Category Archives: Transportation Headlines

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Transportation headlines, Tuesday, April 12

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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.

Gas prices hit new high for April (ABC)

The national average of $3.79 is the highest ever recorded for April. As a result, upticks in ridership are already being seen in some cities across the U.S. One export who is quoted says that he believes the true tipping point to change Americans’ driving behavior will be $5 a gallon gas.

Learning more about President’s cuts to high-speed rail (California High-Speed Rail blog)

The good news in the latest federal budget deal is that California won’t lose any of the money already awarded to its bullet train project by the feds. The bad news: President Obama’s national high-speed rail program took a $1.5-billion hit going forward and that could just be the beginning of the cuts, with Republicans targeting a program they consider wasteful.

Studies say natural gas has its own environmental problems (New York Times)

While natural gas is often lauded as being eco-friendly because it burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, a new study says it’s not so clean after all. Why? A lot of methane — the key component of natural gas — escapes during the drilling and shipping process. Officials from both the natural gas industry and and an environmental group NRDC question the study’s estimates. The production of natural gas has been ramped up in recent years with the backing of the federal government. Here’s a good story about gas drilling in Wyoming and groundwater pollution published by ProPublica and available for reading for free on Kindle devices and software.

Transportation headlines, Monday, April 11

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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 New Congress makes its claim on the budget (The Transport Politic)

A last minute budget agreement on Friday kept the federal government running for a short time, but The Transport Politic’s Yonah Freemark predicts that transportation and infrastructure spending will be the first to go in any final budget decision. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has proposed a budget that would make transportation the largest cutback, reducing spending by 55.6 percent. Freemark observes that the America Fast Forward plan has actually gained some steam because of Congress’ unwillingness to raise taxes for transportation spending.

Using CicLAvia to plan your streets (Placemaking Blog)

The second CicLAvia has come and gone, and while it was certainly a great event, it was just that – an event. How can we take the lessons learned from CicLAvia and apply it to our day-to-day lives? The Placemaking Blog says that the events, when held regularly, can create momentum for long-term change by engaging the community in livable streets issues in a way that’s not dry and bureaucratic. Yesterday’s event certainly opened up my eyes to the transformative potential of car-free streets in L.A.

Transit apps : benefit or crutch? (NexTransit)

NexTransit develops transit apps but wonders if technology is being used to take transit agencies and local governments off the hook from providing great transit service. If transit apps make unreliable service more bearable, will an agency do anything to address the unreliable service? My two cents: I think transit apps are just another tool that agencies can use to improve the customer experience in a world where the resources necessary to create a “perfect” transit system are often scarce.

Coming soon: look for a review of NexTransit’s NexTime app for iPhone here on The Source. It’s the first 3rd party app to use Metro’s new real time bus arrival data.


Transportation headlines, Fri., April 8

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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.

Forget the environment, high-speed rail is good for business (The Fast Lane)

Well, don’t actually forget about the environment. After all, high-speed trains are the least emitting form of travel per passenger mile. But the Fast Lane also wants you to know that building high-speed rail makes very good business sense. First there’s the immediate boost to employment in the construction industry. There is also permanent employment and increased economic activity near the line, argues the U.S. Department of Transportation. In the Los Angeles area alone, a statewide high-speed rail system would contribute 55,000 permanent jobs and boost the local economy by an extra $4.3 billion, according to advocates for the project.

How to play in the streets at CicLAvia this Sunday (GOOD)

Need a surefire plan for a good time at CicLAvia this Sunday? GOOD Magazine has you covered. First, writer Alissa Walker suggests that you make your way to the event via a group ride — there are numerous ones departing from all over town. Once you arrive, there’s a scavenger hunt in Little Tokyo, dodgeball at 7th and Valencia Street and host of other organized activities. Check out the GOOD story and the CicLAvia website for all the details.

Unconventional wisdom: Integrating transportation and energy Policy (The City Fix)

President Obama has started a national discussion on energy policy at the same time that Congress is holding hearings on the next surface transportation bill. Of course, those two are inextricably linked in America, given the extent to which our transportation system relies on petroleum. The City Fix’s Itir Sonuparlak has a detailed report from a conference hosted by the New America Foundation, where participants discussed a number of ways to better align energy and transportation policy. Among the options considered were raising the gas tax and supporting more transit-oriented development.

Transportation headlines, Wednesday, April 6

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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.

UITP marketing awards: public transport as part of modern urban lifestyle (The City Fix)

The above video is part of a series of clever, Pixar quality spots promoting an often neglected advertising market – public transit. The spots come from De Lijn, a Belgian transit agency that won top prize at the 2009 International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Marketing Awards. The awards promote the importance of marketing in public transit and according to a UITP executive, are “aimed at changing attitudes on public transit to influence performance, and, hopefully, demand.” You can watch another award-winning spot from De Lijn – this one featuring mass transit penguins – here.

LA County Metro puts new light rail line through its paces (KPCC)

KPCC hits the streets for this report on Metro’s Expo Line testing. Folks along the line seem excited about the testing and even more excited for full service to arrive. Another neat fact: this is the first time since 1950 that a passenger train has run along the Expo right-of-way.

A green lesson from the world’s most romantic cities (The Atlantic)

What do the romantic cities of the world – Paris, Venice, Rome and Vienna – have in common? Among other things: they’ve got no freeways running through their city centers. Instead, surface streets and boulevards handle the cars while wide sidewalks and public transit take care of the people (and lovers). Compare that to most American cities (L.A. included) where freeways and their massive (and unromantic) expanses of concrete tend to slice city centers into disconnected pieces.


Transportation headlines, Tuesday, April 5

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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.

Cost of driving has risen 3.4%, study finds (USA Today)

A study conducted by the Automobile Club of America (AAA) has found that the cost of driving increased 3.4 percent over the last year — from 56.6 cents per mile to 58.5. While it’s easy to identify that gas prices are a leading cause of the increase, AAA also notes that car depreciation — the loss of a vehicle’s value over time — increased over the year, as did the price of tires. The good news? Smaller cars seem to be retaining their resale value better as people shift away from big gas guzzlers.

Another green piece in South L.A.: First phase of wetlands open (KCET)

Earlier this month, the residents of South Los Angeles cut the ribbon on a brand new piece of green space called the South L.A. wetlands. What’s the transit connection? The park is located on a former Metro bus maintenance yard. In 2006, the city of Los Angeles allocated park funding to purchase the land. Beyond being a place for recreation, the park will also help capture and filter pollutants from storm water.

Westside light rail: It’s ALL about the land use! (CityWatch)

Writer Ken Alpen makes the case that the success of the Expo Line will depend in part on how the cities it serves take advantage of rail stations with adjacent transit-oriented development. According to Alpern, the key to good TOD planning is establishing a strong dialogue with the community and keeping new developments withing the same overall scale as the surrounding neighborhoods.

Transportation headlines, Monday, April 4

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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.
A commute too far (Wall Street Journal)

The WSJ uses a Metro employee who has a 174-mile roundtrip-commute (some by car, some by Metrolink) between Temecula and Los Angeles as an example of the 3.4 million Americans who have extreme commutes. And the WSJ doesn’t see that number shrinking soon. Excerpt:

Not only has the recession forced job seekers to widen their search radius, but out-of-reach home prices and households with multiple earners who commute to different workplaces are also major factors in the rise of extreme commuting. “It may not be very green, but the reality militates that most of us can’t live outside the gates of the factory any more,” says Mr. Pisarski.

The article also says that carpooling in the U.S. is way down since 1980 and offers tips to extreme commuters on finding carpool partners and staying healthy.

Desert Xpress feels like monorail redux (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Columnist Adrienne Packer recalls some of the promises made about the monorail in Vegas before it opened — specifically it would reach downtown and the airport and be a financial success. But ridership has dropped in the past couple of years and it costs $5 a ride. Packer hears similar promises being made about the proposed bullet train between Vegas and Victorville and wonders why anyone in Vegas traveling to L.A. would buy a rail ticket and then endure the expense of renting a car in Victorville to complete their journey.

SF Muni’s on-time performance slips slightly (S.F. Chronicle)

In the last quarter of 2010, the Muni’s on-time performance dropped to 71 percent — meaning 29 percent of buses, light rail and streetcars showed up four minutes late or more or more than one minute early. Officials say that one reason for the dip may be that some of the routes most recently analyzed are also more prone to being late because of regular delays along the way. Metro’s on-time performance was 77 percent in January and just under 75 percent in February, when weather may have been a factor. That’s up from 60 percent two years ago.

Transportation headlines, Friday, April 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.

Buses Add Car Racks to Ease L.A. Drivers’ Uneasy Transition to Transit (Planetizen)

Planetizen looks at Metro’s plans to replace bike racks on buses with car racks in hopes that it can attract more car-addicted Angelenos to public transit. Some riders have complained that the effort is lacking – the car racks can only hold two cars and are often full, prompting some riders to ask whether they should be allowed to bring their cars onboard in such cases. Also: Happy April Fools day!

L.A. public transit moves in wrong direction (L.A. Times)

In a column on the June bus service changes, David Lazarus writes that he’s pleased that Metro is balancing its budget and that Metro’s fares are amongst the lowest in the nation. But he also adds that Metro’s service reductions in the name of improved efficiency are a bad thing and that he’d gladly pay “a good deal more” to live in a region in which mass transit was much more prevalent and convenient to ride. Our two cents: that’s precisely why Metro is pushing hard to accelerate the construction of 12 rail and bus transit projects to be funded by the Measure R sales tax increase approved by voters in 2008.

Study Finds Access to Real-Time Mobile Information Could Raise Status of Public Transit:  Part I, Part  II, and Part III (Next American City)

We covered part I of this series in a previous transportation headlines roundup, but with part III the series is complete and worth a review. Based on a study that took drivers in Boston and San Francisco out of their cars and onto public transit for a week this report has some great insights on the need and desires of the so-called discretionary riders. The information and recommendation on mobile apps could be of real help to developers taking Metro’s Developer Challenge and Metro staff looking for ways to reach an increasingly tech connected customer base.

Our View: Riding the rails to the ballpark (Pasadena Star News)

The editors at Pasadena Star News are very happy that L.A. has suddenly become a place where you can get to  baseball games via mass transit – and they’d like to see that kind of accessibility extended to more special events around town. Thanks to the Dodger Stadium Express and the new Metrolink service to Angels games at Anaheim Stadium Angelenos now have the ability to go to the ball game without fretting about traffic and parking. The Star News calls it a transit triple play: fans save money, traffic is reduced and air quality is improved.


Transportation headlines, Thursday, March 31

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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.

Villaraigosa and Boxer are joined by GOP and business leaders in call for more federal transportation money (Los Angeles Times)

Which Way L.A.? Mayor Villaraigosa and ‘America Fast Forward (KCRW)

The news conference on America Fast Forward held Wednesday in Washington sparked considerable media coverage. As the Times notes, the proposal to use federal loans to build transit more quickly is one of the few things in D.C. with bipartisan support. On KCRW, Metro Board Member Villaraigosa touts the plan and notes that it also jibes with President Obama’s national energy policy. Check out the nice brochure produced by Metro on the AFF plan and here is 22 minutes of video from the news conference.

Wilshire Grand light district approved by City Council (L.A. Times)

The two new skyscrapers near the 7th/Metro Center rail station will be allowed to show digital ads on the exterior of the bottom 10 stories and other “artistic lighting” higher up. The developer’s website has renderings of the buildings that — to me, at least — seem attractive and an improvement over what’s currently there. The developer also says Half Dome in Yosemite was the inspiration for the structures. Not sure I see the resemblance on that count.

Obama calls for slashing U.S. oil use (New York Times)

The President said he wants to reduce the nation’s oil use by three to four million barrels a day by 2025. How? The president called for producing more electric cars, converting trucks to run on natural gas, building new refineries to brew billions of gallons of biofuels and increasing fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles. Congress has been debating these measures for years,” reports the Times.



Transportation headlines, Wednesday, March 30

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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 committee outlines plans for transportation legislation (National League of Cities)

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, has been leading a listening tour for the last several months to hear what states around the country would like to see in the next six-year transportation bill. Along the way, Mica has dropped hints about what the broad outlines of the bill are likely to be and the National League of Cities is reading the tea leaves. Of particular importance, the NLC thinks that the bill will only pay for investments that can be covered by the current gas tax. Attentive readers will recall that the gas tax revenues are perpetually declining due to inflation and more fuel efficient vehicles. Thus, the federal bill could end up being smaller than some transportation advocates had hoped.

Barack Obama moves to slash oil imports (Politico)

On a parallel track, President Obama is restarting discussions on crafting a national energy policy that would reduce American dependence on foreign oil. His plan would shrink oil imports by one-third over the next decade by incentivizing domestic oil production and the adoption of alternative fuels. How energy legislation plays out will likely impact America’s transportation system. Although, without concrete policy proposals on the table yet, it’s difficult to speculate how at this point.

Transport 2050: The European Commission transforms transportation (The City Fix)

While the U.S. is planning its national transportation strategy, it is illustrative to see how Europe envisions its own transportation future. The European Commission’s recently released blueprint, Transport 2050, outlines a variety of strategies to improve mobility, reduce carbon emissions, and provide employment opportunities. Some of the plan’s targets include eliminating fossil fuel vehicles from city centers by 2030, creating a fully integrated European transportation network, and reducing road fatalities to zero by 2050. While these ambitions may sound lofty, the European Commission notes that “oil prices are projected to more than double between 2005 levels and 2050″ — so better to start preparing now.

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, March 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.

$5-a-gallon gasoline may be on the horizon (L.A. Daily News)

The headline says it all. Drivers, this summer prepare yourself for some sticker shock at the pump as gas prices are expected to hit $5 by the end of August. Currently the average price of a gallon of gas in L.A. is $4.04. Experts say the spike in fuel costs is due to anxiety from Wall Street investors over turmoil in the Middle East.

Countdown to DesertXpress begins (Fast Lane)

Last Friday the Federal Railroad Administration released the final environmental impact report for the $6-billion DesertXpress that would provide high-speed rail service between Victorville, CA, and Las Vegas. The trip would take 85 minutes – about half the time of the best-case car trip – and tracks would run along the 15 freeway. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is really pushing the job creation benefits of this line — although there are still big funding challenges ahead:

“Just think about the possibility.  Factory workers building electric-powered trains. Engineers laying new track.  Conductors, operators and ticket-takers helping passengers speed to their destinations.  Americans of every trade advancing down the track to a better future.”

Buses vs. rail, and other pointless arguments (CityWatch)

Ken Alpern of the Transit Coalition tackles the bus versus rail rhetoric that has been brought up recently in light of Metro’s planned bus service cuts. Alpern sees it as a manufactured argument and notes that rail riders and bus riders are the same  people – citizens looking to go from point A to point B. Alpern believes buses compliment rail in much the same way that surface streets compliment freeways and that developing both efficiently is best for everyone.