Today's Headlines - more at Metro

3/29/2013

LA Convention Center, Expo Line, Dodger Express, Hollywood Development, Boyle Heights Gold Line, Bus Line Branding, Coldwater Canyon & More

6 Things To Know About Closures Of Coldwater Canyon
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Addressing Concerns With Implementing Bike Lanes On Colorado Boulevard
Walk Eagle Rock

Are London's Public Buses The New Prozac? ("After talking with more than 100 London teens, they concluded that free rides had improved their "social lives and independence," bettered their "confidence" and helped them feel "more like a Londoner.")
The Atlantic: Cities
A Social Network For Young Londoners On The Buses
Science Newsline

Audit: Caltrans Techs Faked Data, Took OT
Los Angeles Daily News

Boyle Heights Development Planned Along Gold Line Clears A Hurdle ("The Metro board voted 10-1 to negotiate with developer A Community of Friends on the $23.1-million project, which would be built on agency land at 1st and Lorena streets. Metro is working to double the number of mixed-use projects it owns in Los Angeles County. The developments follow Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s “elegant density” theory: accommodating expected population growth by clustering mixed-use projects around bus and rail stations.")
Los Angeles Times

Branding Individual Routes: Too Many Colors, Or The Gold Standard Of Legibility?
Human Transit

Carmageddon Forever, Henry Waxman's Betrayal Of The Westside...And You ("Every transportation and urban planner knows that the slow-down or shut-down of Lincoln and Sepulveda Blvds. near LAX would be akin to a major slow-down or shut-down of the 405 freeway.")
City Watch

Congress To U.S. DOT: The Roads Aren't Safe Until They're Safe For Everyone
StreetsBlog DC

Dodger Stadium Express Returns On Friday
Los Angeles Dodgers

Downtowns: What's Behind America's Most Surprising Real Estate Boom
Forbes

Dozens In Congress Press For Nat'l Bike And Pedestrian Safety Goals, Measurement
Transportation Nation

GAO: Calif. High-Speed Rail Estimates Reasonable
Associated Press

Hollywood's Huge Capitol Records Towers Get First Big Approval
Curbed LA

How Car Parking Can Make Earthquakes More Dangerous In San Francisco
StreetsBlog SF

Interactive Mapping: Tools For Building Community
CEOs For Cities

Is Google Maps Changing Our Behavior?
The Atlantic: Cities
Has Street View Changed The Way We Behave?
BBC (U.K.)

L.A. Planning Panel OKs Project To Build Hollywood Skyscrapers ("Councilman Eric Garcetti's intervention fails to stop the approval of the Millennium Partners' project, which would involve 1 million square feet of apartment, office and retail space.")
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Wants Convention Center Alternatives To AEG Stadium Plan ("The city will begin looking at other ways of redeveloping the Convention Center, a primary goal of its stadium deal, because of a management shake-up at AEG.")
Los Angeles Times

Los Feliz Boulevard Project To Cause Delays
KABC Los Angeles

Metro Takes A Stand On Cap and Trade Funds: Spend Them On Sustainable Transportation
StreetsBlog LA

Mixed-Use Car Dealership Would Add 516 Apts. In West LA ("The Martin Expo Town Center would include a car dealership, 516 residential units, plus retail and creative office space, all within easy reach of the coming Expo Line, making this a transit-oriented development.")
Curbed LA

Obama Touts "Rebuild America" Plan For U.S. Job Creation
Bloomberg

Ostrich Carts, Horse See-Saws & More: How We Got Around L.A. Nearly 100 Years Ago
LAist

Poll: Fewer Than Half Of Californian's Support High-Speed Rail
Transportation Nation

The "Rebuild America Partnership": The President's Plan To Encourage Private Investment In America's Infrastructure ("The President’s new America Fast Forward Bonds program will build upon the successful example of the Build America Bonds program, broadening its use to include the types of projects that can be financed with qualified private activity bonds while also making the combined program more flexible.")
The White House

Strategic Issues Facing Transportation, Volume 1: Scenario Planning For Freight Transportation Infrastructure Investment (166p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

U.S. Report Backs Bullet Train Revenue Forecasts ("The GAO study says that the project's ridership and revenue forecasts are reasonable but it renews concerns about future funding.")
Los Angeles Times

What CNN Is Missing About High-Speed Rail
Media Matters For America


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.

3/28/2013

Expo Line, 710 Freeway Tunnel, Port of LA, Figueroa Corridor Project, Amtrak, CAHSR, LAX,

$1 Billion USC Village Retail-Residential Project Largest In South Los Angeles
Los Angeles Daily News

10 Of The Grandest, Busiest Train Stations In America (photo essay)
Governing

$20 Million Figueroa Corridor Project To Make Busy Roadway More Pedestrian, Cyclist Friendly
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Amtrak Asks U.S. For $2.1 Billion To Buy Trains, Improve Tracks
Bloomberg

Cali Bullet Train Breaking The Rules, Losing Big Supporters
Curbed LA

California's $68B Rail Project Will Hire The "Disadvantaged" -- Like Felons And Dropouts
Fox News

California's High-Speed Rail Authority Sues Everybody, Invites You To Argue Case In Court ("The lawsuit, titled "High-Speed Rail Authority v. All Persons Interested," is meant as a pre-emptive strike so the state can confirm that it's definitely legal to issue some of the bonds needed to begin bullet train construction this summer. By citing a somewhat obscure California civil code, the state can use the "sue now or forever hold your peace" strategy to prevent a string of future lawsuits and, instead, deal with the legal issues in one fell swoop.")
Silicon Valley Mercury News

Compare The Neighborhood Density Of US Urban Areas
Greater Greater Washington

County Land Use Panel Allows LAX Modernization To Proceed
Daily Breeze

County Seeks New Revenue To Fuel Transit (Ventura County)
Thousand Oaks Acorn

Google Maps Beefs Up Its Live Transit Information With Updates For NYC, DC And SLC
Tech Crunch

How To Survive Construction Of Expo Line's Venice Blvd. Bridge
Curbed LA

Laura Nelson Replaces Ari Bloomenkatz On Transportation Beat At L.A. Times
StreetsBlog LA

Metro Goes To Plan B To Deliver Transit Projects In This Lifetime
Curbed LA

Pasadena Stakeholders Implore Antonovich Over Possible 710 Freeway Tunnel
Pasadena Sun

Performance-Based Seismic Bridge Design (138p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Port Of Los Angeles Breaks Ground On Project Expected To Alleviate Rail Congestion, Truck Pollution
StreetsBlog LA

Proposed I-5 Carpool Lane In Santa Clarita
Los Angeles Daily News

Real Estate Tip: Buy Near Transit
Transportation Nation

Should U.S. Federal Transit Spending Aim To Redistribute Wealth?
Human Transit

Tracking State Transportation Funding Plans ("We’ll be tracking the current, active and enacted state (and some regional) transportation funding plans here, providing a way to compare what states across the country are attempting to do with their own plans. This chart here at top shows the quick at-a-glance view of state plans, with some expounded on below the chart in greater detail (coming soon.)")
Transporation For America

Worst Traffic Gridlock In 18 Years In Santa Monica
Santa Monica Dispatch


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.

3/27/2013

Re:Street Conference, 91 Freeway Widening, Glendale Cap Park, CAHSR, Figueroa Overhaul, Bike Sharing, Highland Park Transit Village & More

91 Freeway Widening Plan Clears Major Hurdle Monday
Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch

As Bike Lanes Expand, Some Fear Traffic Will Only Get Worse
KCET

Bike Sharing Is Coming To San Francisco And Silicon Valley
Transportation Nation
Bay Area Bike Sharing Moves Closer To Reality
SPUR

Boom Times On The Tracks: Rail Capacity, Spending Soar (subscription)
Wall Street Journal

Does Traffic Pollution Cause Asthma?
Discovery

Four Miles Of Figueroa Corridor To Become More Pedestrian, Cyclist Friendly
Blog Downtown

A Freeway Cap Park In Glendale? City Council Hears Proposal Tonight
StreetsBlog LA

Glendale Planning A Downtown Cap Park Over The 134 Freeway
Curbed LA

Here's The Newest Look For Huge Figueroa Street Overhaul
Curbed LA

High-Speed Rail's Strongest Backers Now Express Reservations ("Proponents of the bullet train from L.A. to the Bay Area say political compromises reached to advance the plan undermine legal safeguards and will slow travel.")
Los Angeles Times

Keeping Them Honest: High-Speed Rail Boondoggle (video)
CNN
Another Slanted High-Speed Rail Story From Anderson Cooper
StreetsBlog DC

Miles-Driven Could Replace Gasoline Tax, LaTourette Says
Bloomberg

NoHo Bike Lane War: Lankershim Blvd. vs. Vineland Detour
Curbed LA

Re:Street -- The New Science Of Streets And The Form Of The Future City (International conference : April 5-6 : Metro Boardroom, Los Angeles : a joint conference of Cal Poly Pomona & Bauhaus Universitaet Weimar with the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles)
Re-Street.com

SCIG Rail Yard Protestors To Go On Hunger Strike; Protest In Front Of Villaraigosa's Home
StreetsBlog LA

Southland Ports Could See More Tax Revenue ("The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports would get back more of the funds they raise under a bill sent to the Senate by the Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer.")
Los Angeles Times

Take A Drive Around The Hated Highland Park Transit Village
Curbed LA
How Will The Highland Park Transit Village Look From The Street
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

Transbay Transit Center Design Changes Needed For Cost, Safety
San Francisco Examiner

Valley Transit Dreams: Subway To Bob Hope, Rail To Westside
Curbed LA

Why Connecting Both Smaller And Larger Urban Areas Matters
California High Speed Rail Blog


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.

3/26/2013

Expo Line, My Figueroa, Glendale's 134 Freeway Cap Park, Long Beach Transit, OCTA & More

$1 Million Bus Stop Opens In Arlington
Washington Post

12 Fresh Ideas For Transforming The Places We Live With Open Data
The Atlantic: Cities

After Decades Of Sprawl, Density Comes To Denver (thanks to transit-oriented development)
The Atlantic: Cities

Balancing Safety, Security, And Saturation On The Blue Line, Part I
StreetsBlog LA

Culver City Braces For Expo Line Construction
KABC Los Angeles

Glendale's "Space 134" Freeway Park Concept To Be Presented To City Council
Tropico Station

How Bad Is Our Infrastructure, Really?
Government Technology

In S.F., An Uphill Battle For A "Freeway For Bikes" ("Plan to replace some parking spaces on Polk Street with bicycle lanes and parklets has many residents and lots of business owners saying 'Not so fast.'")
Los Angeles Times

Is The City Planning Politburo Performing Outreach Or Just Outrage? (Expo Line)
City Watch

Long Beach Transit Agrees To Buy Buses From China ("The Long Beach Transit Board of Directors today voted to award a $12.1 million contract to purchase 10 all-electric buses and charging equipment to BYD Motors, Inc. a U.S. subsidiary of BYD Co. Ltd., a Chinese firm.The proposal has been criticized by a rival company and others who are upset that Long Beach Transit would select BYD over an American company.")
Long Beach Press-Telegram

MyFigueroa Unveils New Designs: Promises Cycletracks, Transit Lanes And More For South Fig, MLK, And 11th
StreetsBlog LA

OCTA Brings In Lower-Cost Operator For Disabled-Access Buses
Orange County Register

Oh Goody, A D Plus! ("What does the report card tell us that we didn't already know about the nation's infrastructure? Is ASCE being too tough? What would an "exceptional" road, runway, or levee look like? How does the United States compare with other countries on a similar grading scheme? What are the most pressing needs for the United States, and how can they be addressed?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Parking Madness: Los Angeles vs. Dallas
StreetsBlog DC

Plans For Revamped Figueroa Advancing ("The project, which would run on Figueroa from Seventh Street to Exposition Boulevard, would add high-visibility crosswalks, widened sidewalks, new transit platforms, more street trees and landscaping, better signalization and signage and public art.")
Los Angeles Downtown News

Rumor Mill: Is Whole Foods Coming To 8th & Grand In Downtown LA?
DTLA Rising

The Utopia Of Elysian Park Before Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles Magazine

Will New Oil Supplies Slow The Transition To Green Transportation?
StreetsBlog DC


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.

3/25/2013

ExpressLanes, 710 Extension, SCIG, Gold Line Foothill Bridge, Coldwater Canyon, GPS Bike Lanes, CTC, Wilshire Blvd & More

5 Free Things To See And Do In L.A. ("Commuters walk into a tunnel at Los Angeles' Amtrak-Metrolink Union Station under the mural "City of Dreams/River of History" by artist Richard Wyatt, showing the diversity of California's population.")
Chicago Daily Herald

8th Street Bike Lane: Hilly, Zebra Crosswalks, Smooth Ride; Watch Out For Trucks And Traffic
StreetsBlog LA

At 40 Years, San Francisco's Transit-First Policy Still Struggles For Traction
StreetsBlog SF

At L.A.'s Streetcar Inauguration, Who Told 8-Year Old Shirley Temple, "Buy Yourself A New Automobile"?
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Bike Riders Spar With L.A. Councilman Tom LaBonge Over Proposed Bike Lane Route
Los Angeles Daily News

California Transportation Commission Appoints Andre Boutros As Executive Director
Noozhawk

Can Private Intercity Passenger Rail Make A Comeback?
The Atlantic: Cities

Commuter Cycling Stays Flat In '12 ("Amid the Bloomberg administration’s aggressive expansion of bike lanes, the question of how many cyclists use the infrastructure has remained at the center of the mayor’s transportation legacy.")
New York Times

Commuters Brace For Closing Of Coldwater Canyon Avenue
Los Angeles Times

Details Of Senate's $100 Billion Infrastructure Plan
Transportation Issues Daily

Feasibility Of Using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) To Track Bicycle Lane Positioning (link to 22p. PDF)
University Of Minnesota Center For Transportation Studies

Harbor Freeway's Toll Lanes Faster, Others Slightly Slower
Los Angeles Times

How About A Mass-Transit Lobby? ("Mass transit users don’t have lobbyists in Washington, said former New York City Councilman and mayoral candidate Sal Albanese, who said Sunday that, as mayor, he would establish a national “Mayors for Mass Transit” initiative.")
MSNBC

A "Little Carmageddon" On Coldwater Canyon Avenue? ("A portion of the vital link between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley will be completely closed during daytime hours, six days a week, through April 25 for work on a water main.")
Los Angeles Times

LB City Leaders Look To Rally Residents To Continue "Fight" Against Controversial Railyard Project
Signal Tribune

Local Soil Testing Begins For 710 Freeway Extension Study
Alhambra Source

Long Beach Transit Officials May Vote On Bus Contract
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Los Angeles Mayor Is Leaving Without Car, Job Or Regrets
New York Times

Nearly Half Of Toll Lane Users On 10, 110 Are Solo Drivers
Los Angeles Daily News

New Transportation Bill, Same Old Funding Questions
Politico

Obama Considering Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx For Cabinet Job ("President Barack Obama is considering Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx for secretary of transportation.")

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/21/186512/obama-considering-charlotte-mayor.html#storylink=cpy
McClatchy

Open For Business: The Business Case For Investment In Public Transportation (11P. PDF : "Public transportation is a $57 billion industry in the United States...This report focuses on the issues critical to private investors as they consider the public transportation industry as an investment destination.")
APTA

Pay Car-Pool Lanes On 10 Freeway [Began] Saturday
Pasadena Star-News

Pomona Could Sue Over Plan For Bridge ("Although they support extending the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair, Pomona officials have concerns about some aspects of the project within the city and they intend to have their voices heard - even if it requires litigation.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Quentin Kopp Slams Blended Plan, Calls It Violation Of Prop 1A
California High Speed Rail Blog

Ride Sharing On The Rise, With Bumps In The Road
GOOD

Santa Monica: Public Process Begins For Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway
StreetsBlog LA

Study: Homes Near Transit Were Insulated From The Housing Crash
StreetsBlog DC
The New Real Estate Mantra: Location Near Public Transportation (39p. PDF)
APTA / National Association Of Realtors

Will Congress Enact Senate's Proposed $100 Billion For Infrastructure In 2014
Transportation Issues Daily

Wilshire Boulevard: A Main Street That Stands Apart ("Los Angeles has long tested out its grandest ambitions on Wilshire Boulevard, where innovation has arisen even as dreams have been dashed." The latest in Christopher Hawthorne's "On The Boulevard" series)
Los Angeles Times


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.