Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Nov. 24

Eight percent of the bus service in the OC was cut by the Board of the Orange County Transportation Authority on Monday to fill a budget hole. About 20 percent of OCTA’s service has been cut since Sept. 2008, according to the Orange County Register. The problem? State budget cuts. OCTA — and Metro, btw — are hoping to recover money the Legislature took from mass transit to balance recent state budgets and won a recent court ruling that could help.

Let’s say you have a major road going over or under a freeway and you want to improve traffic flow on the major road without spending a ton of money reconstructing the interchange. How do you do it? You may consider the ‘diverging diamond’ approach that gets rid of the need for left-hand turns to get people on or off the freeway. Springfield, Mo., is giving it a try and NPR explains how it works.

Here’s a link not on today’s list but it’s a good read from the NYT for civic-minded folks. The story looks at whether the city of Chicago was smart to lease its parking meters to a private company, which documents show is raking in money on the deal. The city got a big shot of cash up front to help balance its budget. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office explored such a deal.

The LAT’s Hector Tobar loves the new Eastside Gold Line and looks forward to the day that rails will connect the eastside and westside, providing for a speedier trip across town than lumbering, crowded buses.

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


Are Minorities Being Shortchanged By The Stimulus?
Time

Bike Thefts Becoming A Growing Problem In Los Angeles – What Can Be Done?
LA StreetsBlog

CA Senators, Governor Ask Obama To Fund High Speed Rail
LAist
Press Release from the Office of Senator Barbara Boxer with text of letter

Capitol Corridor Runs Cleaner-Burning Diesel Train (audio)
National Public Radio

Chicago’s Private Parking Meter Bungle
Planetizen

Cities Use Cash To Encourage Carpooling
(audio)
National Public Radio

Commuter Rail Collisions Spur Takeover Talk (audio interview with Deborah Hersman, Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board)
National Public Radio

Congress’ Safety Agenda Faces Obstacles
National Public Radio

Critics Say Roads Safer, But Danger Still Lurks
National Public Radio

The Days May Be Grim, But Here’s A Good Word To Put In Your Pocket
New York Times

Desire For Streetcars Gets A Look In Long Beach
Long Beach Press-Telegram

“Diverging Diamond” Traffic Flow: Way Of The Future?
National Public Radio

Everyday Solutions, Inc. Selected As Transportation Technology Provider For Los Angeles Unified School District
AjaxWorld

Explore Metrolink With So.CA.TA (Day After Thanksgiving Study Tour)
LA StreetsBlog
Tour The Entire Metrolink System In One Day! (p.5)

Federal Stimulus Funds For Transportation Projects Not Making Much Of An Economic Impact – Yet
Contra Costa Times

From East To West, Steel Rail Pulls L.A. Together
Los Angeles Times

Golden State Highways Are A California Nightmare
(Recent study ranks California 49th for quality of pavement)
National Public Radio

Life Without Measure R: Massive Transit Cuts In Orange County
LA StreetsBlog

North American Cities That Have (Or Had) A Pedestrian Mall
Urban Review STL

O.C. Transit Agency Finalizes Another Round Of Deep Cuts In Service
Los Angeles Times

On The Road To Safety (Weeklong series of stories and conversations about highway safety: Monday, November 23 – Sunday, November 29)
National Public Radio

Our View: Metrolink Should Hold A Fare Sale
Pasadena Star-News

Plan Approved To Cut Bus Service
Orange County Register

Road Work Aims To Unclog Congestion
Riverside Press-Enterprise

SF Port’s Parking System Pays Dividends
San Francisco Examiner

Study Sees Transit Saving Californians’ Energy, Cutting Greenhouse Gas
Sacramento Bee

Study: “Walkable Neighborhoods” Could Save State $31M
Sacramento Business Journal

When It Comes To Making [Government] Data Sexy, You Can’t Be Too Graphic
CNN

Will Federal Stimulus Money Spark A High-Speed Rail Renaissance In The U.S.?
Scientific American