It’s raining outside, I’ve got a full pot of coffee and transportation headlines to keep me warm and cozy….

The L.A. Times has a good story about the Golden Gate Bridge. Popular as it may be, the bridge has chronic budget issues and officials are considering offering behind-the-scenes tours to bridge lovers as a way to make money. I’m writing this from my dining room (the Source’s Pasadena bureau!) and looking at a framed photo of the Golden Gate under construction. So, I think it’s a splendid idea and I’d probably buy a ticket. (Photo credit: Library of Congress).

How’s traffic on the 91 freeway express lanes these days? It doesn’t seem to be getting worse — OCTA just lowered the price of tolls during two time periods on the eastbound p.m. commute, reports KABC. Tolls are based on demand.

Narrow Streets Los Angeles has a great little post showing what it might look like if a key street was narrowed: the architecture of buildings on both sides of the street look more interesting and the buildings better relate to one another. Hat tip to Eastsider LA and Curbed LA.

Amity Shlaes of Business Week offers this commentary to President Obama: if you must spend more federal money, you’ll probably get more bang for your buck by concentrating on big infrastructure improvements. He cites the federal interstate highway program as a prime example, saying it wasn’t perfect by any means but did result in measureable gains to the American economy.

The rest of today’s headlines are after the jump.

The 2009 Capitol Hill Streetsies: And The Nominees Are…
DC StreetsBlog

2009: The Year in California HSR
California High Speed Rail Blog

Bart (Hearts) The Shenanigan Shuttle
Sierra Madre Tattler

Bike Talk Moves To Pacifica Radio, 90.7 F.M.
LA StreetsBlog

City Fails To Produce Public Copies Of Bicycle Plan At Libraries
LAist

Commentary: Obama’s Next Trillion Spending Might Be Worth It (highway construction)
Business Week

The Economics Of Bike Boulevards: Debunking The Myth That Bike Infrastructure Will Hurt Business
Austin On Two Wheels

Here For Roses? Enjoy The Gold (Red And Purple)
Experience LA

Long Beach Tests Out Bicycle Boxes At Intersections
LAist

Long Beach Transit Offers Free New Year’s Eve Buses
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Los Angeles Freeway FUBAR: I-405 Closures Hitting Westside And Valley; Expect An Ugly Three Years
LA Weekly

Love A Parade? Here’s Some Tips Before Heading To The Rose Parade And Rose Bowl Game
Pasadena Star-News

Major Work On 405 Widening Project To Start Jan. 12: The $1-Billion Effort, Scheduled To Be Completed in 2013, Will Create Continuous Carpool Lanes Between Orange County And The San Fernando Valley
Los Angeles Times

Making The Golden Gate An Even Bigger Attention Span
Los Angeles Times

Mixed Results For Operation Safe Driver Campaign
Metro Magazine

More New Driving Laws For 2010: Moving Over & Towing
LAist

MTA Offers New Year’s Eve Revelers Free Bus And Train Rides
Los Angeles Times

Oceans Of Asphalt No More! LA’s Streets Shrink
LA Curbed

OCTA Reduces Tolls On 91 Freeway Lanes
KABC-7
New OCTA toll schedules

The Revolution Will Be Mapped: GIS Mapping Technology Is Helping Underprivileged Communities Get Better Services – From Education And Transportation To Health Care And Law Enforcement – By Showing Exactly What Discrimination Looks Like
Miller-McCune

Schwarzenegger To Seek Federal Help For California Budget
Los Angeles Times

A Simple Plan To Make Bikes More Visible And Increase Awareness
BikingInLA

Transforming Transportation 2010 Conference (Washington, D.C. : January 14-15, 2010)
EMBARQ

What I Want From LA In The Next Decade
Huffington Post

With Competition In High-Speed Operation, Who Wins? (consumer choice in France’s high-speed rail market and how it compares to California’s planned system)
Transport Politic