The Daily Beast did some research and came up with a list of the 75 worst highways for commuting in America. It should come as no surprise that an L.A. freeway landed in the number one spot. The Hollywood Freeway wins the shameful award with a whopping 686 hours of bottleneck congestion each week. The article calls this daily traffic battle “America’s collective nightmare.” I can’t think of a more apt description.

In more motoring news, USA Today reports that there’s a growing backlash across the country to red light cameras. The cameras, which are meant to be a deterrent to running reds, have come under fire from communities for being nothing more than revenue generators for local governments. Some claim the cameras are unconstitutional and unravel the idea of “innocent until proven guilty.” It seems to me that getting caught doing something illegal on film is plenty proof of guilt – but I guess the whole “Big Brother is watching” doesn’t sit well with most people. Regardless, as a pedestrian I’m going to keep giving cars their chance to run the light before I start crossing the street – cameras or not.

Star Trek fans and transit fans can unite under one weird nerdy roof thanks to George Takei, who not only played Captain Sulu on the original Star Trek series but was also a board member of Metro’s predecessor – the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD). The Washington DC transit blog Track Twenty-Nine has a transcript of an interview with Takei in which he talks about the future of Los Angeles transit. Cool stuff – if you’re the kind of person who finds Vulcan salutes and fare box recovery “cool.”

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

America’s 75 Worst Commutes (#1: Hollywood Freeway, Los Angeles)
Daily Beast

Are New Transit Guidelines An Improvement?
National Journal Transportation Blog

BBB Proposes Big Fare Increases (Big Blue Bus)
Santa Monica Daily Press

Before And “AVTA:” New Direct Commuter Bus Service From Antelope Valley (to UCLA)
Be A Green Commuter!

Blogging From TRB: More Prep For A Performance-Based Reauthorization
The City Fix

Californians For High Speed Rail Launches Grassroots Organizing Effort
California High Speed Rail Blog

Cities For Cycling Embrace European Street Designs (National Association of City Transportation Officials launch initiative to help members better plan for and implement cycling infrastructure)
Governing

Communities Put A Halt To Red-Light Cameras
USA Today

“Emergency Brake” Confuses Many On Subway
New York Times

Every Streets Is A Bike Route
LA StreetsBlog

Final Report On Deadly Metrolink Crash Comes Down To Signal Color: As The National Transportation Safety Board Meets This Week To Draft Its Conclusion On The Chatsworth Collision, Members Must Resolve Eyewitness Reports Of A Green Light And Technical Evidence Showing It Was Red
Los Angeles Times

George Takai: Transit Geek (interview with former SCRTD Board member)
Track Twenty-Nine

How News Happens: Listening Devices On Buses?
Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism

Inland Cities Urged To Blend Development With Transit Hubs
Riverside Press-Enterprise

L.A. Airport Official Named By Obama To Run TSA Withdraws
Los Angeles Times

LA Area’s Fourth Proposed Freeway Park Gets A Push
LA Curbed

LADOT Officials want To Tow You After 3 Unpaid Parking Tickets
LAist

LA Traffic And Mother Nature
MetroRiderLA

Lake Avenue Gold Line Station Upgrades Are Nearly Working Like Clockwork
Pasadena Star-News

New Energy Hubs: Transit-Oriented Development Meets District Energy
WorldChanging

Obama Quietly Gets Federal Agencies Involved In Transport Planning
LA StreetsBlog

A Public Transit Option To The New Football Stadium?
LA Curbed

Retro-Future Neon BART Excitement (various vibrant maps of abandoned plans for subway linking San Francisco to Marin County)
Burrito Justice

Southern California Transit Forum (Orange, Calif. : February 15, 2010)
Orange County Transportation Authority

The Status Report: Obama’s Plan To Rebuild American Prosperity (rating the President’s first year on infrastructure spending, policy reforms, and innovation)
Brookings Institution

Transportation Quandary: “Anyone Listening Out There?”
CitiWire

Union Pacific Monster Train (10:31 video: 18,061 foot long train passing through Southern California Jan. 10, 2010)
Chasing Steel You Tube channel