I have a thing for Census Bureau data and so does Planetizen: They have a smart post today showing the 10 metropolitan areas where transit use increased the most between 2006 and 2008. Riverside was — to my surprise — one of them, as was Phoenix. When I think of both cities, I think cars, cars and more cars. In Riverside, officials say they tried to strategically add service to areas with the highest demand.

The Biking in LA blog takes the city of Los Angeles to task for not moving faster on implemeting its bike master plan — thereby joining a long list of other activists who have also taken the city to task. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this could be one of the most bike friendly cities in the world if there was the willpower among both politicans and the populace — and I’m not sure either are there yet.

Here’s a headline not on the list…if you’ve been wondering what’s up with the newly-installed turnstiles at some Metro rail stations, Leylie Aghili of USC’s Neon Tommy takes a long look at the turnstile effort and its cost. It’s a good explainer that concludes with this sentence: “And it remains to be seen whether the turnstile initiative will prove to be a money-saving security measure or one more bureaucratic blunder that pushes the California deficit into an even deeper shade of red.”

The rest of today’s transpo headlines, compiled by the always-resourceful Metro library, are after the jump.

1 Clean Truck Program, 2 Ports, And Now 2 Strategies
Southern California Public Radio

710 Tunnel Feasible, Study Says
Pasadena Star-News

Congestion Pricing: Will Southern Californians Warm Up To HOT Lanes?
Urban Insights

Conservatives And Public Transportation: Join Us For An Upcoming [Online] Debate
Tranpsortation For America
Registration and more information for December 7 event

Delays Expected On Metro Blue Line [Today And This Weekend] For Track Installation
Los Angeles Times

For Creating Jobs, Transit Operating Aid Is Best Bet
Mobilizing The Region

Gang Injunction, Proposed Rail Yard Topics At Joint County/City Meeting In Monrovia
Pasadena Star-News

LADOT Launches Real-Time DASH Downtown LA Arrival Times
L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti

LA Loves A Street Party
cicLAvia

L.A. Mayor Seeks “Creative” Funding To Prevent 7MPH Gridlock
Bloomberg

L.A. Metro Takes Aim At Cheaters: Turnstiles Annoy Some Commuters, But Transit Officials Fret It Would Cost Too Much To Dump The Pilot Project – Even If They Wanted To
Neon Tommy, Annenberg Digital News

Los Angeles Without Traffic! (photo essay of major streets, car-less)
Inhabitat

Measure R Funding Followup – It Pays To Check The Math!
SoapBoxLA

Metro Say Fully Underground Connector Feasible, Could Cost 20% More
Blog Downtown

Metrolink Fare Rise Plan Angers Riders
San Bernardino Sun

MTA Committee Okays Crenshaw Light Rail, Green Line Extension
Daily Breeze

New Study Quantifies High Personal Costs Of Building CA Cities For Cars
SF StreetsBlog
“Windfall For All” Report Highlights (17p. PDF)

Pelosi: Passing A Wall Street Transport Tax Would Require Overseas Buy-In
DC StreetsBlog

Placentia To Settle Caltrans Claim Over Failed Rail Project
Los Angeles Times

Rough Road To Gold, Part 4: Gold Line Finally Arrives In East Los Angeles
EGP News

Santa Monica City Council Endorses Hybrid Proposal For Light Rail Maintenance Yard Location
Argonaut

Study Finds Higher Air Pollution Near Santa Monica Airport
Los Angeles Times

Survey Finds Many Commute Stress-Free
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

A Tale Of Two Cities’ Crossings: Different Takes On Congestion
Daily Journal Of Commerce Oregon

Tarnished Gold (vandalism and neglect go unaddressed at Highland Park Station)
Highland Park 90042 Blog

Transit Use Is Growing, But Not Where You Think (Top 10 Metro Areas With Largest Growth; Charlotte NC Ranks First)
Planetizen

Web 2.0 Applications For Improving Public Participation In Transport Planning
Andrew Nash, Vienna Transport Strategies
Full text of paper (25p. PDF)

Welcome To The Blogroll: CicLAvia And City Of Lights
LA StreetsBlog

What Do Two Nobel Laureates Know That L.A.’s Mayor Doesn’t?
Biking In LA

Wheel Squeal Considered, Santa Monica Votes For Hybrid Yard
LA Curbed