Today's Headlines - more at Metro

1/25/2013

New Metro Station Names, Downtown Streetcar, Parklets, 710, CEQA, ELA, NELA & More

January 25: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (A comprehensive overhaul of bus service for East Los Angeles)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

3 Metro Rail Stations Are Getting Revamped Names
LAist

2014 California Budget And Active Transportation
Cyclelicious

BART Upgrade Could Boost Riders' Wi-Fi ("A plan to boost BART's security system by adding wireless capabilities to cameras could also bring free and reliable Wi-Fi service to passengers.")
San Francisco Chronicle

The Battle For CEQA
Capitol Weekly

The Best Maps We've Seen Of Sandy's Transit Outage In New York
The Atlantic: Cities

Breaking Down The Highland Park Transit Village's Parking Plan
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

"California Did The Impossible," Brown Says In State Of The State ("Gov. Jerry Brown says California has averted fiscal collapse. He calls for investing in water and rail programs...He said the United States is lagging far behind other countries in this sector, saying that even Morocco is building a high-speed train system.")
Los Angeles Times

Caltrans To Unveil Draft Rail Plan That Incorporates California's High-Speed Rail Project
Progressive Railroading

Ending The Federal Surface-Transportation Program Might Be Crazy In A Good Way
National Review
Fix It First, Expand It Second, Reward It Third: A New Strategy For America's Highways (36p. PDF)
Hamilton Project via Brookings

Highlights From NACTO's 2012 "Designing Cities" Conference
StreetFilms

L.A. First 4 Parklets Opening In February 2013
LAist

The Metrolink Ducks Express Kicks Off Jan. 25
Asian Journal

More Toll Lanes Are Coming To Los Angeles County Next Month
LAist

New Plans Launched To Create LA River District In Northeast LA
Curbed LA

OCTA Metrolink Service Expansion Program Status
StreetsBlog LA

Our View: A 710 Surface Route Is Dead
Pasadena Star-News

San Fernando Valley Council Of Governments Proposes Rail System
CSUN Daily Sundial

Snagging Tax-Saving Transportation Benefits: Employers Can Set Aside More Pre-Tax Dollars For Commuters ("Our friends in Congress have granted some nice tax breaks for transportation-related employee fringe benefits. Several of these breaks are intended to encourage us to give up our evil, gas-guzzling, pollution-spewing vehicles when commuting to work. If your employer offers these tax-favored benefits, you should probably take advantage of them by signing up. What you need to know:...")
Wall Street Journal

Sparks Fly At Open House On 710 Expansion Proposals
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Speak Up On Streetcar And The Environment
Los Angeles Downtown News

Studio City Gets Its Subway ("The Metro Red Line Universal City Station will now be known as “Universal City/Studio City Station” to reflect the station’s location in Studio City...The Metro Red Line Civic Center Station will now be the “Civic Center/Grand Park/Tom Bradley Station” in honor of the recently opened Grand Park, which is served by this station, and the former City of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. The Metro Purple Line Wilshire/Western Station will now be known as the “Wilshire/Western/Alfred Hoyun Song Station” in honor of Alfred Hoyun Song, former Mayor of Monterey Park and the first Asian American legislator elected to the California State Assembly in 1962. He was also the first Korean American to be elected to the California State Senate, where he distinguished himself as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.")
Studio City Patch

Studio City Red Line Station! Metro Renames 3 Subway Stops
Curbed LA

Time To Tweak Gas Taxes? States Weigh Options
USA Today

Washington D.C.'s Metro Transit System Proposes $26 Billion Upgrade
Reuters

Why Talking Cars Will Be Good For Buses
The Atlantic: Cities


What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Dailyour online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

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

1/24/2013

LA-ONT HSR, Expo Line, All Day Metro, Crenshaw/LAX, Arts District, Arthur Winston, LA River, VMT & More

January 24: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Los Angeles Railway debuts a new "car de luxe" and Arthur Winston, "Employee of the Century," begins work for Los Angeles Railway in 1924)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

America High Speed Rail Seeks A Standard Bearer
Earth Techling

Boulevard Revitalization And Neighborhood Change In Northeast Los Angeles
KCET

Can We Finally Declare Peace In The "War On Cars"? ("The "war on cars" trope has long been a favored talking point for anti-bicycle and anti-transit types. But this survey and others seem to indicate that it might, at last, be wearing a bit thin, no matter how much the auto warriors try to whip up their troops.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Combatants Clash Over Subway Trivia At NY Transit Museum ("About 170 contestants formed into teams and jammed around tables in a low-ceilinged room to grapple with 60 questions posed by quizmasters Stuart Post and Chris Kelley. The museum is housed underground in the former Court Street subway stop in Downtown Brooklyn. The space has no internet connection so the trivia buffs were forced to rely on an antique information device: the human brain.")
Transportation Nation

Confronted With Congestion Pricing, People Clamor For Transit, Gas Tax
StreetsBlog DC

Could These Crazy Intersections Make Us Safer?
The Atlantic: Cities

Crenshaw/LAX Metro Light Rail Could Deliver Passengers And Jobs
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Downtown L.A.'s Edgy Arts District Is Neighborhood In Transition ("The arts district is drawing comparisons to New York's meatpacking district, where trendy shops, restaurants and offices have taken over industrial buildings"...but the concern is that gentrification will drive out low-paid artists who can no longer afford to live there)
Los Angeles Times

Drivers Cover Just 51% Of U.S. Road Spending
StreetsBlog DC
Gasoline Taxes And Tolls Pay For Only A Third Of State & Local Road Spending
Tax Foundation

Here Are SoCal's 40 Planned Transportation Projects ("Here's a full list of all the projects, with their names, their status, and their pricetags.")
Curbed LA

I Rode The Entire L.A. Metro In A Single Day ("And yet there is that whole $5 day pass thing -- you can ride any train, and any bus, in the entire metropolitan system, with just one pass. Which got me thinking: How far could you stretch it? You could ride from one end of L.A. County to another in a single day. Other than hustling chess at the library, it might be the cheapest way to kill a day in Los Angeles — and potentially much more interesting.")
LA Weekly

Innovations To Watch (Highlight's Los Angeles' "Bottom-Up Federalism -- Local-Driven Federal Infrastructure Reform" : "For the second year in a row, the Brookings-Rockefeller Project on State and Metropolitan Innovation identified the Top 10 State and Metropolitan Innovations to Watch -- actions undertaken by states and metropolitan areas in 2012 that seem ripe for meaningful impact in 2013 and beyond, as well as for replication by other communities...Mayor Villaraigosa built and led a national coalition of local elected officials with business, and labor leaders to secure federal support for this solution. As a result, the federal transportation reauthorization bill passed in June 2012 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century or MAP-21) included major enhancements to the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, expanding lending capacity from $1.2 billion to $17.0 billion and broadening project eligibility.")
Brookings
States, Metro Areas Outdo Washington
CNN

LA River Could Be Open For Summer Fun In Atwater Village
Curbed LA

Mica Gets Transportation Subcommittee Posts
Transportation Nation

Monthly Fee For Metro FasTrak Transponders On Chopping Block
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Ontario To LA In 20 Minutes? Councilman Backs High-Speed Rail
CBS Los Angeles

Opinion: Want Better Roads? Kill The Gas Tax
Bloomberg

Road Diets Are Changing American Cities For The Better
StreetsBlog DC

Transportation: Less Funding, More Traffic
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Watch Bergamot Station Gallery Be Demolished For Expo Line
Curbed LA

Which Comes First, Contactless Transit Fares Or Widespread Adoption Of Contactless Credit Cards?
The Atlantic: Cities

Will Vehicle-Mile Fees Be A User Fee Or A Tax?
Cato Institute

WMATA Wants Longer Trains, More Tunnels, Better Service
Greater Greater Washington


What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Dailyour online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

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

1/23/2013

CicLAvia, 710, Caltrans, LA Transit, Metrolink To ONT, Rightsizing Streets, Solar Bus Stops & More

January 23: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (As part of one of Los Angeles' more dubious transit projects, Beverly Hills breaks ground on a subway 51 years ago today)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

APTA: Transit Users Save $10,502 Yearly
Metro Magainze

Barbara Boxer Sees Carbon Tax In The Mix
San Francisco Chronicle

A Bike Boulevard, Google Bike Directions, And An Unnecessary Detour
Cyclicious

California Rail: We Don't Need Cash -- Yet
Politico

Calif.'s Omnitrans Launches Real Time Info
Metro Magazine

Caltrans Upgrades Trip Planning Website For California Motorists
Caltrans Press Release

Can An App Get People To Walk More? ("I've been gathering data using the new fitness-tracking gadgets, the Fitbit One and the new Jawbone Up.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Could A Pay-Per-Mile Plan Fix Our Interstate System?
US News & World Report

Did Barack Obama's Election Change The Way Washington Commutes?
StreetsBlog DC

First Latina Chair Of Public Transportation Industry Reflects On The Dramatic Evolution Of Public Transit Serving A Diverse Population
APTA Public Transportation Blog

Hawaii: Say "Aloha" To Transit-Oriented Development
StreetsBlog DC

House Transportation And Infrastructure Subcommittee Vice Chairs, Ranking Members Named
Progressive Railroading

How Can Transit Work In Big, Dense, Polycentric Los Angeles?
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

I Blocked Off Wilshire And People Love It (Aaron Paley writes about how he created CicLAvia and made it a success)
Zócalo

Los Angeles Daily News
LaHood Says He's Staying On As Transportation Secretary
Bloomberg

Metro To Run More Frequent Gold Line Trains Starting This Month
Blog Downtown

Platform Complex Bringing Space1520 Feel To Expo Terminus
Curbed LA

Public Transportation...For Your Car? ("The thing is that we still need to cover the last mile at the end of those transit routes," Wu says. He and Farooq don’t believe that hordes of people necessarily want to have their cars at work, but that existing transit doesn’t get many of them close enough to their jobs. In Southern California, that "last mile" problem is really a question of five miles or more. Farooq lives in Montclair, California. Even if he took a commuter rail into Los Angeles, he says, it would still leave him 10 miles from his school.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Repairing The Neighborhood Scars Created By A Freeway
StreetsBlog Network

Residents Say They Still Have Lingering Questions On 710 Report
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Francisco Explores Removing 280 Freeway Viaduct, Realigning HSR
California High Speed Rail Blog

Sen. Boxer: Villaraigosa Would Be "Terrific" Transportation Secretary
The Hill

Solar Bus Stops To Power Traffic Signals ("Several bus shelters to be built in Perris will harness solar power to run nearby traffic signals.")
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Today's Transit Dreams May Come True -- 78 Years From Now
StreetsBlog DC

Transit Taxes Would Be Easier To Pass Under Proposed Constitutional Amendment
San Francisco Examiner

Transportation: Less Funding, More Traffic ("Public opinion polling consistently shows a solid majority of Americans favor more investment to expand and enhance transit, as a way to relieve traffic congestion as well as other benefits. (As for other benefits, national transportation studies show that every $1 that communities invest in public transportation generates approximately $6 in economic returns. Moreover, every $1 billion of federal transit investment creates about 35,000 jobs.)")
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Watch: For Expo, Track 16 Demolished
Santa Monica Patch

Welcome To The Rightsizing Streets Guide ("The centerpiece of the guide is a set of ten rightsizing case studies that highlight impressive outcomes using before and after data on mobility, crashes, and other parameters. These are just a few of the projects that have been built and many more are being planned all over the country. Our glossary of common rightsizing techniques and our best practices guide to street selection criteria and before and after measurements can help facilitate similar changes in your community.")
Project For Public Spaces


What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Dailyour online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

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

1/22/2013

Gold Line, Crenshaw Line, 710 Gap, CEQA, Metrolink, Parklets, Congestion Pricing, Gas Tax & More

January 22: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The birth of the "SigAlert")
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Boyle Heights Residents Get Gift Of Bike Lights
StreetsBlog LA

By The Gallon Or By The Mile? States Look For New Highway Revenue
KCET

California Engineers Question High-Speed Rail Oversight
Silicon Valley Mercury News

California Hispanic Population Will Be State's Largest Ethnic Group In 2013, Report Predicts
Huffington Post

Congestion Pricing Or Using Congestion As Policy
Road Pricing

The Final 5 Options For Closing The 710 Freeway Gap
Curbed LA

Firm Retained To Study Multi-Modal Transit Connections At Airport
Burbank N Beyond

Gas Tax Revenue Down, Officials Eye Mileage Levy
ABC News

Highland Park Doesn't Want Transit Village Threatening Parking
Curbed LA
Questions Remain After Transit Village Presentation
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

In Second Inaugural Address, President Obama Says Building Infrastructure, Combating Climate Change Part Of "Obligation"
Transportation Nation

Independent Wheelchair Securement (32p. PDF : "Explores development of an aisle-side containment device to enable users of wheelchairs to safely and independently use rear-facing containment on large buses, in lieu of the current standard, a four-point tie-down wheelchair securement system.")
Transportation Research Board's IDEA Program

Infill Projects Survive CEQA Challenge More Often
California Planning & Development Report

Is This Solar-Powered Half-Electric Bicycle With A Roof The Future Of Transportation? ("The Elf, which just finished a massive run on Kickstarter, combines the best elements of an electric car, a motorcycle, and a bicycle, and it’s manufactured right here in the U.S. There’s something for everyone to love.")
Fast Company Exist

"It's Like Costco": Why Calif. High-Speed Rail Is Teaming Up With Amtrak
Transportation Nation

Long Beach Parklets Lead Way In Southern California's Newest Urban Planning Trend
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Metro Gold Line Service To Increase On Weekends
Echo Park-Silver Lake Patch

Metro Releases Final Alternatives Analysis Report For 710 Study
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

MTA Unveils Final Proposal For 710 Freeway Gap ("The analysis by the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority focuses on five options -- down from an initial 39 -- for reducing traffic and providing better transportation access in the area between the end of the 710 Freeway in Alhambra and the 210 Freeway in Pasadena. They include a “no build” option, better managing street traffic flow, bolstering rapid bus transit, light rail transit and constructing a controversial tunnel to connect the freeways.")
Los Angeles Times
State Route 710 Study: Alternatives Analysis Report (183p. PDF)
Metro

Next Stop: Justice -- Race And Environment At The Center Of Transit Planning (32p. PDF : Advocates for San Francisco’s low-income communities have issued a new report calling for policy changes intended to improve Muni service, increase mobility for transit-dependent San Franciscans, reduce pollution from driving, and improve the city’s economy. "San Francisco spends $9.5 million per year to implement its “Proof of Payment” (POP) fare enforcement program, and recovers only $1 million in lost fares.")
People Organized

Obama Becomes First Prez To Walk Down A Bike Lane On Inauguration Day
Streetfilms

Only In LA: No Parking None Of The Time ("We need to eliminate another nuisance: Street signs with contradictory messages. Here are some I've collected over the years...")
LA Observed

Opinion: L.A. Imagined -- The City That Isn't ("Imagine the city that would exist today if the best proposals for remedying its ailments had been realized.")
Los Angeles Times

Open Thread: Big Dig Alternative Analysis Released
StreetsBlog LA

Planning Commission Approves Metrolink Station ("A Metrolink station planned for Perris passed an administrative hurdle and is headed for construction.")
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Regional Connector Work Coming To Alameda
Los Angeles Downtown News

Seeking The Transit-Friendly Highway
Minneapolis Post

SFMTA Invites Public To Name Tunnel Boring Machine
The Transit Wire

Traveling The Entire Length Of California By Local Transit
The Atlantic: Cities

Why 3D Modeling Will Play A Huge Role In Tackling Rapid Urbanization
The Atlantic: Cities

Will Drivers Pay More For California Highways? ("California has the nation's third-highest fuel tax, more than 50 cents a gallon, but is among the lowest states in having motorists and other transportation users pay for their services through fees and taxes. In fact, the organization calculated, California's users pay for less than a third of building and maintaining streets, roads, highways and transit services.")
Sacramento Bee

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/22/5130863/dan-walters-will-drivers-pay-more.html#storylink=cSacramento Bee

Work On The 8.5-Mile Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line Set To Begin Later This Year
Long Beach Press-Telegram


What are transportation community leaders around the nation tweeting about today? Check out the Metro Library Twitter Dailyour online digest in newspaper format updated every day.

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