Today's Headlines - more at Metro

8/09/2012

Expo Lawsuit, Union Station, Beverly Hills Subway, WeHo Maglev, Measure R+, 710 Fwy, MAP-21 & More


August 9: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The Southern California Regional Rail Authority, parent agency of Metrolink, is formed)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

California Geological Survey Says BHUSD Report Does Not Adequately Assess Potential Seismic Issues At Beverly High (p. 4)
Beverly Hills Weekly

Congress' $20 Billion Tech Mandate: Make Trains Safer
Information Week

Derision Grows For Caltrans 710 Study That Argues For Massive Road Widening For Cleaner Air
StreetsBlog LA

Documenting And Preserving L.A.'s Olympic History
LA as Subject via KCET

Editorial: California Voters Face A Very Taxing Ballot Election Day -- With At Least 3 Initiatives
Los Angeles Daily News

Heathrow's Pod System Could Be Rolled Out To Other Airports
Airport World

Maglev Tube Transit Company Wants To Build Pilot In WeHo
Curbed LA

Metro Sorcerers Cast Spells Over 710 Expansion
Flying Pigeon LA

Monster Pothole In 405 Construction Zone Flattens Hella Tires, Backs Up Traffic For Miles
LA Weekly

Navigating MAP-21: How Much Money Will My State Get?
League Of American Cyclists

Olympic Cities: London Rethinks Its Iconic Underground Signage
This Big City

Opinion: A Golden State Train Wreck (George F. Will)
Washington Post

Our View: Westside Pols Game The East ("We are not against a major concentration on Downtown Los Angeles as a hub for rail transit, or against the Subway to the Sea. We are against L.A. city officials eating our metaphorical lunch, one we've paid for, by continuing to nickel-and- dime the Gold Line extension and Alameda Corridor transit issues important to our region.")
Pasadena Star-News

Pasadena Residents Express Strong Opposition To 710 Plan
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Supremes Will Hear Case In Neighbors For Smart Rail vs. Expo Construction Authority
StreetsBlog LA

Torrance Signs Off On Design For New $21M Transit Center
Daily Breeze

Voter ID Laws Marginalize People Without A Car
StreetsBlog DC

What Will LA Metro's Future Union Station Look Like? (How will the station's emerging master plan accommodate high-speed rail and development? Martha Welborne, Executive Director for Countywide Planning at Metro, discusses)
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

What's Up With Wayfinding?
LADOT Bike Blog

Worry At Both Ends Of Long Beach Freeway ("From Pasadena to the ports, residents are worried about plans to expand and extend the Long Beach Freeway.")
NBC Los Angeles


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.

8/08/2012

Measure R+, Blue Line, Olympic Boulevard, 710, Mobile Apps & More


August 8: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (The California State Highway Commission is created to implement road construction that will link all 58 state County Seats. Includes 1896 map for the project)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

7 Mobile App Development Tips For Local Governments
Government Technology

8 Improvements Suggested For The 110's Arroyo Seco Parkway
Curbed LA

710 Freeway Expansion Would "Improve Air Quality And Public Health," Says Metro; Residents Call B.S.
LA Weekly

After Emotional Metro Board Meeting, Blue Line Safety Back In Spotlight
StreetsBlog LA

Arroyo Seco Parkway Corridor Partnership Plan: Recommendations (28p. PDF : Includes transit interface recommendations)
Caltrans / SCAG

Bridge Construction Underway, Expo "Well On Its Way" ("Work starts to build bridge at Centinela Avenue for future light rail into Santa Monica from Culver City.")
Westwood-Century City Patch

Businesses Ask Judge To Stop Work On Downtown Light Rail
Curbed LA

Faster Commute Expected For Venice Bus Riders
Venice-Mar Vista Patch

Free Wi-Fi Catches On With NYC's Subway Riders
Associated Press

The Great 1920s Battle That Created Olympic Boulevard
Curbed LA

In Los Angeles, Ideas For A Quieter Wait For Mass Transit ("Sixteen of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority system's train and bus stations are located on freeway medians, where passengers wait for their train or bus as rivers of cars rush (or crawl) by on either side. The scenery is not particularly pleasant. Nor is the sound, which according to a new study could pose problems for agencies trying to convince more people to ride transit.")
The Atlantic: Cities
Passenger Exposure To Noise At Transit Platforms In Los Angeles (53p. PDF)
UCLA Luskin School Of Public Affairs Center For Innovation

In New NHTSA Report, Scarce Information On Causes Of Pedestrian Deaths
StreetsBlog DC
Traffic Safety Facts: Pedestrians (4p. PDF : The 4,280 pedestrian fatalities in 2010 were an increase of 4 percent from 2009, but a decrease of 13 percent from 2001.")
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

LA County Supervisors OK Tax Extension For Fall Ballot ("L.A. County lawmakers will let voters decide on an additional 30 years for Measure R to fund transportation projects, which would leave it in place until 2069.")
Los Angeles Times

LA Supervisors Approve Transit Tax Extension On Fall Ballot
CBS Los Angeles

LADOT To Complete York Boulevard Bike Lane
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

Latest 405 Widening Plan Would Spare Fairview Bridge In O.C.
Los Angeles Times

Local Policies And Practices That Support Safe Pedestrian Environments (97p. PDF)
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Measure R Tax Extension To Be On November Ballots
Beverly Hills Courier

Metro Expo Line Phase Two Bridge Construction Underway As Complaints Force Review Of Other Crossings
Rancho Park Online

Metro, LA County Leaders Seek Solutions To Blue Line Dangers
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Pasadena City Council Supports Caltrans Home Bill
Pasadena Sun

Planning Olympic Legacies: Transport Dreams And Urban Realities
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Proposed 710 Plan Could Make The Freeway 10 Lanes Wide
Curbed LA

Role Of Human Factors In Preventing Cargo Tank Truck Rollovers (72p. PDF)
Hazardous Materials cooperative Research Program

Transportation Energy Data Book (31st ed. : 422p. PDF)
U.S. Department Of Energy

Transportation Group: Atlanta Not A Bellwether For Transit Funding Votes
The Hill

Young People Aren't Buying Cars Because They're Buying Smart Phones Instead ("Young Americans aren't simply turning their back on buying cars. They're also turning their backs on driving..."A car is a symbol of freedom," one consumer researcher told Bloomberg. "But unlike previous years, there are many different ways that a Gen Y person can capture that freedom.")
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.


8/07/2012

Regional Connector, Metro Blue Line, Venice Rapid, DASH, MAP-21, Metrolink & More


August 7: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (100 years ago today, the first California state highway bond breaks ground on "Contract Number One" to build a highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Businesses Step Up Fight Against Regional Connector
Los Angeles Downtown News

The Changing Business Of Planning
Planetizen

Consultant, Professor Look To Bring Training For High-Speed Rail To UNLV
Vegas INC

DASH Downtown Bus Adds Two New Stops To Accomodate Expo Rail Line
Blog Downtown

FTA And MAP-21 A Powerful Combination For American Public Transportation
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Gauging The Real-World Value Of Real-Time Bus Arrival Data
Transit Talent

Glendale Councilman Holds Off On Bid To Save Metrolink Board Seat
Glendale News-Press

Hottest Neighborhoods In Los Angeles ("One of the best things about Culver City is that it’s becoming, and will surely be, a major hub for public transportation in Los Angeles. The Expo Line opened its Culver City stop last month, which makes traveling to Downtown a breeze.")
Fix And Flip

L.A. Blue Line's Deadly Record Alarms Officials
Los Angeles Times

L.A. County Supervisors To Vote On Whether To Put Measure R Extension On Ballot
Los Angeles Daily News

LA Port Cuts Emissions Half Or More Since 2005: Huge Success
Green Car Reports

Long Beach: Livingston Drive Repaving Comes With More Sharrows And Wider Sidewalks
StreetsBlog LA

Metro Board Can Move Measure R Funds With Two-Thirds Vote
StreetsBlog LA

New Dedicated Revenue Mechanisms For Freight Transportation Investment (webinar : August 8 : "Describes methods that might be used to raise revenue to support government investment in freight transportation facilities, primarily for highway transportation.")
Transportation Research Board

Public Transport At The Olympics Is Smooth Running -- So Far
Treehugger

SF Parking Plan's Message: Transit First ("San Francisco's aggressive plan to install thousands more parking meters and to expand the hours they operate has an overarching goal of making the streets friendlier for transit, cycling and walking.")
San Francisco Chronicle

This Is Why You Don't Mind-Meld With Your Smartphone In The Subway ("You know how the edges of subway tracks are equipped with textured flooring, so blind people can sense they're in peril of tumbling onto the tracks? Turns out even that is not enough to halt a person who's really bonding with their cell phone.")
The Atlantic: Cities

Venice Rapid Bus Gets Green Light For Signal Priority
Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles City Council, 11th District

"Walk Score" Is Great, But It Still Doesn't Capture "Walk Appeal"
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.

8/06/2012

Red/Orange Line Bridge, El Monte Busway, Wilshire Widening, Arroyo Seco, MAP-21, Bikes, 710, LA Port & More


The ABCs Of MAP-21 (webinar : August 13 : "The first of the Navigating MAP 21 webinar series, this session will explain the basics of the new law, what it means for bicyclists and how we can harness the opportunities to fund biking and walking projects and programs.")
Advocacy Advance
More Information

Arroyo Community Gears Up For 710 Battle
Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch

StreetsBlog DC


Caltrans Unveils Plan To Lower Speed Limit On 110 Freeway ("According to the plan, which was released to the public last month, the speed limit has played a large factor in the high number of traffic accidents along the stretch that runs from Glenarm Street in Pasadena to the I-5 junction.")
KTLA

Caltrans Wants To Change Speed Limit On Pasadena Freeway To 45 MPH
Los Angeles Daily News

Carmageddon Sequel Gets Positive Spin From City Officials
Los Angeles Times

City Withdraws Wilshire Boulevard Widening Amendment
Brentwood Patch

A "Grand Swap" For Transportation Funding ("As we saw in Atlanta this week, even a one-cent tax increase with bipartisan and business backing couldn't get enough voter support. Is a shuffling of resources, and not new taxes, the right solution? What do you think? Could a "grand swap" work? Or is the risk of devolution too strong? (Maybe the federal government could retain some role in projects of regional or national significance?) Is this solution too blunt or just right?")
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog

Late Gold Line Trains Appeal To Bar Hoppers, Restaurant Workers; El Monte Bus Line May Be Next (""I'm ecstatic. This will make a huge difference. I'll take the train a lot more"..."This one move I guarantee will cut the number of DUIs in half"..."Metro is evaluating whether to add late night service to the Silver Line express bus which runs from El Monte to Artesia.")
Whittier Daily News

MAP-21: Moving Ahead For Progress In The 21st Century -- Transforming The Way We Build, Manage, And Maintain Our Nation's Transit Systems (numerous documents explain the new federal transportation bill)
Federal Transit Administration

StreetsBlog LA

Metro Planning Pedestrian Bridge Over Lankershim Near Universal Red Line Station ("The news comes soon after an announced plan to build a tunnel near the North Hollywood Metro Station.")
North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Station

Metro Shows Off New Expo Line As USC First Home Kickoff Approaches
North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch

Nightly Closures Of Southbound 710 Freeway Planned In East L.A., Commerce
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

The Original Highway Code (A look back at emerging standards from the 1930s, 40s & 50s)
Streets MN

Records Indicate Problems With Safety Tests On Some California Bridges
McClatchy News

Safely Passing Bicyclists (Map of states with statutes regarding motorists passing bicyclists)
National Conference Of State Legislatures

A Summary Of Design, Policies And Operational Characteristics For Shared Bicycle/Bus Lanes (167p. PDF)
University Of South Florida Center For Urban Transportation Research

Track Design Handbook For Light Rail Transit, 2nd ed. (695p. PDF)
Transit Cooperative Research Program

What's The Best Way To Build New Highways: Private? Public? Tolls? Magic?
Transportation Nation


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.

8/03/2012

Expo Line, High Desert Corridor, BH Subway, DASH, 710 Fwy, Carmageddon II & More


7 Steps To Winning Federal Funding For Bike Ped Projects
Transportation Issues Daily

710 Freeway Project A "Big Moment" For Southeast, East L.A.

EGP News

All Aboard The Redlands Rail Project
Redlands Daily Facts

The Best Days To Commute In Metro Areas ("The typical Los Angeles area commuter with an hour round trip spends a combined 20 minutes delayed or sitting idle during Thursday rush-hour traffic, but only about 14 minutes on Mondays.")
Governing

Carmageddon 2: Don't Get Complacent, Officials Urge
NBC Los Angeles

Carmageddon Sequel To Get A Positive Spin ("L.A. city and county officials say apocalyptic traffic warnings for the 405 closure Sept. 29 and 30 aren't needed. Instead, they stress the joy of a carless weekend.")
Los Angeles Times

Cities Send Elected Reps, Not Planners, To 710 Freeway Extension Advisory Committee
Glendale News-Press

DASH Downtown Route D To Be Extended (Will now serve the Metro Expo Line)
LADOT

Does Transit Mean Business? Reconciling Academic, Organizational, And Political Perspectives On Reforming Transit Fare Policies (64p. PDF)
University Of California Transportation Center Report

DOT Doles Out $363 Million In Highway Funding
Transportation Nation
2012 Discretionary Grant Program Fact Sheets
Federal Highway Administration

Expo Line Board To Hire Track Expert To Assess Problem Junction
Los Angeles Times

Governors Get On Board With Smart Growth
StreetsBlog DC

High-Speed Rail Board OKs Plan For Caltrans To Shift Part Of Highway 99
Fresno Bee

LA Port's Pollution-Reduction Strategy Pays Off
Journal Of Commerce

"LA's Got Lines!" New Video Shows Future Of Our Transit System
LAist

Learning To Love Congestion (Argues that it’s time for cities to go beyond mobility and restore the market and social purposes of urban thoroughfares)
Planetizen

Los Angeles Map App By Caltrans Lets You Know Traffic Sucks In Real Time
LA Weekly

Map Of New Desert Highway Route Goes Online
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Martin Wachs And Brian D. Taylor: Lessons Of 1st Carmageddon In L.A. -- By The Numbers
Los Angeles Daily News

New MTA Chairman On The Beverly Hills Subway And Other Metro Projects
Beverly Hills Courier

Opinion: Los Angeles Gets Innovative On Jobs ("Undeterred, Villaraigosa assembled a nationwide coalition (called America Fast Forward) of state and local officials urging the creation of such a loan program through federally guaranteed bonds. He also persuaded both Democratic and Republican members of Congress that, with interest rates at an all-time low, this was an idea whose time had come. The bipartisan transportation bill that Congress passed and President Obama signed last month included funding for just such a program.")
Washington Post

Oregon Takes The Next Step In Moving Beyond The Gas Tax ("Rep. Earl Blumenauer likes to say that Oregon was the first state to adopt a gas tax and it will be the first state to get rid of it.")
StreetsBlog DC

Photos: Camageddon 2 Dates And Details Announced
Los Angeles Daily News

Public Transportation: An Untapped (So To Speak) Mobile Marketing Venue
Clickz
Mobile's Role In A Consumer's Media Day: Smartphones And Tablets Enable Seamless Digital Lives
ABI Research

Social Carpooling Lauches On East Coast With High Expectations
Transportation Nation

Taking The Bus In L.A....From Beverly Hills ("If you're feeling smug about your Prius, just how fuel efficient is it to drive downtown, say, from the Westside, when the red express bus is already going there? And back?")
CityWatch

Tunneling Below Second Avenue
New York Times

What The Georgia Vote Means For The Future Of Transportation ("In a race closely watched by transportation advocates and stakeholders across the country, Atlanta-area voters Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a plan for a 10-year, 1 percent sales tax that would have supported nearly $7.2 billion in transportation investments in a 10-county area surrounding the city.")
Governing

Wilshire Bl. To Be Repaved Sooner Than Expected
Park La Brea New Beverly Press


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.

8/02/2012

CEQA, 7th & Broadway, BRT Embraced Nationwide, 710, CAHSR, Parking Meters, Strollers & Shopping Carts & More


August 2: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Metro honors a local U.S. Congressman and renames a transit station for him)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

Applauding The Parking Meter Reversal In San Pedro And Wilmington
Los Angeles Daily News

Are PPPs The Way To Fund High-Speed Rail Construction?
International Railway Journal

Bus Rapid Transit Gaining Traction Despite Concerns ("Localities from San Francisco to Jacksonville, Fla., are embracing bus rapid transit -- even if not everyone in the transportation community is sold on the idea.")
Governing

City Abandons Plan To Take Brentwood Sidewalk Space For Bus Only Lanes
StreetsBlog LA

Council Adds 710 Freeway Voice ("Despite Metro request for non-elected leaders, city officials join committee.")
La Cañada Valley Sun

Editorial: A Second Bullet Train Fiasco Looms
San Diego Union-Tribune

Editorial: Make It Urban ("As Los Angeles makes major strides in redeveloping its core, Sam Lubell offers a reminder that the urban pattern must be preserved.")
Architect's Newspaper

Foothill Freeway Sound Wall Design Gets Going ("Two barriers along Meadow Grove area should be in place by 2014, officials say.")
La Cañada Valley Sun

Governor Brown Advocates For CEQA Reform To Address Climate Change
California High Speed Rail Blog

LaBonge Wants Safety Study Of Deadly Intersection Near Park La Brea
StreetsBlog LA

Looking For Gold: Re-Imagining Public Engagement Through Crowdsourcing
Talking Transportation

The Lowdown On Shopping Carts And Strollers On Metro Buses
USC Annenberg Intersections South LA

Needed For Transit: A Sense Of Fun
Better Cities & Towns

Opinion: Piece Of Mind -- Magical Thinking Doesn't Drown The Freeway Noise
La Cañada Valley Sun

Sales Tax Collections Rebounding ("The Measure A half-cent sales tax in Riverside County and Measure I in San Bernardino County bring in about a quarter-billion dollars annually for road widening, transit service and even paving your local streets and roads.")
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Seventh & Broadway: Photos Of Downtown's Crossroads Through The Decades (Numerous historic photos illustrate the story of what was once the busiest intersection in the world)
LA as Subject via KCET

Streetcar Tax Goes To Voters
Los Angeles Downtown News

Three Keys To Success With Next Federal Transportation Bill
Transportation Issues Daily

Two Tales About TIGER Grants
Politico

What AASHTO, NACO And Other Acronyms Tell Us About The Future Of Professional Guidance
Planetizen

White House Honors California High-Speed Rail Leader For Innovation
Los Angeles Times

Will JetBlue Offer BUR-LGB Flights For Carmageddon II?
LAist


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.

8/01/2012

Gold Line Foothill, Orange Line Extension, Measure R+, Caltrans, Alameda Corridor, Amtrak, XPressWest & More

August 1: This Date In Los Angeles Transportation History (Los Angeles makes history in breaking racial and gender barriers in transit operations)
Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog

The Alameda Corridor Has Success Written All Over It...Except For That Boat Load Of Debt
CityWatch

Amtrak Shifts Strategy From Begging For Money To Thinking Big
Bloomberg Business Week

At Last, Google Maps Shows Subway Alerts (for New York, at least)
Wall Street Journal

Dec. 28, 1952: A Night To Remember As Last Red Car Trolley Leaves The Valley (personal recollection includes many of the transit photos which Alan Weeks took as a youth in the 1950s)
North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch

Caltrans Announces QuickMap, An Online Service For Real-Time Travel And Traffic Information
Caltrans Press Release

Can Light Rail Carry A City's Transit System? ("It can if it's built right, as in Portland or San Diego, and new research explains why.")
The Atlantic Cities
Making A Successful LRT-Based Regional Transit System: Lessons From Five New Start Cities (24p. PDF)
University Of South Florida National Center For Transportation Research

The Cost Of America's Inefficient Sprawl ("William Fulton is vice president for policy and programs at Smart Growth America, and a former mayor of Ventura, California.")
CNN

Crews Clearing Way For Gold Line Extension
Glendora Patch

Downtown Streetcar Moving: Residents Will Vote On Tax
Curbed LA

Exploring Along The Orange Line Extension
KCET

Grand Park Is Great, But Not So Grand
Los Angeles Times

LA Streetcar Project Inches Closer To Securing Local Funding
Blog Downtown

Metro Rail/Metrolink Update: Signs, Lines And Paradigms ("It’s even better that Metro has as its CEO one Art Leahy who is as customer-focused as any transit agency has ever had.")
CityWatch

MetroCards Could Be Pieces Of A Gigantic Urban Puzzle
The Atlantic: Cities
Turning NYC's Iconic MetroCard Into A Massive Urban Game: Willy Wonka Would Approve
Fast Company Design
MetroCard Advertising
Mayday Mayday Mayday

No More Sunset For L.A. Transportation Projects Tax?
Land Line

Planned NYC Subway Disruptions Now Part Of Google Maps
Transportation Nation

Revival Of Downtown LA Streetcars Headed For Ballot
Los Angeles Times

SEPTA Wins Best Transit Award, Deserves Some Credit (And Criticism)
Next American City

Sound Of Your City: Trains ("The NPR Cities Project has been asking listeners to tell us about the heart of their city." Includes the Metro Gold Line stopping at Mariachi Plaza Station)
NPR

Spring Street Park To Enter Construction Phase This Week
Blog Downtown

Status Of Wilshire Repaving
StreetsBlog LA

Traveler Response To Transportation System Changes Handbook, Third Edition; Chapter 16, Pedestrian And Bicycle Facilities (503p. PDF)
Transit Cooperative Research Program

Voters Reject Transportation Tax ("The defeat of the 10-year, 1 percent sales tax leaves the Atlanta region's traffic congestion problem with no visible remedy. It marks failure not only for the tax but for the first attempt ever to unify the 10-county region's disparate voters behind a plan of action.")
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

White House Transportation "Champions" Didn't Get There By Car
StreetsBlog DC

XpressWest Awaits Federal Loan Decision
California High Speed Rail Blog

XPressWest High Speed Rail Line Would Extend California Bullet Train To Vegas
Huffington Post


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.