Transportation headlines, Monday, Jan. 4

As we stumble into the new year and decade, there’s no shortage of transportation news.

The L.A. Weekly takes a look at red-light cameras in the city of Los Angeles with the writer the recipient of a recent ticket for failing to stop while turning right on red. The article reviews all the usual controversies, including whether the cameras reduce accidents. I know there’s been some outrage over the cameras catching people turning right on red — which many view as a less serious offense than barging straight through an intersection — and the Weekly declares the cameras a “ripoff.” My feeling is this: red means stop and motorists who fail to stop when turning right are endangering people in the crosswalk in front of them and to their right. Not to mention cyclists who may be to their right.

The Transport Politic reviews some of the new mass transit rail lines expected to open in North America in 2010. The big one, in TP’s view, is a 28-mile light rail line in Dallas that will serve the south ‘burbs. The line cost $1.8 billion and TP says it’s the longest light rail line in the nation. If the Gold Line Foothill Extension ever makes it to Montclair and the Ontario airport — as supporters would like it to —  it would be longer, btw. There’s also a good overview of projects expected to break ground in 2010, including a subway extension in Toronto and a commuter rail line to connect Denver to its very distant airport.

Here’s a bonus link: The NYT’s City Room blog has a fun feature this week — readers can write in and ask a bike mechanic a question. Thus far, the questions submitted by readers are thoughtful and chain lubrication seems to be an especially hot issue.

Detroit may be losing population and the Lions are a football abomination, but MetropolisMag.com really likes the new downtown transit center. Judging from the pics, I think it looks nice but kind of reminds me of the convention center in Vancouver.

The rest of today’s headlines from the Metro library — which is off to another dominating decade — reside after the jump.
The 2009 Capitol Hill Streetsies! Meet The Winners
DC StreetsBlog

2010: The Year Ahead In California HSR
California High Speed Rail Blog

2010: The Year In Transit
MetroRider LA

Chokepoints For Effective Transit: The Example Of Seattle
Human Transit

Cities Collaborate For Gold Line Extension Along 60 Freeway
Whittier Daily News

City Of Alhambra’s 2010 Rose Parade Float (Pacific Electric Red Car: “On Track In 2010”)
Flickr
More information from the float builder

Cuts Proposed For Hollywood Area DASH Buses
Hollywood Unbound

Editorial: Bullet-Train Folly
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Freight Trains Make Big Comeback In Nation’s Transportation Network: Warren Buffett’s Recent Purchase Of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Shows The Renewed Importance Of Railroads In The Global Supply Chain
Los Angeles Times

LAX Is Permanently Closing Parking Lot B
Los Angeles Times

LED Signals Seen As Potential Hazard
New York Times

Los Angeles’ Red-Light Ticket Ripoff
LA Weekly

Openings And Construction Starts Planned For 2010
Transport Politic

Metro Gold Line May Extend More To East L.A.
ABC-7

More Budget Pain, Cuts Ahead For California In 2010
Huffington Post

Nighttime Freeway Closures On The 10, 605 Freeways This Week
LAist

One Day, I Will Be Able To Tweet Underground: Metro To Write RFP To Install Cell Service In Subway Tunnels
LA Subway Blog

Opinion: A Trainsportter’s Guide To The Future Of The World
New York Times

Public-Transit Passengers Face Rough Ride: Agencies Nationwide Raise Fares, Cut Service As Budget Pressures Mount
Wall Street Journal

Sustainability Comes Of Age
New York Times

A Symbol Of Progress: Detroit’s Striking New Transit Center Takes On Even Greater Significance As The City Suffers Its Most Serious Economic Blow
Metropolis Magazine

“Tell Your Story” To Members Of Congress
(District Days, Jan. 6-8: opportunity to make sure members of Congress understand the importance of public transportation and the need for increased federal investment)
Passenger Transport

View From Los Angeles City Hall, Then And Now: The Changing Downtown Landscape As Captured By Two Photographers Shooting From The Observation Deck Nearly Six Decades Apart
Los Angeles Times

Year In Review: Year Of The Gold Line
I Will Ride

A Year Without Getting Into A Car
San Francisco Chronicle

The Year’s Top Transit News – State By State
Transport Politic

Categories: Transportation News

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