Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Dec. 22

by Steve Hymon , December 22, 2009

How the worm turns. When gas prices soared in 2008, the American Public Transportation Assn. trumpeted the highest mass transit ridership in decades. Now ridership is down 3.9 percent this year, which APTA attributes to the sour economy and a much higher unemployment rate than in ’08.

USA Today takes a look at HOT lanes — carpool lanes that charge solo motorists varying rates — and says they seem to be working in several places around the country. The focus of the short story are the new HOT lanes on I-95 in South Florida. As you likely know, parts of the 10 and 110 freeways are getting our own version of HOT lanes, too — they’re being called ExpressLanes here. Here’s a link to the project page on the Metro website.

LA Streetsblog is pleased to see zebra crosswalks coming to L.A., saying they’re more visible to motorists and thus safer for pedestrians. I concur. I’d also like to see more scramble crosswalks that allow pedestrians to walk in every direction. The problem, as I see it, is that in pedestrian-heavy parts of the city it’s hard for motorists to make right turns because crosswalks are filled with people. This leads to impatient motorists nosing through crosswalks with people in them, which is both illegal and unsafe. It also means that traffic backs up. Solution: more scramble crosswalks, people! P.S. Chinatown should get the first set.

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

10 Biggest Problem Projects Of The Decade: Along With The Boom, Downtown Has Had Some 21st Century Busts
Los Angeles Downtown News

2009 Wrap-Up: With FEIR In-Hand, Expo Phase II Seems Ready To Roll, But Is It?
LA StreetsBlog

3-Hour Limit Placed On Airline Passengers’ Tarmac Waits: The Department Of Transportation Orders Airlines To Allow Passengers On Domestic Flights To Leave Airplanes
Los Angeles Times

Auditor: CalTrans Inflated Job Data To Feds
Sacramento Bee

Can Dial-A-Ride Get High Ridership From Low Density?
Human Transit

Downturn In Public Transit Ridership Reflects Economic Times
APTA

Education Key To Reversing Trend In Bicycle Accidents
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Expo Line Phase II’s Latest: Colorado Route, Ground-Breaking Chatter
LA Curbed

Final Plan For Expo Line From Culver City To Santa Monica Released
LAist

The Human Side Of Transit
EDF Way2Go

Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks
U.S. Transportation Research Board
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