Transportation headlines, Wednesday, January 27

The federal government, with a push from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has loaned $171 million to help finance a renovation of the Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco, reports the Chronicle. Feinstein said that she wants to see such low-interest loans used more often. So do local officials in Los Angeles County who are exploring whether such loans can be used to speed construction of mass transit projects.

It’s not much of a photo gallery, but Fans in a Flashbulb has posted some historic pics of the New York subway system, including a couple straight out of “The Warriors” era. If you want to see more of the Big Apple’s underground system, go to the Life photo archives and doing a search for “New York subway.”

Treehugger takes a look at a half-dozen cities around the world that could greatly decrease the use the cars because infrastructure is already in place to support other ways to get around. Only one of those cities was in the United States — the Golden State’s very own Davis, which is exceedingly bike friendly.

The rest of today’s headlines, compiled by the Metro library, are posted after the jump.

6 Cities That could Easily Be Car “Lite” Or Car Free (only one is in the US, and it’s in California)
Treehugger

Airport Connector Doomed, But Will Bay Area Get Its Stimulus Funding Back?
San Francisco Chronicle

BART launches API to spur innovation in transit app development
BART Press Release

Designing Bicycle Cities: Planning Clearly-Marked Urban Biking Systems Can Help us Educate Car Drivers And Decrease Cycling Accidents
GOOD

Does Your City Need A Web 2.0 Makeover? Act Now
Government Technology
Code For America

Fifty Years On The New York City Subway
Fans In A Flashbulb: International Center of Photography

Government Bans Texting By Truck And Bus Drivers
New York Times

How To Make LA Safe, Effective And More Enjoyable For Cyclists
LA StreetsBlog

Major Smart Card Market Players Join Forces To Advance Open And Secure Public Transport Smart Card Applications
Mass Transit Magazine

More Teens Are Choosing To Wait To Get Driver’s Licenses
Washington Post

Senate Weights $14B For Roads, $7.5B For Transit In Jobs Bill
DC StreetsBlog

Transbay Project Receives $171 Million Federal Loan
San Francisco Chronicle

Transit: You Can’t Work If You Can’t Get There
New Republic

Unemployment And The Transit Imperative
Human Transit

Ventura Is First In Southern Cal To Get Hybrid Bus (school bus)
Ventura County Star

Vroom! Speed Limit Increases In Front Of City Council
LA StreetsBlog

Categories: Transportation News