Category Archives: Transportation Headlines

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Transportation headlines, Friday, 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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

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A Pasadena-bound Gold Line train crosses the Arroyo Seco earlier this week. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

This date in history: Metrolink begins! (Primary Resources)

On Metrolink’s 20th anniversary, an excellent post explaining how commuter rail returned to Los Angeles County after a long absence. It started with the purchase of track and the rights to use Union Station from the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, respectively. Check out the 10-minute video from 1992 included in the post.

Metro, AEG agree to expand Pico Station for Farmer’s Field (Daily News)

Good to see one daily newspaper in town will still attend Metro Board meetings! The article looks at the Metro Board’s approval yesterday of a funding agreement with AEG to add capacity to the Blue and Expo line’s Pico Station that is a short walk from the proposed site of the Farmers Field football stadium. Under the deal, AEG will pay for a second platform on the southbound tracks, the makeover of the existing platform and staff Metro needs to help with crowds at Pico Station and other downtown Metro stations.

South Pasadena Council resolves to support Measure J (San Gabriel Valley Tribune)

Despite protests from those opposed to a possible tunnel to close the 710 gap, South Pasadena joins councils in Glendale and La Canada-Flintridge in supporting the extension of the Measure R half-cent sales tax. The mayor of South Pasadena said he hopes J money will be steered to more transit projects.

Transit initiatives are giving a boost to businesses, report says (New York Times)

The study by New York City’s transportation department finds that its efforts to add pedestrian plazas, bike lanes and bus lanes has given a pronounced bump at nearby businesses. Critics of the city’s policies have complained that such initiatives make traffic worse and get in the way of access to local firms, but the city says it has data while such gripes are based only on anecdotal evidence.

And I belatedly catch up with this cool video about a cardboard bike that could be used to enhance mobility in places where bikes and money are in short supply.

Izhar cardboard bike project from Giora Kariv on Vimeo.

Transportation headlines, Thursday, Oct. 25

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription orRSS feed. 

Mobility Summit concludes L.A. County should prepare for high-speed rail (LA Daily News)

While funding remains a question, transit experts at the Valley Mobility Summit 2012 in Valencia Monday concluded optimistically that high-speed rail is heading our way and L.A. County transit agencies need to coordinate planning efforts to take full advantage of it. Who knows? Maybe planning for high-speed rail would develop into a new kind of coordination that could significantly benefit our region.

Smart highways will charge your car and tell you what the weather is (TreeHugger)

Yes, we know these things won’t happen tomorrow but it’s always fun to fantasize about how smart highways may improve the chore of driving.

BH City Council votes on Measure J position (Beverly Hills Patch)

Following two hours of council discussion and a dozen public comments, the Beverly Hills City Council Tuesday voted to support a resolution that “does not take a position in support of Measure J,” the Nov. 6 ballot initiative that would extend the Measure R half-cent sales tax for transportation until 2069. 

D.C. Metro shows off cool new rail car (Washington Post)

The new car design addresses many of the concerns D.C. area riders have been complaining about for years. No more man-eating doors, for one.

Transportation headlines, Wednesday, Oct. 24

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

ART OF TRANSIT: The tail end of a Metro Gold Line train on the bridge crossing the Pasadena Freeway and the Arroyo Seco on Tuesday evening. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Climate of Doubt (Frontline PBS)

Curious why climate change has been almost completely absent from this year’s presidential race? This excellent report from Frontline looks at the groups that have spent considerable sums of money and effort to raise doubts about the science behind global warming — and to instill fear in legislators, even Republicans, who dare to believe the Earth may be warming. If you have 53 minutes, I strongly urge you to watch this program. And I’ll include my usual notation that taking transit is a good way to lower your carbon footprint.

Developer in Gold Line dispute releases letter (Monrovia Patch)

The developer has sued the city of Monrovia, alleging that land near the future Monrovia Station for the Gold Line Foothill Extension that was entitled for a large residential development project will instead be used as a parking structure for the station. I certainly don’t know the details on the dispute; I do know the area and hope that the future station has both adequate parking and needed development.

Work begins on L.A.’s tallest tower (Curbed L.A.)

Demolition of the Wilshire Grand is underway to clear the way for a 70-story office and hotel at Wilshire and Figueroa, a transit adjacent site, thank you. The new building will be the second-tallest in downtown Los Angeles — U.S. Bank Building still will hold top honors — and will include high-speed elevators to whisk visitors to a hotel lobby in the sky near the top of the building. Interesting. In related news, Curbed L.A. has the news of new renderings of the proposed office and hotel towers that would be on either side of the Capitol Records building, near the Red Line’s Hollywood/Vine station. The development is controversial but would certainly help with Hollywood’s revival — something I think is far from complete.

SFMTA combines contracts for Central Subway project (San Francisco Examiner)

After originally proposing to put four bids out — one for each of the three stations and a fourth for operations system management — the MTA decided to combine the four contracts into one. There was some speculation that perhaps this was done after Tutor-Saliba received the highest score for one of the station contracts — the contractor and the city have had legal disputes in the past — but officials say the move was done to save $20- $30-million.

Beverly Hills Council votes ‘not to take position in support of Measure J’ (Beverly Hills Courier)

The top of the story:

After almost three hours of deliberation, the Beverly Hills City Council failed to take a formal position to back the Board of Education in its opposition of Measure J, voting 4-1 to “not take a position in support of Measure J” at its study session on Tuesday afternoon.

The vote on the symbolic resolution was 4 to 1, with Councilman John Mirisch opposing and saying “Not supporting something is not the same as opposing it.” The vote was hardly surprising; the city of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Unified School District have sued Metro in an attempt to stop the Westside Subway Extension from tunneling part of the Beverly Hills High School campus.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is that it lacks the usual editorial comments inserted into the news by the Courier’s editors and/or publisher about the subway and positions that politicians should take. The Courier promises more coverage of the vote on the symbolic resolution in its print edition.

Another pro sports team gets transit-friendly (New York Times)

The New York Islanders are leaving their current arena on Long Island — the one surrounded by acres of parking lots and not terribly near transit — and moving to the new Barclay Arena in Brooklyn. That means the Islanders new home will be a stone’s throw from multiple subway lines connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan and Queens, as well as a Long Island Railroad hub. Sounds like a smart plan. Ebbetts Field, former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was located near the Prospect Park subway station. Meanwhile on the Left Coast, CBS Sports reports that the NFL wants a new stadium to be in Chavez Ravine and its acres and acres and acres of parking lots. It should be noted the CBS Sports story relied only on “league sources,” none of whom were named.

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Oct. 23

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

For those who missed, there was a booth at the Taste of Soul Festival on Crenshaw Boulevard on Saturday with information from Metro and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy about Metro’s new Careers Construction Policy to help workers get apprenticeships and jobs building Metro projects. For more info, please visit http://www.metro.net/about/pla/

OCTA Board rejects toll lanes for I-405 (Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch)

The Board voted 12 to 4 in rejecting a proposal supported by OCTA staff to convert the existing carpool lanes to toll lanes between the 73 and 605 freeways. Among the issues raised were the cost of tolls and the potential for freeway traffic to spill onto local streets. The Board instead voted to add one general traffic lane in both directions to the 405 between the 73 and 605 at a cost of $1.3 billion. Sounds like OCTA staff do not believe that’s sufficient for growing traffic in the region. On a side note, I think the Patch’s story is much more clear than the Register’s story.

L.A.’s Orange Line shows the way for Montgomery County’s BRT (Greater Greater Washington)

Blogger Dan Reed rode the Orange Line during his visit to L.A. for last week’s Rail-Volution conference. And he liked what he saw:

Why does the Orange Line work? It goes where people want to go, it’s frequent, and it connects to the subway, major bus routes, and commuter rail. But more importantly, it gives riders a fast, pleasant experience that rivals driving in a place known for its car culture….

What makes the Orange Line really effective, however, is that buses have their own special lanes for the entire 18-mile route, the result of using a former rail line and a wide boulevard. There are also special sensors that turn stoplights green when buses approach so they don’t have to stop. This allows buses to reach speeds of up to 55 miles an hour, cutting commutes across the Valley nearly in half and making it as fast, if not faster, than driving. The busway is lushly landscaped, while a popular bike and foot path runs alongside it. The result is a commute that’s not only convenient, but very pleasant.

Reed believes the Orange Line could serve as a model for a BRT proposal in suburban Washington D.C. It’s always interesting to hear the perspective of an outsider –  and I know from our comments section, some of you disagree with the above.

Westsiders could shut down Expo Line Phase 2 work, starting this week (Curbed LA)

Curbed LA reports that a group of Cheviot Hills homeowners who have sued over the Expo Line Phase 2 light rail extension to Santa Monica have asked the California Supreme Court to halt construction on the $1.5 billion project, which could delay the train by at least a year, cost taxpayers $90 million and put thousands out of work. Stay tuned to find out if they succeed. In the meantime, here’s more info on Expo and here’s the legal brief filed by the Expo Line Construction Authority in the lawsuit.

Diesel fumes more polluting than gas, new California study finds (L.A. Times)

A study that appeared Monday in the journal PNAS says diesel fuel emissions are more polluting than previously thought. The study focuses on a specific form of pollutant known as secondary organic aerosol, or SOA. The pollutant is a major element of smog, it can contribute to heart and respiratory problems and there’s lots more of it in diesel emissions than in gas … further support for Metro’s January, 2011 move to a 100 percent clean-fueled bus fleet. Metro retired its last diesel bus at that time.

Commuters’ privacy is being clipped (San Francisco Chronicle)

The Chronicle’s editorial page says that Clipper Cards — the Bay Area’s version of TAP cards — are collecting detailed information on where individual commuters are traveling. As a result, the editorial board wants the cards to offer some type of disclosure policy to inform customers that data is being collected about them. I agree with the reader who emailed me the link and wrote: “The editorial’s slightly alarmist; while the Clipper Service Bureau may have your life history at their fingertips, someone who scans a Clipper Card won’t. There’s relatively little storage space on the chip — enough for about three weeks of recent trips on average.”

Amtrak hits record speed in Illinois (Welcome to the Fast Lane)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blogs about the test train last Friday that hit speeds of 111 miles per hour — noticeably faster than the old 79 mph speed limit on the tracks between Normal and Joliet. It’s part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to increase inter-city train speeds in the U.S. Although proposals for bullet trains have been resisted outside California, the Administration has had some success in terms of upgrading tracks to boost Amtrak speeds.

Transportation headlines, Monday, Oct. 22

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

Bakersfield City Council takes first step toward bullet train lawsuit (Bakersfield Now)

The Council voted last week to hire an attorney to sue the California High-Speed Rail Authority because its environmental studies for the bullet train project allegedly do not meet the requirements for state law. There are currently three different routes proposed for the train in the Bakersfield area and the Council said it has a number of concerns about mitigations for the project. Of course, the first segment of the project that is supposed to be constructed runs from Madera (near Fresno) to Bakersfield and it seems a lawsuit could likely impact that.

Foes of transit tax face uphill battle (L.A. Times)

In this news story, The Times likens opponents of Measure J are cast as “David” and supporters are called “well-heeled” and “Goliaths.”

OCTA considering 405 toll lane plan today (O.C. Register)

The staff recommended plan would convert existing carpool lanes to tolled express lanes between the L.A. County Line and the 73. A Board committee last month registered their opposition and the big decision by the OCTA Board comes today. I'll update this post when I know how it all went down.

 


Transportation headlines, Friday, Oct. 19

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

The design for the new 6th Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River. Rendering: HNTB.

HNTB chosen as winner of 6th Street Bridge (Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa)

The existing viaduct needs to be replaced because of structural issues. I think the new design is nicer than the old one. I also think a lot of work needs to be done on the river and the area surrounding the bridge.

Patsaouras Plaza busway station hits snag (L.A. Streetsblog)

A problem with the bids submitted to build the bus platform for the Silver Line along the south side of the plaza could threaten a hopeful completion date of 2014. All three bids were overbudget.

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich joins Beverly Hills, L.A. groups in coalition to defeat Measure J (Beverly Hills Courier)

Coverage of Thursday’s news conference outside Metro headquarters by the Coalition to Defeat Measure J. The news article says the coalition is fighting against what the reporters call Metro’s “lies and broken promises.”

Woman in wheelchair dies of injuries suffered in fall on Metro escalator (L.A. Times)

Coverage of a tragic accident at the Red Line’s Hollywood & Highland station on Tuesday afternoon. An investigation is underway; an elevator at the station was out of service at the time. And please — under no circumstance should wheelchairs attempt to use escalators. If you see someone attempt this, please dissuade them and, if need be, contact the authorities for help.

S.F. Transbay Terminal skyscraper gets final approvals (San Francisco Chronicle)

The 1,071-foot building — more than 200 feet higher than the Transamerica Pyramid — cleared its final hurdle with the city’s Planning Commission. Funding, however, remains an issue, although proponents say having entitlements in place could help attract the dollars needed. Despite concerns over the new building’s size, bulk and shadows it will cast — brrr! — city officials say the tower will provide needed office space near (and above) transit. The Transbay Terminal is the planned home to San Francisco’s high-speed rail hub provided the bullet train project gets the funding to get there.

 


Transportation headlines, Thursday, Oct. 18

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

Honolulu is in the midst of a light rail versus bus rapid transit debate. Above the Orange Line's Reseda Station. Photo by Dan Reed, via Flickr creative commons.

BRT costs less than rail but it offers less and is a safety hazard (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

In this opinion piece, Supervisor and Metro Board Member offers his perspective on a light rail versus bus rapid transit debate that is ongoing in Honolulu. And he doesn't mince words, explaining that he fought for the Crenshaw/LAX Line to be light rail because of several advantages he believes it holds over bus rapid transit. In particular, it's faster, more reliable and would do more to elevate the quality of life in neighborhoods near the line.

Ridley-Thomas also says that in Los Angeles, the Orange Line was a good option because it was built on an existing rail right-of-way and didn't disrupt existing streets. But he says the Orange Line has also offered some lessons — it's slower than he said was promised (only reducing travel time by 29 seconds per mile, he says) and it has to deal with too many intersections (unlike grade-separated trains).

Pretty interesting read! Of course, many light rail lines — including the Crenshaw/LAX Line — will still have to deal with at-grade crossings, although many of Metro Rail's crossings are gated. In the case of the Crenshaw/LAX Line, about half of the line will be below ground or on aerial structures — one reason the budget for the project is $1.75 billion. The Star-Advertiser requires registration in order to see articles.

Expo Line to Santa Monica going full throttle (Curbed LA)

Even with a lawsuit from homeowners in the Cheviot Hills area before the state Supreme Court, construction is visible at many sites on the Expo Phase 2 route.

A giant step for L.A. (ZevWeb)

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's website has a nice feature on Margot Ocanas, the city of Los Angeles' new (and first) pedestrian coordinator. Excerpt:

Their mission: making life better for walkers on streets that often were built mostly to enable automobiles get from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible. The tools of transformation include reshaping lanes and crosswalks, changing signs and signals—anything to foster calmer corridors and reduce the “raceway mentality” that’s rampant on many streets.

South L.A. opposition to Measure J (Intersections South L.A./USC)

A brief look at several groups, including the Bus Riders Union, opposed to the ballot measure seeking to extend the Measure R half-cent sales tax from 2039 to 2069 in order to accelerate transit and road projects.

 

Transportation headlines, Wednesday, Oct. 17

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

There’s a terrific gallery of photos of the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s big move through the streets of Inglewood and Los Angeles this past weekend at the Atlantic’s website. The several hundred photos I shot suddenly don’t look so good!

Domestic oil production — shown here in North Dakota — has been a topic of conversation for the presidential candidates. Photo by Almost-Natural Photography, via Flickr creative commons.

Obama and Romney spar over energy in second debate, ignore climate change (Grist)

The issue simply never came up and neither candidate seemed too interested in interjecting it into the conversation (if that’s the right word). Moderator Candy Crowley said that a member of the audience wanted to ask about climate change, but she wasn’t able to squeeze that into the debate. Otherwise, the debate featured some bickering over energy policy with President Obama defending the pursuit of cleaner fuels and Mitt Romney alleging the Obama Administration should be blamed for high gas prices.

Energy facts, and a few fibs, on display at presidential debate (Huffington Post)

Excellent article by Tom Zeller Jr. that fact checks the candidates’ statements last night. Guess what? Much of what was said lacked context and barely hewed to established fact! The gist of it: Gas prices were sky-high during the Bush Administration, fell sharply due to the recession at the beginning of Obama’s term in office and have since risen back to where they were under Bush. On the other side of the coin, much of the rise in domestic energy production began under President Bush and can also be attributed to large operations to recover shale oil on private lands in Montana and North Dakota.

Is U.S. Transportation Secretary preparing for departure? (Politico)

Ray LaHood had previously said that he would stay on the job for one term and not run for public office again (he previously served in the House of Representatives). But he has recently dropped hints that he might be persuaded to stay if President Obama is re-elected next month. LaHood has pushed for a national texting-while-driving ban and may want to see through other safety initiatives.

 

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Oct. 16

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

West L.A. car dealership wants to build a T.O.D. (Curbed L.A.)

Martin Cadillac has been a fixture at Olympic and Bundy for decades. With the second phase of the Expo Line soon bringing transit to the neighborhood, the dealership seeks to build a transit-oriented development (“live, work, play”) to help people reduce the need to be in a car — while also retaining part of the auto dealership. Fascinating and great job with the video! As the saying goes, times change.

Berkeley street goes car free for a day (S.F. Streetsblog)

The East Bay city hosts its own CicLAvia event, shuttering 17 blocks of Shattuck Avenue on Sunday (about a mile). Turnout was estimated at 30,000 to 40,000, we can boast that our CicLAvia is in every way bigger.

Divergent opinions on Measure J (CityWatch)

Matthew Hetz argues for it, Damien Goodmon against.

How not to design a separated bike lane (Treehugger)

Contrasting Toronto to Montreal, the Hugger says the good bike lanes have big curbs that trucks won’t drive over. See the pics in the post.

Obama-backed battery maker files for bankruptcy (New York Times)

It’s the second battery-maker this year that received federal support to file bankruptcy papers, although many others remain in business. The Times says it wouldn’t be surprising if Mitt Romney uses the filing in his campaign while the U.S. Energy Department notes that the firm, A123, is selling its assets and that nationally and globally batteries for electric cars remains a growing market.

Transportation headlines, Monday, Oct. 15

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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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour on Crenshaw Boulevard, just north of 54th Street on Saturday afternoon. I wish the shuttle parade would never end — it was that cool. Great day on Crenshaw on Saturday! Photo by Steve Hymon.

Yes on Measure J (L.A. Times)

The Times’ editorial board endorses the proposal by Metro to extend the Measure R half-cent sales tax for 30 years until 2069 in order to accelerate transit and road projects. The Times notes that not every project may be sped up — it depends on the amount of federally-backed loans that Metro could secure. But the newspaper lists a number of benefits that Measure J could allow: cheaper borrowing, lesser construction costs, the availability of transit projects to the riding public years or decades earlier and more jobs. The editorial board also argues that most parts of Los Angeles County will benefit because traffic is a burden to the regional economy and prevents people from getting to their jobs.

Yes on Measure J: it’s traffic relief in L.A. cheaper, faster (Daily News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune)

This editorial argues that congested freeways throughout Los Angeles County are one reason to support Measure J, which could speed up transit and highway projects. As for critics of the measure, the editorial board says there are sufficient protections in place to protect funds for a variety of projects.

Editorial: taxing the future for transit today (Orange County Register)

The editorial agrees with a public official from Beverly Hills that Measure J is a cautionary tale for Orange County, where voters in 2006 agreed to extend the Measure M sales tax for transportation projects until 2041. The Register also argues that “Asking now to extend the tax until 2069 is unsupportable given that officials cannot anticipate the technologies and population patterns nearly six decades into the future. The city and school district in Beverly Hills have sued Metro, alleging that the environmental studies for the Westside Subway Extension — which proposes to tunnel under part of the Beverly Hills High School campus — were inadequate.

Auckland: how a network redesign can transform a city’s possibilities (Human Transit)

Transit planner Jarrett Walker’s latest post is fascinating — and highly relevant to any big metro area. He was asked to help overhaul Auckland’s transit system. The result: a new system that includes more frequent service on more routes at more times. The catch? Excerpt:

Only the geometrically inevitable one: more people will have to make connections from one service to another, and the fare system will need to encourage rather than penalise that.Whenever someone tells you that it’s too expensive or hard to encourage people to make connections, ask them how expensive it is to run the only the first network above while spending enough money to run the second. Networks that are designed to prevent transferring must run massive volumes of half-empty and quarter-empty buses and still have trouble delivering frequencies that make the service worth waiting for. The waste involved can be colossal, as you can see from the amount of service we were able to redeploy in more useful ways with this redesign.

As you know, Metro doesn’t include transfers in the cost of its base fares. And as our friends in the media like to say, that raises the question: is that lack of transfer really paying off in terms of revenue and ridership? If you have wise-ness to share, comment please.