The local transit agency in Las Vegas has no interest in helping the bankrupt, privately-operated monorail system that is supposed to get people up and down The Strip but, as critics have often noted, operates largely out of view of the public. The agency proposes to build a bus rapid transit system to run on the strip, reports the Las Vegas Sun. To that I say: good luck. I don’t ever recall moving rapidly anywhere on Las Vegas Boulevard, although the longer I sit in traffic and look at it, the uglier it becomes.

The bike industry and cycling advocates are pushing for more high-school cycling teams as a way to increase participation in the sport, reports BikePortland.org. Awesome idea — cycling is a life-long activity — although I had no idea such teams exist. One high school in Marin County, the blog reports, has a larger bike than football team.

On the subject of cycling, David Coursey in Wired says those new bike directions on Google maps would be a lot more useful if Google found a way for cyclists to update Google maps. The problem is that a lot of bike routes are poorly documented and never show up in the data that Google uses to build its maps. However, writes Coursey, cyclists who actually pedal around different regions are the best source of information when it comes to good bike routes and the challenge for Google is harnessing their knowledge.

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

8 Of the World’s Most Popular High-Speed Trains
Huffington Post

Big Blue Facility Goes Solar In Santa Monica
Get Solar

Bike Racing Is The New Football: High School Teams Ride Wave Of Momentum
Bike Portland

Il Ciclista Dolce: Michael Musto (video : Village Voice legend Michael Musto has been riding a bike in New York for over 25 years. He shares entertaining insights on not possessing a driver’s license, the benefits of biking everywhere, other notable New York cyclists, and how to ride successfully in a large city in all weather conditions)
StreetFilms

Death On The Tracks: Can Trains Be Safer For Non-Passengers?
Infrastructurist

The Decade’s Top Hits (additional context for the biggest transit projects of the past decade, including sortable table columns to compare various aspects of over 70 projects)
Transport Politic

Developers In The Driver’s Seat On Transportation: Unfocused Transport Policy Leaves Real Estate Industry Eager To Give Congress Directions
Center For Public Integrity

Editorial: Going Green Vs. Going Broke
Los Angeles Times

FHWA Recovery Act Map Tells A Great Story With Few Words
U.S. DOT Fast Lane Blog

Google Bike Maps: A Cynical Cyclist Speaks Out
PC World

Google Engineer Scott Shawcroft Explains Google’s Bike Map
StreetsBlog SF

How Cars Are Killing Us Around The World (infographic)
Infrastructurist

It’s On! Neighbors For Smart Rail File Suit Against Expo Construction Authority
StreetsBlog LA
Legal Petition To Have Certification Of FEIR Overturned (26p. PDF)

Metrolink Proposing Cutbacks
Los Angeles Daily News

Monday: Talk Transit At “Transportation 2020”
Blog Downtown

Moving Through The Recession, Part 4: Can We Sustain The Biking Boom?
The City Fix

OCTA Outlines New Bus Service Cuts
Orange County Register

Pennsylvania Ave. To Have Dedicated Bike Lanes (the center of the street from the White House to the Capitol soon may be reserved for just two things: Presidential inaugurations and people riding bicycles)
Washington Post

RTC To Las Vegas Monorail: You’re On Your Own
Las Vegas Sun

Time To Re-Invent The LADOT?
CityWatch

Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
SoapBoxLA

United Against Freeway Tunnel: City Officials Are Banding Together With Others To Oppose Proposed 710 Extension
Glendale News Press

U.S. DOT Cagey On Funding New Trnasport Bill As Senators Seek Solutions (Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa at Senate environment committee’s hearing)
StreetsBlog DC

Willingness To Pay For Transit Improvements
Human Transit