Streetsblog LA has a report on the LADOT DASH service change hearings made neccessary because – surprise, surprise – LADOT is facing a major budgetary shortfall. The blog reports that feedback has largely echoed the results of a recent Metro customer survey: riders would rather face fare hikes than service cuts. A hearing in Downtown drew 80 to 100 people, most standing up in defense of their preferred bus routes.

In national news, freight industry groups and highway advocates are railing against the Obama administration’s proposal to spend $200 million in highway taxes on a Livable Communities program meant to create pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities in urban areas. Freight industry officials note the sad state of the nation’s highways and bridges and their importance in remaining economically competitive as a nation.

Here’s a story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the financial hardships Atlanta’s transit agency, MARTA, is facing and the drastic service cuts that may be coming as a result. As tax revenues funding the agency have declined, MARTA now faces a $120 million deficit and is looking to cut service by up to 30%. The bus system could go from 131 routes to 66 routes and wait times for trains could increase to 30 minutes. What I find interesting is the ripple effects these transit cuts will have on the entire city. Some workers will not be able to keep their jobs and others will end up purchasing cars, making traffic worse and harming the environment.

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

And, Cut! Money Woes Delay A TV Reality Show On Subway Workers
New York Times

And Now, For Something Completely Different (Paris-based architecture firm dreams up freeway cap park proposal)
StreetsBlog LA

Blumenauer Acts To Make Active Transportation Safer, Easier, And More Accessible
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR)

California Transportation Activist Found Dead In Creek (Ken Gosting, former advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown)
Associated Press

Caltrans Responds To Analyst’s Report That It Needs To Cut Jobs
Sacramento Bee

City Hall Wants Drivers To Share (carsharing program in Santa Monica)
Santa Monica Daily Press

Do Environmental Regulations Hurt The Economy?: Environmental Regulations Have Transformed California’s Economy But It’s Not Always Clear If The Result Was Positive
Governing

Feedback From DASH Hearings: Cuts Bad, Hikes Reasonable
StreetsBlog LA

Halt In Federal Highway Program Reveals Lobby’s Larger Frustrations
Center For Public Integrity

Industry Groups Decry Non-Highway Earmarking
Fleet Owner

Meet The Guy Who Fixed The Little Tokyo Gold Line Station
Curbed LA

Metro Westside Subway Extension On Facebook
Facebook

A New Plan For Transportation: President Obama’s Transportation Plan Considers Economic Development For Low-Income Communities Across The U.S.
Public Radio International

Officials Call For Action In Extending Green Line Closer To LAX
Real Camino

Opinion: A High-Speed Rail System That Wouldn’t Serve Californians – The Focus Should Be On Developing Intra-Urban Rail Networks, Not Connecting Far-Flung Regions Of The State
Los Angeles Times

Railroad Industry Weathers Recession, But Seen Facing Serious Policy Challenges
Supply & Demand Chain

Tri-Met Adds Five New Transit Titles To App Center
Oregonian

Wasted Stimulus (mapping a positive correlation between federal stimulus investment and lack of local population density, attributing the relationship to highway spending)
New York Times