Moves Ahead On New Downtown L.A. Courthouse ("A $318-million contract is awarded to the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Clark Construction Group. The new facility will be built at Broadway and 1st Street.")
Los Angeles Times

When Bicyclist And Pedestrian Fatalities Increase, Shouldn't Investment Follow?
Mobilizing The Region

Why Greece's Creaky Trains Have Become The Transit Option Of Choice
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.