Transportation headlines, Tuesday, Feb. 2

by Steve Hymon , February 2, 2010

Will the Apple iPad be a commuting game changer? Photo credit: Apple

I’m still trying to figure out why I may need an Apple iPad in addition to the Apple laptop, Apple desktop, Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Shuffle that I already own. New Geography, however, says that the iPad may actually shift people from driving to mass transit because the device will be an attractive and easy way to get work done while commuting. In addition, the iPad and mass transit may get an assist from the increasing number of laws banning texting and emailing while driving. The writer also argues that point-to-point commuter buses, some equipped with wifi, will be the mass transit option of the future. iNTERESTING!

The Internet has been buzzing with news of last week’s federal grants to high-speed rail projects around the nation. Wired chimes in, saying that what stands out about the grants is “their piecemeal nature.” In other words, the money isn’t nearly enough to finish projects anywhere and it’s unclear where the rest of the money will come from. But Zach Rosenberg, the writer of the piece, says that at least the grants may lay the groundwork for some type of high-speed future.

In his budget for the next fiscal year that was released yesterday, President Obama called for $4 billion in funding a national infrastructure bank, reports the New York Times. About $2.6 billion of the money would be handed out in grants or loans to infrastructure projects around the nation. Officials in Los Angeles have talked about pursuing such money in the future to help build transit projects here and it will be intriguing to see if Congress funds the bank and, if so, how much seed money it’s given in future years.

Lastly, L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne has some issues with the new W Hotel in Hollywood, but says its blend of upscale hotel, apartments and a subway stop are a likely symbol of Los Angeles’ more urban, denser future.

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

At Long Last, Clear Messages For High-Speed Rail
Wired

Better Bikeways: Turning A City Street Into A Bike Corridor (4th Street, Los Angeles)
GOOD

Building High Speed Rail Isn’t A Bolshevik Plot
Huffington Post

Carjacked: The Culture Of The Automobile And Its Effect On Our Lives (interview with author Tim Halbur)
Planetizen

Gerald Desmond Bridge May Be Replaced
Daily Breeze

Hollywood & Highland, ArcLight & Other Public Parking Lots Could Soon Be Run By Private Entities
LAist

How The New Apple iPad (And Other Mobile Tech) Changes The Commuting Equation
New Geography

LaHood Talks Budget: “Very Bright” Future For Infrastructure Fund
DC StreetsBlog

Mayor Seeks Subway To Sea Funding
Los Angeles Daily News

Obama’s High-Speed Rail Plan: It Could Be Transformative, But Stations (And Architecture) Matter As Much As Speed
Chicago Tribune

Thoughts On The Guerrilla Sharrows In Northeast L.A.
LA StreetsBlog

U.S. DOT Names The Transit Projects Set For Federal Funding
DC StreetsBlog