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.

2009 fleet of cars had improved fuel economy (New York Times)

The recession seems to have inspired car-makers to make more efficient vehicles. Average fleet-wide mileage was 22.4 a gallon, an improvement of 1.4 mpg over 2008.

A closer look at AEG’s proposed NFL stadium (Sports Business Journal)

Parking for the football stadium, proposed to be located between the Convention Center and Staples Center, wouldn’t be a problem according to AEG officials because there are already 32,000 spaces within a 15-minute walk. I think it’s good that massive parking lots aren’t being proposed. At the same time, the fact there are 32,000 spaces nearby helps explain the challenges in redeveloping such a car-centric area in which a lot of the land is used for garages or surface lots. Hat tip Streetsblog Los Angeles.

Sustainable housing, 30/10 and public transit in L.A. (Huffington Post)

In his weekly column at the Huffington Post, L.A. transit advocate Joel Epstein shares his analysis and highlights from the Annual Sustainable Housing and Transportation Summit, hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council at UCLA. Three panels discussed a variety of topics, including the challenge of conveying to policy makers that transit oriented development, done right, can save its residents significantly on transportation costs. Metro CEO Art Leahy and Board Member Richard Katz were both in attendance to describe Metro’s efforts to better connect housing and transportation.

LADOT to launch Westside Mobility Plan study (Westside Today)

Following a directive from the Los Angeles City Council, the L.A. Department of Transportation will undertake a comprehensive study of mobility on the Westside. The plan will consider ways to improve multi-modal transit options (i.e. pedestrian, bike, transit, and car), north-south transit connections and parking. Here’s more background from the LADOT Westside Mobility Plan website after the jump.

What is the Westside Mobility Plan?

The Westside Mobility Plan is creating a transportation blueprint for the Westside in consideration of multimodal travel, north-south rail connections, and parking solutions.  The project is also updating the Coastal Transportation Corridor Specific Plan and West LA Transportation Specific Plan, both of which include nexus fee updates, and encompasses a Livable Boulevards Study.  This project will be a catalyst for future action and the community will be engaged throughout the process.

A little background on this project.

Traffic congestion on the Westside of Los Angeles is epic and has grown worse in recent years. The area is a desirable place to live, work, and play, creating heavy travel demands during peak and off-peak periods. Improvements to the transportation system have not kept up, and there is little room to expand arterial streets.

In reaction to the transportation issues in the Westside, the Los Angeles City Council has requested a comprehensive study to develop potential short-, mid- and long-term multimodal solutions.  The study will require new ways to measure and evaluate the transportation system, considering measures such as vehicle trips (VT), vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in addition to traditional level of service (LOS) measurements.