Category Archives: Transportation News

Transportation headlines, Wednesday, Nov. 3

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

House chairman of transportation committee loses reelection (Minnesota Public Radio/AP)

James Oberstar, the Minnesotan and Democrat who had served 18 terms in the House of Representatives, lost to Republican challenger Chuck Cravaack. Oberstar has for the past couple of years been touting a massive expansion of federal spending on transportation as part of the reauthorization of the transportation bill. He never quite got traction, with the White House pursuing other legislation since Barack Obama took office in 2008. It remained to be seen how much Oberstar would have embraced the 30/10 Initiative, Metro’s effort to rewrite federal law to make it easier for regions to use federal loans and other financing to build transit projects. And now it remains to be seen how 30/10 will fair in a Republican-controlled House with a Republican in charge of the transpo committee. The transportation bill is already two years overdue, although the White House and some in Congress have indicated it will be written and voted on next year.

Boxer wins reelection to U.S. Senate (Mercury News)

While Oberstar is out, the biggest champion of 30/10 in the U.S. Senate won reelection last night with a win over challenger Carly Fiorina. It was Boxer who last month announced the $546-million federal loan the Crenshaw/LAX light rail project — a loan that the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated was in the spirit of the 30/10 proposal. Boxer chairs the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, which is an influential post. Still, as of this hour the power has shifted in the Senate, with the Democrats losing at least six seats with three election contests still undecided.

Transportation measures win around the country (Center for Transportation Excellence)

As of this hour, 41 of 55 measures had been approved, although many were small or not calling for new spending. A $125-million bond measure in the transit-friendly Portland, Oregon, area lost.

Survey indicates many Americans might use high-speed rail (APTA)

The American Public Transportation Assn. reports that based on a survey of 24,711 Americans, 62% said they would use high-speed rail for business or leisure travel if it was an option. The survey comes as the feds have issued more grants to high-speed rail projects around the country (which APTA applauds). It is probably worth noting that APTA also represents many private consulting and engineering firms that would like to win contracts to build high-speed rail projects. Story idea for an enterprising reporter: was sprinkling high-speed rail money across many Congressional districts across the U.S. a good strategy for the White House?

Daily transit forecast for Wednesday, Nov. 3

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For a complete list of planned service advisories please visit the Service Updates page on Metro.net. And for the latest service alerts follow @MetroLAalerts on Twitter.

Blue Line

Due to Expo construction work after 8:15pm, trains run every 30 minutes.

Northbound trains leave Transit Mall at 8:16pm, 8:46pm and every 30 minutes through 10:46pm, then 11:21pm. Trains from Transit Mall to Wardlow leave at 11:43pm, 12:13am, 12:43am, 1:18am, 1:25am and 1:43am.

Southbound trains leave 7th St./Metro Center at 9:15pm, 9:45pm and every 30 minutes through 11:45pm, then 12:20am, 12:27am and 12:45am.

Dates: Through Nov. 4.

Green Line

Due to track maintenance after 8:30pm, westbound trains will leave 8 minutes earlier than regular schedule.

Trains will depart Norwalk at 8:42pm, 9:02pm, 9:22pm and every 20 minutes until 12:02am, then regular schedule.

Dates: Through Nov. 4.

Gold Line

Due to vehicle testing after 9pm, Northbound trains from Union Station to Pasadena will leave 7 minutes later than regular schedule.  Trains will leave at 9:01pm, 9:21pm, 9:41pm and every 20 minutes through to last train at 12:01am.

Dates: Through Nov. 3.

Lines 92, 733

Due to public viewing of LAPD Officer Joshua Cullins at Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium. Eastbound/Northbound buses will make the following detour: Regular route to Main St. and 5th St., then continue via Main St. to (R) 4th St.,
(L) Los Angeles St., (L) 1st St., (R) Main St. and regular route.

Dates: 11am-8pm, today only.


Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Nov. 2

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

The Westside subway and Beverly Hills 0-0-oh-no (L.A. Times)

Patt Morrison of the L.A. Times shares a  bit of history from L.A.’s transportation past. She tells the story of the planned Beverly Hills Freeway in the late 1950s and of the opposition it faced from none other than Beverly Hills. Morrison thinks there’s a lesson to be learned from this story as it relates to Beverly Hills’ current issues with the planned Westside subway.

The Safety Problem (Next American City)

Is fear keeping Americans off public transit? Although you’re far more likely to die or get hurt driving a car than being victimized by a criminal on a bus or train, a new study suggests that many people are scared to ride transit. Another study looked at Green Line stations in L.A. and found that the highest crime rates were at stations in the poorest neighborhoods. The question remains: what can transit agencies do to combat the perception of danger on transit?

A Tale of Two Stadiums: Contrasting World Series ballparks showcase advantages of transit-oriented development (CaliforniaStreets.org)

So the Giants won the World Series, but the real competition (at least for transit nerds) is which team has the most transit friendly stadium. The nerds at CaliforniaStreets.org give the pennant to the Giants in that race as well – the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX is surrounded by a sea of parking lots (with no mass transit service, as we noted in yesterday’s headlines) while the Giant’s AT&T Park in San Francisco is surrounded by mixed use development and is easily accessible by train, bus and even ferry. Just for fun I’ve thrown Dodger Stadium into the mix — check out the image below for a visual comparison of the area surrounding the three stadiums (all at the same scale). The Dodgers do have development plans for the area outside the stadium, including more greenspace, shops, restaurants and a museum devoted to the team.

Rangers vs. Giants vs Dodgers.

From left to right: Rangers Ballpark, AT&T Park and Dodger Stadium.

Transporation headlines, Monday, Nov. 1

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

Rangers strike out when it comes to public transit (SF Weekly)

The Texas Rangers play in Arlington, a city of 380,000 wedged between Dallas and Fort Worth — and a city without public transit. The Rangers ballpark, I believe, is one of the only Major League ballparks in the country without transit service — except for this trolley service for hotel guests — a distinction shared at times in recent years by the Dodgers until the advent of the Dodger Express bus between Union Station and Dodger Stadium. In San Francisco, a light rail line stops less than 100 yards from the ballpark entrance and there’s also bus and ferry service to games.

Pro football coming to downtown L.A.? (Daily News)

The folks at AEG — who own Staples Center and L.A. Live — say they can soon have deals in place to build a new football stadium/entertainment center adjacent to the L.A. Convention Center. No word yet on exactly who the teams will be, although media reports have frequently mentioned the Jacksonville Jaguars as a candidate for relocation. A competing effort has entitlements in place to build a stadium in the City of Industry. Either way, it seems wheels are in motion to ensure that the L.A. area has three giant football stadiums — the Coliseum, the Rose Bowl and whatever may get built in downtown or City of Industry. At least the downtown stadium would be near mass transit.

High-speed rail project is pork (Washington Post)

An opinion piece by Robert Samuelson alleges that the bullet train project in California — and high-speed rail projects in other states — wouldn’t serve enough people to make a dent in the state’s oil consumption, greenhouse gases or traffic. Sameulson, however, doesn’t get into the very interesting debate in some transpo circles about whether the billions the Obama Administration is spending on high-speed inter-city rail would have a greater impact if spent on urban mass transit.

Transportation headlines, Friday, Oct. 29

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

DOT Releases Second Round of High-Speed Rail Grants, Bringing Good News to California (The Transport Politic)

The Department of Transportation has announced another round of investments in high speed rail, this time to the tune of $2.5 billion straight from the FY 2010 budget. California will receive the biggest chunk – more than $900 million with $715 million of that earmarked specifically for the Central Valley. According to The Transport Politic our state now has enough funding to kick off construction, and with so much of the funding allocated to the Central Valley it makes sense to start there. It doesn’t hurt that there’s less local opposition in the Central Valley than in the more populous areas to the north and south.

Streetcar desire hits Pasadena (Pasadena Star-News)

Pasadena is the latest city to join the streetcar craze. A recently completed study with a price tag of $100,000 (funded by the city and local businesses) found that a streetcar could bring an economic boom to the city through increased property values and retail sales gains. But to compete for federal funding Pasadena would have to come up with up to $75 million to be considered.

New LADOT Bike Parking Map (LADOT Bike Blog)

The LADOT bloggers have put together a nice Google Map of the locations of all the bike racks installed in the past year – over 450 of them. The map will be updated as more racks are installed, and a professional map will be made once the inventory is complete. How many bike racks has LADOT provided to the city in total? Over 3,600 according the the blog.

Transportation headlines, Thursday, Oct. 28

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

MTA to choose routes for Westside subway, downtown light-rail connector (L.A. Times)

The Times takes a look at the big infrastructure decisions to be made at today’s Metro board meeting. Most of what’s covered should be familiar to Source readers, but there are some nice quotes from the Mayor and Metro planners to be found in the story.

Research Roundup: Spawl Crawl And Rethinking Peak Hour Commutes, The New Sharing Economy & Smart Mobility For The 21st Century (Primary Resources)

The Metro Library looks at a number of new studies released that are of interest to those who follow transportation issues. One study that stands out is about the “sharing economy” – it looks at various markets and opportunities for sharing goods and services. Car sharing is put under the category of “best new opportunities” while bike sharing is considered to have “low prior success”.

Richard Lenthall on the busways of Aimere, Netherlands (Human Transit)

A blogger from the Netherlands writes this guest post for Human Transit that takes a look at an efficient new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line in Aimere. The line is an example of BRT done right – without compromises – as it has a dedicated write of way and complete signal priority as it reaches intersections. The post includes some videos showcasing how it all works.

Tea Party candidate rides a bicycle (Cyclelicious)

An interesting look at a Pennsylvania Tea Party candidate who, despite the associations that come with the Tea Party label, gets around exclusively by bicycle and public transport. Here’s a choice quote from the conservative candidate: “The bicycle is just as productive and useful now as it was 100 years ago; we should bring this type of simplicity to the Federal government.”

Tomorrow's big Board of Directors meeting

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Attentive readers already know that Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Directors is an important one. The Board is scheduled to select a route for both the Westside Subway Extension and the Regional Connector and to vote on launching final environmental studies for both projects.

The studies are required by law and a necessary precursor to actual construction.

As many of you know, Board meetings are usually scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. The meeting tomorrow is set for a 9 a.m. start.

If you are planning on attending in person, keep in mind that the meeting likely will be crowded. I encourage you to arrive early. Caffeine is available right down the hall in the Metro cafeteria.

It’s also possible to listen to the meeting over the phone by dialing 213-922-6045.

Of course, we’ll be providing coverage of the meeting throughout the day on The Source.


Transportation headlines, Wednesday, Oct. 27

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

Does transit result in more cars? (Northeastern University Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy)

With rail transit expanding across the country, the Center looked at the impact on new neighborhoods. Excerpt:

Our research found that transit investment frequently changes the surrounding neighborhood. While patterns of neighborhood change vary, the most predominant pattern is one in which housing becomes more expensive, neighborhood residents become wealthier and vehicle ownership becomes more common. And in some of the newly transit-rich neighborhoods, the research reveals how a new transit station can set in motion a cycle of unintended consequences in which core transit users—such as renters and low income households—are priced out in favor of higher-income, car-owning residents who are less likely to use public transit for commuting.

That’s a provocative paragraph, of course, and if you read more of the summary by the Center you’ll also find plenty of caveats that new transit lines often don’t automatically lead to gentrification or profound neighborhood change. The study also suggests some policy tools to help ensure the transit dependent aren’t squeezed out of their neighborhoods by, well, transit.

Ginormous bus wants to invade America (Wired)

A Chinese firm that wants to manufacture a bus that runs on rails and straddles two lanes of traffic is setting its sights on marketing the vehicle in the U.S. They say it’s cheaper than a subway. My two cents: motorists who have always wanted to have their vehicles vacuumed up by a flying saucer will love it.

Bay area plans regional bike sharing program (S.F. Chronicle)

Officials say that next year 1,000 bikes will be available at rental stations along the Caltrain corridor on the San Francisco Peninsula. The hope is that commuters will use the bikes for short trips near the rail stations. Cycling activists hope the program will get more people out of their cars but also note that better bike lanes and routes will also be needed.

Does transit data need a wiki (transiki)

The blogger points out that transit data is still scattered across the world, in many different formats and with many different attitudes toward opening it to the public. In the meantime, private companies are building services that build transit data but it’s often impossible to pull the underlying data out.

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Oct. 26

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

More federal money for California’s bullet train (L.A. Times)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing $731 million for the project to link Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Francisco by high-speed rail. The money comes on top of $2.25-billion federal grant announced earlier this year and the $9.95-billion bond package approved by state voters in 2008. The project is estimated to cost $43 billion.

Ceremonial groundbreaking held for Oakland airport rail link (Mercury News)

Actual construction won’t begin for weeks or months, but dirt was trucked in so that public officials could hold an event now to celebrate a 3.1-mile tram they’re building to connect the BART’s Coliseum station to the Oakland airport (yes, a transfer should be required). It should be done in 2014. Here’s what the link will look like. I’m curious: does anyone know when ceremonial groundbreakings became the stand-in for real groundbreakings?

UCLA students can now take a bike out from the library (Be a Green Commuter)

And it only costs $35 a quarter, although I’m curious what the fines will be for overdue bikes. It’s a great idea and I hope cycling plays a major role in getting students from the future Westwood/UCLA subway station to campus. The station location hasn’t been determined yet — it will likely either be at Wilshire & Westwood or under lot 36, but both are about a mile from the middle of the UCLA campus.

Major traffic accident in Boyle Heights closes streets, access to Soto Station

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Metro has closed access to the Metro Gold Line Soto Station in Boyle Heights due to a major traffic accident at E. 1st St and Soto Ave. in Boyle Heights.

The accident, which did not involve Metro trains, occurred on surface streets near the entrance to the Soto Station. Emergency response units are utilizing the station plaza as a triage staging area for accident victims.

Gold Line trains are bypassing Soto Station with no delays to service. Customers are advised to use Mariachi Plaza or Indiana stations as an alternative.

UPDATE 5:30 p.m. Metro Bus lines 251, 252 on Soto Street; Lines 30, 751 on First Street are detouring around scene of accident. Area is not accessible for temporary signage but Metro supervisors are positioned to direct transit riders to boarding areas.

UPDATE 10:20 p.m. Soto Station is closed to service until accident investigation concludes. All trains continue to bypass station. Normal operation is expected to resume at start of service Tuesday a.m.