Today's Headlines - more at Metro

8/11/2010

Positive Train Control, Alhambra & HSR, Bikeway Innovations, Go511, Beverly Hills Tunneling & More

Commuter "Pain" Fuels Smart Solutions
Information Week

Congestion Pricing: The View From Canada
Human Transit
Winning The Battle With Traffic Congestion: The Benefits Of Accurate Transport Pricing (15p. PDF)
Frontier Centre For Public Policy

Go Go511 Gadget!
Los Angeles County Strategic Plan For Economic Development

Internalizing The Externalized: The Case Of Roads
Planetizen

Kayaking, Rafting & More In The L.A. River? One L.A. City Councilmember Wants It To Happen
LAist

The Key To Cycling Safety? More Cyclists: Traffic-Calming Measures And Bike Lanes Increase The Number Of Cyclists And Decrease The Risk Of Collisions: Study
Montreal Gazette

LA County Sidewalk Riding: Part 1 ("LADOT Bike Blog will compile sidewalk riding rules for every city in LA County. That’s right, we’re going to wade through all the ordinances and municipal codes on this here blog so you don’t have to.")
LADOT Bike Blog

Looking Into Los Angeles Draft Bike Plan Implementation Strategy
StreetsBlog LA

Mass Transit: The Great Train Robbery ("What constitutes transit's primary mission: to carry more people to work or to reshape our metropolitan areas for ever denser development?...Despite promises that the $8 billion invested in rail lines over the past two decades would lessen L.A.'s traffic congestion and reshape how Angelenos get to work, the sad reality is that there has been no increase in MTA transit ridership since before the rail expansion began in 1985.")
Forbes

Momentum Grows For Federal Policy Breakthrough That Would Fast-Track Bikeway Innovations
Bike Portland

NTSB Criticizes [D.C.] Metro Board Over Fatal Crash In 2009
Washington Post

Only About 1 In 100 Metro Employees Ride MTA Trains And Buses
LA Weekly

Parking Dream: Residents Can Set Parking And Traffic Rules City's More Than 900 Private Streets
New York Daily News

Pershing Square's Garage Gamble: Critics Say Lease Plan Could Hike Rate At Downtown Parking Facility
Los Angeles Downtown News

Portugal Has Embraced Renewable Energy, So Why Can't We?
Infrastructurist

Progress Derailed: The Cause & Effect Of NYC's Transit Funding Crisis: Everyone Who Rides Buses Or Subways Knows That Service Is Down And Fares Are Heading Up, But Why Is this Happening? And Does It Spell Danger For The City's Economic Future?
City Limits

PTC: Railroads, Suppliers Still Have A Ways To Go to Meet The 2015 Positive Train Control MandateTop 20 Urban Planning Successes Of All Time
Public Servant Blog

A Wider World Of Transportation
Smarter Cities

8/10/2010

30/10 Jobs, Frequency Mapping, Peaks & Paradigms, Freeway Murals, LAEDC Forecast, OCTA Pay, Car-Dependent Waistlines & More


Basics: The Case For Frequency Mapping
Human Transit

Breaking Ground On The Post-Interstate Interstate
Transportation Nation

Can "Webinars" Make Planning Workshops Obsolete?
Planetizen

City Wasted $855K On Parking Enforcement Vehicles, Audit Finds
LAist

Cost The Highest Hurdle For High-Speed Rail In U.S
Philadelphia Inquirer

Disability Groups Suing NYC MTA Over Transit Cuts
Transportation Nation

DOT Appeals To Gen Y Online
NextGov

Dude, Where's My Flying Car?: Understanding Peak Years And Paradigm Shifts In Transportation Modes
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

End Is Near For Some LA Freeway Murals Due To Graffiti
Southern California Public Radio

Guiding Pedestrians: HAWKs In The Lead, While Pelicans And Puffins Fall Behind
The City Fix

How Much Will A Carbon Tax Spur Innovation?
The Atlantic

LA Light Rail: Six Decades And A Zillion $$ In The Making
CityWatch

LAEDC Infrastructure Forecast: Major Capital Investments Ongoing In L.A. County
Planning Report

Los Angeles Cleantech Corridor & Green District Competition ("The competition asks architects, landscape architects, designers, engineers, urban planners, students and environmental professionals to create an innovative urban vision for Los Angeles' CleanTech Corridor, a several-mile-long development zone on the eastern edge of downtown LA.")
Sci-ARC

Lost In The Shuffle: Examining TSA's Management Of Surface Transportation Security Inspectors (hearings)
U.S. House Of Representatives Committee On Homeland Security

MetroFlickrLA: MTA New Flyer
MetroRider LA

OCTA To Post Employee Pay, Benefits
Orange County Register
A Short Ride On The Bus: OCTA's Mission Imperiled (8p. PDF)
Orange County Grand Jury

Ohio Sen. Voinovich Calls For Higher Federal Gas Tax
California High Speed Rail Blog

Opinion: Accelerating Measure R's Job Creation: By Accelerating Measure R's Transit Construction Through Bond Sales, L.A. County Could Generate At Least 165,000 Jobs Here And Now With The 30/10 Project
Los Angeles Times

Our Waistlines Are Expanding In Sync With Our Car-Dependence
StreetsBlog DC

Railroads Redraw The Intermodal Map
Journal Of Commerce

U.S. Ports To See 15% Gain In 2010
The Street

US Rail Traffic Hits New 2010 Peak
Journal Of Commerce

With L.A.-Style Carpool Lanes, Will We Sacrifice Safety For Convenience?
San Jose Mercury News
How Express Lanes Will Work
San Jose Mercury News

8/09/2010

Beverly Hills Subway, Apple's Smart Bike, Gas Tax Benefits, User-Fee Model, National Freight Act & More

After Herald Tip, MBTA Turns To Social Media To Help Fight Crime On Trains
Boston Herald

Apple Introduces Us To The Smart Bike
Patently Apple

City Walk: Time To Return To L.A.'s Core ("In several pockets of downtown change seems to have paused at an especially opportune moment.")
Los Angeles Times

Engines Of Growth (How high-speed rail in China is fueling the economy)
Time

Governments Go To Extremes As The Downturn Wears On
New York Times

It's No Cars Go In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Makeover
Fast Company

Mayor's Bike Summit Fails The Engagement Test
CityWatch

New And Notable: Traffic & Gridlock, Becoming An Urban Planner, Sustainable Urban Design, Transportation In A Climate-Constrained world
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

New Ideas To Make Parking Easier
LA Observed

New Traffic Signals Make It Safer For Pedestrians
USA Today

Opinion: Think Big About Transportation
Los Angeles Daily News

The Problem With Ports, Or Why We Need A National Freight Act
StreetsBlog DC

Public Transit: Bleeding To Death From A Thousand Cuts?
Citiwire

Questions Bedevil Proposed California High-Speed Rail System
Whittier Daily News

Richard Devylder Leads The Charge For Accessibility In Transportation (DOT's new Senior Advisor For Accessible Transportation, formerly of the California Emergency Management Agency, was born without arms or legs. "Because of public transportation, I was able to go to school, I was able to start building a career -- I was able to live independently. Those things wouldn't have happened for me otherwise.")
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Rocket-Powered Personal Helicopter Emits Only Water
Wired

San Francisco Rolls Out Supply-And-Demand Pricing For Parking Meters
GOOD

San Gabriel Valley Debates HSR Routes
California High Speed Rail Blog

Search For Pasadena's New Planning Director To Begin
Pasadena Star-News

A Strategy Session For Los Angeles
California Planning & Development Report

Subway Worries Getting Louder In Beverly Hills
Curbed LA

Sustainable Bus Stops: Tiffany Roddis' "Ecoshel" Encourages People To Use Public Transportation
Trendhunter

Traffic-Camera Debate Heats Up Campaign Trails
New York Times

Transportation User Fee Model Obsolete, But No Solution On The Horizon
Transport Politic

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Up To $25 Million For High-Speed Passenger Rail Research
Rail Engineer

Voinovich: Gas Tax Hike Would Pump Up The Job Market, Help Close Deficit
The Hill

Where's The World's Most Painful Commute?
The City Fix

Will FREIGHT Act Deliver?
National Journal Transportation Blog

8/06/2010

Expo Line Concerns, Trashy Freeways, Big Green Bus Tour, HSR In SGV, Bus Cameras & More

Bus Cameras Show Fatal Injury From New Angle
Law.com

Cities, Residents Voicing Concerns About Possible High Speed Route Line Along 10 Freeway
Pasadena Star-News

CNBC Interviews Port Director On Economic Growth (video)
Long Beach Post

Critic's Notebook: What's New Is Old At The Planning Department: The Quick Appointment Of Michael LoGrande Suggests City Leaders Are More Interested In Speeding Approvals Of Projects Than In Imagining And Working Toward A Better Cityscape
Los Angeles Times

Dartmouth Students Live On A Biodiesel Bus
("The students, who just arrived in California, are traveling in their “Big Green Bus” in an effort to increase awareness of sustainable living and green technology described as a “science fair on wheels.” It’s the fifth year that students have taken part in the project.")
Wired
Big Green Bus Blog
Big Green Bus
Big Green Bus Makes Weho Stop: Dartmouth Alumnus And City Transportation Commissioner David Eichman Invites The Undergraduates' Touring Eco-Initiative, Which Aims To Teach People About Sustainable Living
West Hollywood Patch

Expo Line Project Continues To Stir Up Concerns, Maintains Some Support
L.A. Watts Times

Finding Appropriate Tools To Mitigate The Construction Process
("Minnesota’s Twin Cities may be pioneering a new way to handle problems caused by the construction of new transportation resources")
Next American City
Ready For Rail (Resources for businesses affected by four years of transit construction in their area)

The Future Of Commuting: Meetings On The Train?
Infrastructurist

Highway Trust Fund: Nearly All States Received More Funding Than They Contributed In Highway Taxes Since 2005
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Report Highlights (1p. PDF)
Full-Text Report (34p. PDF)

How Metro Will Shape The New L.A.
LA Observed

LA Quakes Over New Planning Director: After Quick Selection Process, Many Wonder If Michael LoGrande Will Be A Visionary Or A Technician
Architect's Newspaper

Programs Hope To Reverse Skid In Carpooling
USA Today

Senators Ask EPA To Rethink Review Of Smog Rule
The Hill

Social Media In The Transportation Industry: Implications For Change (MP3 files and PowerPoint presentations from participants)
North Jersey Transportatoin Planning Authority

Some Cyclists Not Happy With Mayor's Bike Summit
LAist

States Turn To Tolls To Fund Roads
USA Today

Support Grows For 30/10 Initiative
Canyon News

Transbay Terminal Demolition Set To Begin: Massive New Center Will Prioritize Multimodal Access
Transport Politic

What's Bugging You? Trash On Freeways
ABC-7

8/05/2010

Blue Line Blues, Open Data Film, December Service Changes, Research Roundup, LB Bike Program & More

The 57 Will Gain A Lane
Orange County Register
Learn More About The 57 Freeway Widening
Orange County Register

920 Bus Threatened
Curbed LA

Bike Agenda Spins Cities Toward U.N. Control, Maes Warns
Denver Post

A Case For Open Data In Transit (video : "a full picture of what it would mean if cities shared their transit and transportation data. The information is there, waiting to be put to use to help people plan transit trips, waste less gas driving, or make their streets safer.")
StreetFilms

Cycling And Sharing: Bike-Renting Program Aims To Boost Public Transportation For Downtown, CSULB
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Group Seeks Solutions To Southwest Gridlock Now
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Housing Plan Sets Off S.F. Parking Debate
San Francisco Chronicle

Is Public Transit A Viable Alternative To I-5 Expansion?
KPBS

Join GOOD For "Moving Beyond Cars" In Los Angeles
("Our goal is to make this a completely car-free party. Board a bus, take the train, ride a bike, map out a walk, jump on your scooter, hire a horse and buggy, break out your hoverboard ... just get here in a way that illustrates an L.A. that's not auto-dependent. Connect with friends and travel together. Document your trip on Twitter, Flickr or Facebook using the tag #LAbeyondcars. When you get to the event, we'll have an opportunity for everyone to record how they got there, where they came from, and what happened during their journey. Plus: There will be prizes awarded for the people who arrive in the most unique, alternative, or "beyond car" ways.")
GOOD

[D.C.] Metro Backtracks On MetroAccess No-Fare Policy
Washington Examiner

Passenger Numbers Keep Dropping: Officials Are Optimistic Despite Dip, Saying Levels Exceeded Predicitons [sic]
Glendale News Press

Port Of L.A. Recieves [sic] EPA Grant To Reduce Diesel Emissions From Cranes
Daily Breeze

PUC Disputed Farmdale Crossing Approval Will Be Appealed
Front Page Online

Research Roundup: State Of Repairs, Transit & Demographic Diversity, Flexible Public Transportation Services
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Smart Money In Real Estate Is On Smart Growth
ABC News

"Smogtruck" Charts Big Rig Fumes
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Study: States Reap Windfall In Federal Highway Money No Matter What They Pay
Fox News

Supervisors Approve Funds For "Emerald Necklace" Study ("A plan to create a 17-mile loop of parks, open space and biking and hiking trails along the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers in the San Gabriel Valley got a boost Tuesday when county supervisors approved $200,000 to help pay for a feasibility study."
Pasadena Star-News

Thoughts On December 2010 Service Changes (including public meetings schedule)
MetroRider LA

Villaraigosa Announces Date Of Bicycle Summit, Topics Include Bike Plan, LAPD Enforcement
LAist

Why I'm Not Singing The Metro Blue Line Blues
Huffington Post

Will Los Angeles Revolutionize U.S. Urban Transit Funding?
The City Fix

With Jeopardy Appearance, "Transpo-looza" Hits The Big Time
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

8/04/2010

8/03/2010

L.A. Service Cuts, Tolls & Carpools, Transport For Disabled Poor, DOT IdeaHub & More

Access For All: Transport For The Disabled Poor
The City Fix

Bike-Sharing: A Tale Of Two Cities
Transit Wire

Can The Dep't Of Transportation Combat Obesity?
Next American City

Chinese Company Proposes A Bus Cars Can Drive Under
Geek

City Parks, Bringing Urban Centers Back To Life
Washington Post

Construction Rolling Along On Orange Line Extension
Los Angeles Daily News

DASH Cuts And Fare Hike In Effect; Rides Now 35 Cents
Blog Downtown

The Future Of Cities And Transportation ("Bus Rapid Transit and Complete Streets are great, but to design urban transportation systems that are truly sustainable, we have to think much further ahead.")
GOOD

High Speed Rail Authority To Request $1B In Funds
CBS-5

IdeaHub To Engage DOT Employees, Tap Their Expertise
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Lost Monuments: "The Salt Box" And "The Castle"
Blog Downtown

Malibu Wants A Safer PCH: The Famous Pacific Coast Highway Is The Town's Main Street, And Five Fatalities So Far This Year Have Escalated Local Concerns
Los Angeles Times

MetroFlickrLA: New Bus (NABI 65-BRT)
MetroRiderLA

New Documentary To Explore Who/What Shapes Our Cities
Infrastructurist

Sacramento Columnist Dan Walters Questions Support For California High Speed Rail (interview)
KALW Crosscurrents

Senate Poised To Advance Livable Communities Bill
Transportation For America

Sharp Decline In Carpools As Bridges Impose Tolls For First Time
Marin Independent Journal

Shedding Light On Private Funding And HSR
California High Speed Rail Blog

The Technology Behind The London Bicycle Hire Scheme
Telegraph (London)

Things We Lost In The Service Cuts
MetroRider LA

Time To Declare Victory At Farmdale/Dorsey High
CityWatch

Unkempt Streets Trouble Bicyclists
UCLA Daily Bruin