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

FTA getting set for role in transit safety (The Washington Post)

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is gearing up to become the safety watchdog for public transit agencies around the country. Agencies are currently regulated by state organizations, but since the deadly Washington D.C. Metro Red Line crash that killed 9 people in 2009 the Obama administration has been pushing for federal regulation of public transit agencies.

Frequent network maps by routefriend (Human Transit)

Here’s an interesting use of technology: the website Routefriend has developed an automatically generated frequent network map for L.A.’s transit system. A frequent network map shows only buses and trains that come frequently – in this case “frequent” is defined as every 15 minutes or less. It’s like a automatically generated version of Metro’s 12-minute map. Human Transit notes that the automated map is not perfect – lines on the same street overlap – but it’s a start.

Today’s musical interlude. Here’s an oldie but goodie: “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees.

If you know of a song prominently mentioning a train or bus or transit, drop us an email at sourcemetro@gmail.com and we’ll add it to our list.

LADOT Report Recommends Car Sharing Pilot Program be Expanded to Hollywood (Hollywood Unbound)

Zipcar may be coming to some on-street parking spaces in Hollywood thanks to a report from the LADOT confirming that a pilot program in areas near UCLA and USC has been a success. Zipcar currently only has cars at area campuses and the on-street parking pilot program allowed them to beef up their service around the schools, but it’s unclear whether having cars in Hollywood will prove to be a viable business decision for the company. A Zipcar representative said expanding the program to Hollywood is an “ideal opportunity to test the waters” in an off-campus market.

The Station Equation (L.A. Downtown News)