First thing that caught my eye today is this post from Streetsblog LA that features a video that’s been making the rounds in transit circles. It shows the growth of rail transit in the last 30 years for six cities – Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles. L.A. gets off to a slow start (the Blue Line wasn’t opened until 1990) but then grows rapidly, and we’re now tied for first with Portland in terms of the number of rail lines built.
As national high speed rail turns from utter fantasy to kinda reality now that $8 billion in stimulus money is on the table, the lobbyists in Washington are swooping in and this has some rail experts worried, according to POLITICO.com. The worry is that powerful special interests will dilute the vision and money will be spread around too thinly. Given the past and what’s a stake, I think this is a valid concern. We need a comprehensive high speed rail system in this country, but the last thing we need to do is waste money on it, and every dollar should be well spent. One can dream.
Despite massive service cuts, the Orange Country Transit Authority (OCTA) has introduced something rather cool for its customers: text message bus arrival times. Customers simply text the bus route number and bus stop to “OCTAGO” and receive a message with the arrival times of the next three buses. In addition to being convenient for customers, it can also potentially save OCTA money by reducing overhead at their customer service center.
The rest of the headlines, compiled by the Metro Library, after the jump.
Alameda Corridor Could Tap Ports For Cash As Early As 2011
Cunningham Report
Better Bikeways: Getting Rolling With Improved Signage
GOOD
Build It Right Or Don’t Build It
CityWatch
Calif.’s OCTA Launches Text Messaging
Metro Magazine
Driven With Distraction (DOT Secretary LaHood on texting while driving)
Washington Post
Engineers Who Hacked Into L.A. Traffic Signal Computer, Jamming Streets, Sentenced
Los Angeles Times
Entering The Superproject Void
New York Times
The Fight To Make North Figueroa Bike Friendly
Flying Pigeon
Gold Line Lake Station In Pasadena Adds Watchtower, Remains Deafening
Curbed LA
If You Don’t Have Safe Streets, All The Light Rail Lines In The World Aren’t Going To Save Your City
National Resources Defense Council
LA City Bike Plan: Only 28 Miles Of New Bike Lane
C.I.C.L.E.
LaHood To Congress: It’s Time To Talk About A Gas Tax Increase
LA StreetsBlog
Lancet Study: We Must Reduce Auto Dependency
DC StreetsBlog
LAPD Tackle Cyclists At Friday’s Critical Mass
LA StreetsBlog
Lobbyists Rush To High-Speed Rail
Politico
MacArthur Park Gentrification Watch? Westlake Theatre Plan Moves Forward
LA Curbed
Maybe Metro Isn’t So Bad After All?
LA StreetsBlog
Neighborhoods Win Input Extension On Bike Plan
CityWatch
New California Clean Air Guidelines Come With A Hefty Price Tag
Mother Nature Network
Opening High-Speed Rail To The Market – Before The Market’s Even There
Transport Politic
Peds Or Cars? No Certain Plan For Chick Hearn Court Closures
Blog Downtown
Rush Is On For Stimulus’ High-Speed Rail Dollars
USA Today
State Legislative Committees Hold Trio Of Hearings Downtown
LA StreetsBlog
Supporters Map Route For Bicycle Loop Around Downtown Riverside
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Washington’s Newest Gravy Train: High-Speed Rail
Center For Public Integrity
WeHo General Plan Taking Shape (desire for more density and transit hubs without gridlock)
WeHo News
Categories: Transportation News