Today's Headlines - more at Metro

2/07/2012

Red Line Canopies, Bike Lane Paint, Metrolink, Culver City TOD, Congestion Pricing, Freeways, Subways & More

12 Freeways To Watch ('Cause They Might Be Gone Soon)
StreetsBlog DC

12th National Light Rail Conference: Sustaining The Metropolis -- LRT & Streetcars For Super Cities (November 11-13, 2012 : Salt Lake City)
APTA and Transportation Research Board

Beverly Hills Experts Cast Doubt On Metro Report
StreetsBlog LA

Bill Would Prohibit Highway Money For CA Rail Plan
San Francisco Chronicle

California's High Speed Rail Mistake
Huffington Post

A Closer Look At Congestion Pricing On The Bay Bridge
Berkeley Transportation Letter

Company To Help Implement Rental Program For New Electric Bicycles
KTVU
A Bay Area Program In Electric Bike Sharing
New York Times

Congress About To Clear 5 Of 10 Hurdles To Enacting A Transportation Bill
Transportation Issues Daily

Congress Is Toying With The Future Of Mass Transit
The Atlantic: Cities

Culver City Council Signs Off On Projects Ahead Of RDA Shutdown
Culver City Patch

Culver City Creates New Expo-Adjacent Development In 5 Days
Curbed LA

Fare Hack: Exploiting A Clipper Card Flaw Is Easy ("Not that we think you would, but with a visit to Radio Shack you could hack into that Clipper card in your wallet, allowing you to load it with free rides or create and sell copies for profit — and funnel money away from the Bay Area's crash-strapped public-transit agencies.")
SF Weekly

GOP-Backed Transporation Bill Slashes Funding For Cycling, Pedestrian Facilities
Public Radio International

Jerry's Fast Train: A Big Idea That Could Crash
Calbuzz

Laws That Shaped L.A.: How The California Environmental Quality Act Allows Anyone To Thwart Development
KCET

Levels Of Service And Travel Projections: The Wrong Tools For Planning Our Streets?
Project For Public Spaces

Local And State Partnerships With Taxicab Companies (56p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Los Angeles Subway Station Portals Getting New Modern Canopies
Brigham Yen

Metro Red Line Subway Stations Getting Fancy New Hats
Curbed LA

Mind The Green Paint! City Crews To Test New Materials For Downtown Bike Lanes
Blog Downtown

Norwalk Will Enforce Parking Regulations At Metrolink Lot
Los Angeles Wave

Now We're Getting Political ("Does the forthcoming political brawl offer enough attention to a long-neglected infrastructure bill to make up for the twists of logic that surely will accompany the fight? When the finger-pointing dies down, will the surface transportation measure have made any progress?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Push For Metrolink Station Nearing End Of Line
Redlands Daily Facts

Rangel: House GOP Has No Idea Where Transit Funding Would Come From
StreetsBlog DC

Regional Governing Board Criticized For Failing To Release Early Version Of Audit
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Republican Energy Bill Would Allow Oil Drilling Off Ventura County Coast
Ventura County Star

San Gabriel Dig Site Offers New Insight Into California History
Pasadena Star-News

Schumer Amendment: Make Transit Tax Benefit Equal To Parking Benefit
StreetsBlog DC

Should It Take Decades To Build A Subway?
("It's too easy to slow down urban mass transit improvements. Here's how to fix the system...while it’s not fair to compare American projects to China’s — where protections for workers and the environment are flimsy, and tight construction schedules can sacrifice workmanship — there are nonetheless several factors that conspire to keep American mass-transit projects in a state of perpetual limbo. Here are seven culprits, listed roughly in order of guilt.")
Salon

Socrates Visits The U.S. Federal Transit Administration
Human Transit

State Of Good Repair Needed To Keep Transit Systems Moving
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

T4 Coalition Announces Opposition To House Energy And Transportation Bill
Transportation For America

Times Victory: Trio Of Bills Take Aim At "Buy Here Pay Here" Car Dealerships
StreetsBlog LA

Watching Transportation: What's On The Other Social Media?
Talking Transportation

What If South Park Had A Big Park Across From Staples Center?
Curbed LA

What Is Car Culture Doing To Our Children?
New York Times

Why Planners Need To Take Agenda 21 Criticism More Seriously
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.

2/06/2012

Birth Of L.A. Transit, House Transpo Bill, SGV & HSR, Environmental Review, Park 101 & More

February 4: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The very first horse-drawn rail cars mark the birth of L.A. transit)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

$248 Million Restored For Home-To-School Transportation
USC Annenberg Neon Tommy

Assembly Approves Scaled-Back Bikeway Standards Bill
Cal Bike Report

At A Planned Train Trench, An Archaeological Treasure Trove ("A Spanish silver coin dating from 1816 is among the artifacts a 30-member team of archaeologists has unearthed next to railroad tracks in front of the San Gabriel Mission.")
Los Angeles Times

Behold The 1st Street Bike Lanes! Now Where Was The Outreach?
StreetsBlog LA

Bike-Share Coming To SF And Silicon Valley This July
StreetsBlog SF

Board Of Ed Still Likely To Oppose Mike Feuer Transit Bill
Beverly Hills Patch

California Transportation Foundation Awards
(Nominations due March 1 for May 23 awards)
California Transportation Foundation

CBO Reports Highway Trust Fund Headed For Bankruptcy In 2014
The Hill

Commentary: Assemblyman Mike Feuer Responds To BHUSD ("My bill would not affect the ability of the Beverly Hills Unified School District to challenge one of the routes that the L.A. County Metro Board will consider for the Westside Subway Extension. In fact, it would only apply to projects for which, unlike the subway, a draft environmental impact report has yet to circulate. In addition, even were the bill to change in ways I haven’t yet contemplated, legislation enacted this session doesn’t take effect until at least next January—well after any legal challenge to the subway route most likely would be filed.")
Beverly Hills Patch

Editorial: High-Speed Reality -- Evidence Grows That Bullet Train Will Be A Misfire
Los Angeles Daily News

Exclusive Look Inside The MTA-MasterCard PayPass Pilot: 17,000 NYC Customers In Six Months
Fast Company

Express Bus Service Linking Torrance And Long Beach To Start In May
Daily Breeze

High-Speed Rail...Or Fail? ("A bullet train official tries to answer tough questions about soaring costs and judging the risks of new technology. Can it be built faster, better and cheaper?")
Los Angeles Times

High-Speed Rail's Coming Battle: Powerful Land Owners
Orange County Register

Is This Duck Delaying Your Highway? (Investigates widely echoed Republican claims that environmental rules are a major reason why it takes so long to build highways and bridges, and finds scant evidence to back up the claims. A major piece of the GOP transportation bill released this week would streamline environmental review procedures to speed up approval and construction of highway projects. However, only 4% of federal highway projects require an Environmental Impact Statement from federal agencies in the first place)
Washington Post

LA Convention Center To Become "LACOEX," Expansion Reaches Toward Football Stadium
Blog Downtown

Less Parking Required In New Atwater Pedestrian District
Curbed LA

Meet LACOEX, LA's Proposed New Elevated Convention Center
Curbed LA

More Cell Phones On NYC Subway
Transportation Nation

Not Everyone Opposes High-Speed Rail
Orange County Register

On The Road: Will Heavy Truckloads Ruin Roads?
Riverside Press-Enterprise

The Oz Of Los Angeles Traffic Lights
The Atlantic: Cities

Park 101 Panel (February 16 : Panel discussion regarding cap park for the 101 freeway)
Caltrans District 7
Park 101 District Website

Pomona Hopes To Close Some Streets To Cars For A Biking, Jogging And Walking Event
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Raise Fares Or Cut Service Or...? More "New Normal" Considerations For Transit Agencies
Progressive Railroading

A Rational Approach To Rail: New Priorities -- Start In Urban Areas, Build On What's In Place -- Could Propel The Bullet Train
Los Angeles Times

Ready To Fight? The House GOP Bill Leaves Little Choice
StreetsBlog Network

SCAG Adopts High-Speed Rail Agreement
Pasadena Star-News

SCAG And San Gabriel Valley Embrace HSR Alignment
California High Speed Rail Blog

Shocker: Bev Hills Study Says Subway Under BHHS Is Unsafe
Curbed LA

Speaker Boehner Faces Tough Test On $260 Billion Transportation Bill
The Hill

Supervisor Speaks Up On Studio Plan (Burbank officials "argued that the report used inaccurate assumptions, including one that projected roughly 20% of the new residents would use public transportation instead of driving their own vehicles.")
Burbank Leader

Synthesis Of Information Related To Transit Problems (10p. PDF)
Transit Cooperative Research Problem

Time To Fight ("Actions by members of the U.S. House over the past week suggest that Republican opposition to the funding of alternative transportation has developed into an all-out ideological battle.")
The Transport Politic

Today In History: How The Treaty Of Guadalupe-Hidalgo Defined Our Neighborhood Boundaries
KCET

Transit-Oriented Preservation
Shelterforce

Upland Plans Gracious, But Denser, Downtown
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Urbanflow: A City's Information, Visualized In Real Time
("Combining a map, tourist information, and data about the city’s services, a new system is making Helsinki truly transparent.")
Fast Company Exist

Who Still Likes The House Transpo Bill? Big Oil, Big Truck, And Big Box Retail
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.

2/03/2012

House Transportation Bill, CAHSR's New Chairman, Culver City TOD, Move LA, Metro Jobs, School Buses & More

February 3: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Park and ride comes to Pasadena)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

23,400 Good Construction Jobs Coming To Los Angeles Metro
Huffington Post

Amendment To Restore Bike/Ped Programs In House Transpo Bill Fails
StreetsBlog DC

Bike Corral Pilot Expansion
LADOT Bike Blog

California High Speed Rail Authority Elects Chairman: Dan Richard Takes Helm Of CHSRA Board
California High Speed Rail Authority Press Release

California Lawmakers Keep School Buses Rolling
("The California Legislature restores $248 million for home-to-school transportation. Gov. Jerry Brown had eliminated school busing money after state revenues fell short of projections.")
Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Assemblyman Mike Feuer Responds To BHUSD
("The school district plans to oppose a bill Feuer authored that seeks to streamline the approval process of new public rail transit projects.")
Beverly Hills Patch

Commercial Truck And Bus Safety Synthesis Program: A Status Report
(5p. PDF)
Commercial Truck And Bus Safety Synthesis Program

Congress Struggles For Solution To Crumbling Roads, Bridges, Transit Systems Hindering Growth ("The federal Highway Trust Fund, which pays for highway and transit programs, is going broke. A new Congressional Budget Office forecast estimates the government will have to delay payments to states beginning sometime in the 2013 federal budget year, which could force some projects to shut down.")
Washington Post

Culver City Council Acts Fast On Transit-Oriented Development Site
Los Angeles Wave

Declaring War On Public Transportation
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Editorial: In The House, A Transportation Train Wreck
("House Republicans are playing games again by introducing a thoroughly partisan transportation bill.")
Los Angeles Times

Firms On Short List To Build Part Of Rail System Revealed
Bakersfield Californian

Five Transportation Fights To Watch In Congress
Washington Post

GOP Highway Spending Bill "The Worst," Ray LaHood Says
Politico

Here Are The Designs For LA's Proposed New Convention Center
Curbed LA
Councilman Ed Reyes Criticizes Convention Center Plan
Los Angeles Times

House Blocks Highway Bill From Going To High-Speed Rail ("The committee voted as Thursday evening turned to Friday morning to approve an amendment from Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) to bar the proposed California railway, which has become a lightning rod for conservatives, from receiving any of the new transportation money.")
The Hill

House GOP Moves To Decimate Dedicated Transit Funding
StreetsBlog DC

House Ways And Means Proposal To End Guaranteed Funding For Public Transportation Undoes Bipartisan Agreement Since Reagan
Transportation For America

How Will A.G.'s Legal Stand Against SANDAG Impact Local Planning
StreetsBlog LA

Infrastructure Financier Tapped To Run California High Speed Rail Authority
Transportation Nation

Infrastructure Problems In U.S. Go Far Beyond Dollars
Huffington Post

LA On The Verge Of A Transit Breakthrough: Move LA's 4th Annual Transportation Conversation (February 24 : "Join Move LA, legislators and major stakeholders for a conversation on accelerating Measure R-funded transit expansion and community building around transit stops.")
Move LA

LAT To GOP: Stop Playing Games With Transportation Funds
StreetsBlog LA

Los Angeles Is The Smelliest City In America, Says GQ ("Maybe if Burr had traveled more on public transportation, for example, he would've knocked L.A. down a few slots.")
The Atlantic: Cities

The Los Angeles River Is For Sale...But At What Cost?
KCET

Main St. (Downtown) Bike Lanes And Spring St. Material Testing
LADOT Bike Blog

Mass-Transit Tax Switch To Roads Affirmed By U.S. House Panel
Business Week

Massive Coalition Opposes House GOP Attempt To Eviscerate Transit
StreetsBlog DC

Metro Orange Line Extension Bus Tour, Jan. 31, 2012 (video : "Metro CEO, Art Leahy, LA City Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Metro construction officials took a bus tour of the Metro Orange Line Extension construction on January 31, 2012. The Metro Orange Line Extension is the first Measure R funded project to open this summer.")
Metro via YouTube

Metro Simulates Fire In Expo Train Car
Santa Monica Patch

Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future
Planetizen

Pico Rivera Could Qualify For New Underpass At Deadly Intersection
Whittier Daily News

Pomona Hosts A Great CicLAvia Meeting
CicLAvia

Reid Tees Up Big Transpo Week In Senate
Transportation Nation

Removing Roadblocks To Improved Transportation Productivity ("At the forefront of this debate is finding a workable solution to the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure needs, and how that solution can bring productivity gains to all sectors of transportation to the benefit of every business and consumer. ")
The Hill

SCAG Moves Forward With Sustainable Transit Plan
Santa Monica Lookout

Senate Transit Bill Clears Committee With Unanimous Bipartisan Support
StreetsBlog DC

Spanish Coins From 1800s Found In Dig Near San Gabriel Mission ("According to the Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority, they found coins depicting King Ferdinand VII of Spain as well as pieces of antique pottery, glass beads and a medallion.")
Los Angeles Times

State DOTs "Strongly Oppose" House GOP Changes To Transit Programs
Transportation Issues Daily

Supe Asks NBCU To Drop Housing at Universal City Development
Curbed LA

T&I Markup Lasts Nearly 18 Hours
Politico

Top 25 Transportation Sources To Follow On Twitter ("Recently, Urban Land magazine compiled a list of the most influential transportation infrastructure people on Twitter. This ranking includes the person’s name and Twitter handle alongside his or her rankings in reach, engagement, and influence.")
Urban Land Institute

What Taxis Add To Public Transit
The Atlantic: Cities

You Already Own The Next Most Important Transportation Planning Tool ("From inside your pocket or your purse, your mobile is in constant communication with GPS satellites, cell phone towers and all of the apps that automatically update your gmail inbox and your Twitter feed. Your phone was never particularly designed for this purpose, but as it travels along with you, it has the potential to feed aggregated data about traffic congestion, commuting patterns and even mass travel behavior during a hurricane.")
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.

2/02/2012

Crenshaw & LAX, Hollywood/Highland, CicLAvia, CRAs, AEG & Convention Center, LA's Plaza, Rideshare & More

February 2: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (L.A. plans its freeways, a first for UCLA, and monorail is among regional rail systems considered)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

The 3 People Overseeing LA's Redevelopment Agency And Other Things To Know On Redevelopment Death Day
Curbed LA

AEG To Unveil Plans For New Convention Center
Los Angeles Daily News

Ansel Adams's 1940 LA Photos Getting First Ever Public Show (includes Court Flight funicular and other street scenes)
Curbed LA

A Brief History Of The Los Angeles Plaza, The City's Misplaced Heart (includes historic photos and maps)
LA As Subject via KCET

CRA Head Calls For State To Acknowledge Challenges Of Dissolution (Interview with Jim Kennedy, the interim executive director of the California Redevelopment Association)
California Planning & Development Report

Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Misses Airport By A Mile ("At LAX, the Metro Bus Center is promoted on two pieces of paper posted at information booths. Touch-screen kiosks don't even mention Metro Bus Center.")
LA Weekly

Digital vs. Analog Ways Of Transforming Cities ("Yes, it’s great to have an app that helps you route your commute on transit, but it’s also important to improve the transportation system itself — something an app just can’t do.")
Next American City

Disadvantaged Workers Win In New MTA Agreement ("The Bus Riders Union (BRU) also strongly supported the PLA but the organization is concerned that MTA is trying to build a rail system and make capital improvements it can not afford, even with the $30 billion in revenue projected to come from Measure revenue.")
Our Weekly

Editorial: Bullet Train Becoming "Moonbeam Express"
Orange County Register

Environmental Groups Claim Port's Description Of Rail Yard Project Inaccurate
Daily Breeze

Even More Reasons To Abhor The House Transportation Bill
StreetsBlog Network

Frito-Lay's Hollywood & Highland?: Mall Selling Naming Rights
Curbed LA

Gov. Brown Names Panel To Dismantle L.A. Redevelopment Agency ("The three people will unwind hundreds of millions of dollars in assets, complex land deals, employee obligations and loans overseen by the agency.")
Los Angeles Times

Governor Brown Forms Board To Dismantle L.A.'s CRA
Los Angeles Business Journal

Honolulu Avenue Will Have A Road Diet Test
Montrose Patch

House To Link Energy And Transportation Bills
Wall Street Journal

How A Bad Transportation Bill Is Really Bad For California
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Los Angeles Is Among Municipalities With CRA Projects Still Under Way
Los Angeles Daily News

A Lukewarm Report Card For High-Occupancy Toll Lanes
The Atlantic: Cities
Traffic Congestion: Road Pricing Can Help Reduce Congestion, But Equity Concerns May Grow (60p. PDF)
U.S. Government Accountability Office

New Transportation Bill Creates Safety Concerns Over Bigger Rigs
CNN

Now Open For Bids: The Fourth Round Of TIGER Grants
StreetsBlog DC

Now's The Time To Make The House Bill Better For Walking, Biking, And Transit
StreetsBlog DC

OCTA CEO: Maintaining Customer Service As Paratransit Grows
Metro Magazine

Opinion: Rebuilding Transportation Is Key
Politico

Retailers Applaud GOP Highway Bill
The Hill

Streetfilms: Viva CicLAvia!
StreetsBlog LA

Suits Could Force LA To Spend Huge Sums On Sidewalk Repair
Public CEO

Three Drilling Bills Clear House Committee
StreetsBlog DC

Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely ("Rather than moaning about too many cars on the road, the Ridesharing Institute says the real key to battling traffic congestion and pollution is filling empty passenger seats.")
Miller-McCune
Ridsharing Institute Website (launches 2012)

Transportation Bill Would Streamline Environmental Review, Sponsors Say
Bloomberg

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.

2/01/2012

Orange Line Extension, House Transpo Bill, LA Sidewalks, Transit & Gender, Transpo Statistics & More

February 1: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (An important tunnel for Santa Monica, a special bus token for SCRTD and the "birth" of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

AASHTO Executive Dir. John Horsley On The House Transportation Bill
(video)
AASHTO via YouTube

Amtrak Privatization Off Table -- For Now
Gannett

California Lawmakers Seek To Bring Home The Transportation Bacon Without Earmarks
Sacramento Bee

California Needs To Find $3 Billion By March ("A lag in revenue and higher-than-expected spending mean the state needs to scrape together more than $3 billion to stay in the black and keep a comfortable cash reserve.")
Los Angeles Times

Can The Expo Line Unite The City Of Angels?
CityWatch

City Can Fix The Sidewalks Now, Or Wait For The Court Orders
StreetsBlog LA

City Eyes $180M Excess Busway Cash: New Project Might Be Rapid Bus Service On Van Nuys Boulevard Or Rapid Transit Through The Sepulveda Pass, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Said In Chatsworth
Chatsworth Patch

A City So Tough The New Police Dogs Shoot (The K9 unit in the New York subway is outfitted with the same $9,000 cameras that Navy Seals use)
New York Times

Drivers Warned Of 210 East Freeway Lane Closures ("Lane closures on the eastbound 210 freeway are expected Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights due to construction of the Metro Gold Line Foothill extension from Pasadena to Azusa.")
KABC Los Angeles

Free Drinks And Food For Transit Riders In Los Angeles; An Idea Whose Time Has Come!
Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Riding Green LA ("Riding Green is a new organization focused on encouraging Angelino bar goers to reduce their carbon footprint by taking public transportation. We are teaming up with bars to provide discounts to individuals who provide proof of taking public transportation.")

GOP Sen. Inhofe Opposes Linking Keystone, Transportation Package
The Hill

High-Speed Rail Planners Stay Course Despite New Pitch From San Francisco Leaders ("The San Francisco County Transportation Authority, a local transit planning agency, said construction in the Bay Area could coincide with the beginning of work in the Central Valley.")
San Francisco Examiner

Horrible Surface Transportation Bill Unveiled Today -- Bicycle Programs Eliminated
League Of American Cyclists

House GOP Transportation Bill At Odds With Boxer's
San Francisco Chronicle

House Transportation Bill Officially Drops, Lands With A Thud
StreetsBlog DC

House Transportation Bill Would Drop High-Speed Rail
Gannett

How Much, How Far, How Many: New Online Tool Puts California & Other State Facts And Figures At Your Fingertips
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

IntelliStreets: Digital Scaffolding For "Smart" Cities
Huffington Post

L.A.'s $1.5 Billion Sidewalk Problem
The Atlantic: Cities

Mica Touts Reauthorization Bill At Capitol Press Conference
AASHTO Journal

Opinion: Don't Kick More Kids Off The Bus ("Barring quick action by the Legislature, California will soon become the only state to eliminate all funding to transport students to public schools.")
Pasadena Star-News

Orange Line Extension Running Under Budget (includes video)
KABC Los Angeles

Pedestrians And Bikes To Rule The Road On This Silverlake Street ("A plan to turn a small section of Griffith Park Boulevard in Silver Lake into a traffic-free zone for pedestrians and bikes is moving forward.")
Eastsider LA

Public Transportation's Hidden Gender Imbalance
The Atlantic: Cities
Transportation: Reconceptualizing Data Collection
Stanford University Gendered Innovations In Science, Health & Medicine, And Engineering

Railroads To Invest $13 Billion This Year, Hire 15,000 Workers
Los Angeles Times

Reinventing Los Angeles: Seizing The Transit Opportunity ("Fostering lively and attractive communities near transit stations is all about creating choice: greater choice of accessible job opportunities and greater choice from among a range of new housing options; choice to live in or visit neighborhoods that are walkable, bike-friendly, well-designed, healthy, and livable; and choice for those who prefer not to drive a car, or for those who want to drive just a little less often.")
Planning Report

Republican Transportation Vision: More Highways, Funded By Drilling
Huffington Post

Senate Transit Bill Would Let Federal Funds Support Transit Service
StreetsBlog DC

Should California Bite The Bullet On High-Speed Rail? ("Is the state chasing a costly boondoggle, or making a large investment in the future? Travelers are for, against and unsure about devoting so much money to an expensive, futuristic project...I went to Union Station this week, as well as the Burbank airport, to ask travelers those very questions. ")
Los Angeles Times

Students Get Hands-On Lessons In Archeology, Local History ("The site, being dug in anticipation of construction of the Alameda Corridor East (ACE) rail project, has already yielded Spanish coins, animal bones, beads and a bone fragment or two.")
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

The Surprisingly Complex Art Of Urban Wayfinding
The Atlantic: Cities

Technology And Public Engagement: Are We There Yet?
Talking Transportation

Transportation Bill Throws Bones To GOP Base
Politico

Two Metro Service Changes That Did Happen This Month
StreetsBlog LA

U.S. Highway Trust Fund Faces Insolvency Next Year, CBO Says
Business Week

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Fourth Round Of Funding Under Highly Successful TIGER Program
U.S. DOT Press Release

Virtuous Cycle: 10 Lessons From The World's Great Biking Cities
Grist

Why Does Our Infrastructure Resemble A Third World Country's? An Explanation May Be Our Budgeting Process
Governing

Worst. Transportation Bill. Ever.
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

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.

1/31/2012

Orange Line, LA Transportation PLA, Duarte Gold Line, CicLAvia, Gas Tax, CAHSR, ACE, CEQA & More

Announcing The April 15th 2012 CicLAvia Route
CicLAvia

As The City Grew: Historical Maps Of Los Angeles (ongoing exhibit of 34 historical maps)
Los Angeles Public Library

Average State's Gas Tax Is 6.8 Cents Lower Today
Transportation Issues Daily

Bike-Friendly Business Districts: Where Going Green And Making Green Meet
Long Beach Business Journal

California's High-Speed Rail: Going Nowhere, Very Fast
Investor's Business Daily

Construction Agency To Begin $100 Million Nogales Project In Spring
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Disability Rights Groups Sue L.A.'s Community Redevelopment Agency
Los Angeles Daily News

Drilling For Highway Revenues Could Face Controversy From Both Sides
Transportation For America

Duarte To Get Grant To Plan "Transit Village" Near Future Gold Line Station
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Editorial: Sensible CEQA Reform: The Legislature Needs To Make The Approval Process Fairer For All, Not Just Big-Ticket Projects
Los Angeles Times

Evaluation And Performance Measurement Of Congestion Pricing Projects (166p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Performance Measurement And Evaluation Of Tolling And Congestion Pricing Projects (226p. PDF web-only document : contractor's final report)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Five Industry Railroad Grade Separations On ACE Priority List ("The Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority Board of Directors recently approved the list of eight proposed grade separation projects for phase two.")
Walnut Patch

Freight Rail Industry Planning Record Investment In 2012
StreetsBlog DC
American Association Of Railroads Press Release

Good Spending And Bad Spending ("Is there such a thing as good spending and bad spending? If so, where does infrastructure fit in on that scale? Did Obama make it clear that he sees infrastructure as "good" spending in his State of the Union speech? Or did he miss an opportunity? Is there any way in the current political atmosphere to actually increase spending for infrastructure?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

House Republicans To Unveil Transportation Bill
Washington Post

House Republicans Want $260 Billion For Infrastructure
Reuters

Infrastructure Investment And Job Creation (audio)
Brookings

L.A. Transportation PLA Offers Lifeline For Long-Term Jobless, Homeless
AFL-CIO Now Blog

The Mayor's Office, Measure R And Multiple "Plan B's"
StreetsBlog LA

Metro Shows Off Overachieving Orange Line Extension
Curbed LA

More Bike Parking Coming To L.A. Live
LADOT Bike Blog

New BART Cars Spark Outrage Over Cost And Outsourcing
Huffington Post

Opposition Builds Over Port Of L.A.'s Rail Yard Analysis ("Long Beach City Officials, School District, Others Say EIR On BNSF Project ‘Flawed.’")
Long Beach Business Journal

Orange Line Busway Extension Leaves Metro With $180 Million Left Over
Los Angeles Daily News

Railroads Would Get Until 2020 To Add Crash Systems In Plan
Business Week

Review Process Begins For Regional Connector; Light Rail Expansion Will Provide "One Seat" Ride
Blog Downtown

The Stunning Cost Of America's Dependence On Oil (numerous infographics tell the story)
Business Insider

Suits Could Force L.A. To Spend Huge Sums On Sidewalk Repair ("The civil rights actions claim that broken sidewalks and missing curb ramps violate the Americans With Disabilities Act. The city could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars.")
Los Angeles Times

This Is Not A Drill: Highway Lobby Trying To Push Transpo Bill Thru Congress
StreetsBlog DC

Transportation Bills: House And Senate Versions Have Major Differences
Politico

Uncertainty For California Developers, Construction Workers As CRAs Disappear
Southern California Public Radio

With Earmarks Banned, California Must Finagle Transportation Bill
Miami Herald

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.

1/30/2012

Measure R & Health, Transportation Statistics, Feuer Bill, Highway 39, Santa Monica Streets, CAHSR & More

January 30: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Metro's Red Line between Union Station and Westlake/MacArthur Park opens, bringing long-awaited subway service to Los Angeles)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

The 5 Most And Least Walkable Stations On Metro Rail
Curbed LA
How Walkable Is Your Metro Rail Station?
LAist
Metro Rail Station Walk Scores
More Than Red Cars

2012 Pocket Guide To Transportation (63p. PDF : A compact resource that provides snapshots of the U.S. transportation system and highlights major trends. It is divided into five sections: safety, state of good repair, system use and livable communities, economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability)
Bureau Of Transportation Statistics

After Redevelopment, What? How About Creating Real Investment In Our Cities?
CityWatch

AG Joins Lawsuit Against Highway-Friendly "Transit Plan" In San Diego
StreetsBlog LA

Anti-Sprawl Doctor To Host PBS Series On Urban Design And Public Health ("Dr. Richard Jackson, chair of environmental health at UCLA, is a leading voice for transportation reform whose work has linked America’s sprawl to the nation’s high rates of obesity." Includes video)
StreetsBlog DC

Board Of Ed To Oppose Mike Feuer Transit Bill: The Legislation Would Weaken The Beverly Hills Unified School District's Ability To Fight The Westside Subway Extension
Beverly Hills Patch

Boehner: Keystone XL To Ride On GOP's Highway Bill
Transportation Nation

Book Discussion For "Henry Gaylord Wilshire: Millionaire Socialist" ("Henry Gaylord Wilshire came to Los Angeles in 1885 and purchased a 35-acre barley field that became the beginning of Wilshire Boulevard. He helped to plan the cities of Long Beach and Fullerton, ran for Congress twice, and was the publisher of the socialist journal Wilshire Magazine.")
Santa Monica Public Library via LA as Subject

Buena Vista Crossing In Burbank To Get Long-Awaited Upgrades
La Canada Valley Sun

California Fuels Rule Sparks Controversy
Washington Post

Caltrans Wants To Abandon Cliff-Hanging Highway 39: To Avoid Closure Of The Popular San Gabriel Mountains Route, Caltrans Has Asked The U.S. Forest Service Or L.A. County To Take It Over, But Neither Wants It
Los Angeles Times

City Of Fontana Will Support Ontario's Bid To Regain Control Of Its Airport
Fontana Herald News

City Officials Push For More Bicycle Friendly Streets
Baldwin Park Patch

Commerce Raises Concerns Over Proposed Railyard
EGP News

End Of The Road For 1920s Concrete In Santa Monica ("While Burket agrees it’s time for a new road surface, he said his interest in the resurfacing project stemmed from abiding interest in the former streetcars of Los Angeles, which in Santa Monica were represented by the Pacific Electric Red Cars.")
Santa Monica Mirror

Gov. Brown: High-Speed Rail System Will Be "A Lot Cheaper" Than $100 Billion
Los Angeles Daily News

Gov. Jerry Brown: Bullet Train Will Keep U.S. Out Of Third World
Los Angeles Times

Highway 60 Revisited: Why Does It Take An Emergency To Get Roads Built Quickly In California?
City Journal

House Transportation Bill "A March Of Horribles" ("The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act looks like a return to 1950s-style transportation policy. It is particularly unkind to transit and bike/ped programs, and to cities in general.")
StreetsBlog DC

How Will Measure R Shape A Healthier Los Angeles? (The top 5 takeaways from a transit-oriented development "think tank" will be expanded upon at an urban marketplace, March 7, 2012)
Urban Land Institute

It's Official: Main Street In Venice Is On A Diet
StreetsBlog LA

Jerry Brown Says Cap-And-Trade Fees Will Fund High-Speed Rail
Sacramento Bee

Lawsuit Seeks 11th-Hour Reprieve For Redevelopment
California Planning & Development Report

Metrolink's 2011 Accomplishments Position Agency For Success In 2012
Breaking Travel News

Mica Set To Unveil New Tolling Plan For Interstates Tuesday
Transportation Nation

Ninth Circuit Remains Resolute In Its Support Of Cleaner Air In Los Angeles
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Santa Clarita Transit: How To Use Your TAP Card (video)
Santa Clarita City Briefs

Semi-Autonomous Road Train Trial Is A Success
Wired

SEPTA Launches Online Snapshot Of System Status
The Transit Wire
System Status Webpage

Social Media Trumps Driving Among Today's Teens
Forbes

Streetcars To Return To The District (Washington D.C.'s last streetcars disappeared 50 years ago this weekend, but they are slated to return in 2013)
Washington Post

Toll Lanes Are Under Consideration For Inland Empire Freeways
San Bernardino Sun

Traffic Jam Economics ("Urban congestion exemplifies the larger problem of effectively coordinating individual decisions to use largely unpriced goods like roads.")
New York Times

Train In Vain: The Idiotic Department Of Transportation Rule That's Hobbled America's Mass Transit -- And The Wonderful Regulation That May Soon Replace It
Slate

Why Conservatives Should Support Smart Growth
Natural Resources Defense Council Switchboard Blog

Why More People Should Ride Mass Transit
Reason

Will SF's Leaders Turn Transport Policy Innovations Into Lasting Change?
StreetsBlog SF

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.