Here’s a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

Avoiding Environmental Disaster through Sustainable Accessibility (The City Fix)

The City Fix has compiled a long list of compelling reasons why we’ve got to find alternatives to the car when it comes to mobility. The info is compiled from a lecture from MIT professor Dr. John Strerman. As more and more developing countries begin to adopt motor vehicles we’ll begin to see the real environmental damage that is possible. This quote sums up the root of the problem nicely, “There is just no question, the current transportation model does not scale. It isn’t going to happen—because everybody wants to be as rich as we are, and we all want to be richer than we are today.”

Slow Down and Spare the Planet (Wired)

According to researchers, lowering the speed limit to 50 mph would cut harmful emissions by 30%. Another advantage of slower speeds? They make travel time longer, which in turn could make people look to alternatives, namely living closer to their jobs. Of course, for this to be true there needs to be a centralized urban core and a comprehensive rail transit system. Also, in many urban areas like L.A. speed limits often don’t matter because often, thanks to traffic congestion, cars are moving far slower than the posted limit.

How to Lock up Your Bike & How to Bike Racks (Streetsblog Los Angeles)

Streetsblog offers a comprehensive look at the proper way to lock up a bicycle and some guidelines for cities and developers to follow when it comes to implementing bike racks. There’s some great visuals to go along with the information.

Who Let The Data Out?: Comparing Transit Systems’ Open Data Elements (Primary Resources)

How does Metro compare with other transit agencies providing transit data to the public? Pretty well it seems, although Washington D.C.’s WMATA is about to release their transit data and it looks to be the most complete data set yet. Most notably WMATA will provide real time bus and train position data.