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.

Public transportation key to transforming communities (U.S. News & World Report)

In an interview, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker talks about the investment in rail transit in the Salt Lake Valley. He credits voters for the willingness to tax themselves to get more rail. “People, including people who were initially opposed, are just clamoring for that rail system to be built to their communities,” Becker says. It’s interesting that the UTA, which runs the trains, is a state agency and that Becker is a Democrat in a state that leans Republican.

Americans want better transportation but… (Washington Post)

Better roads, better transit. A survey by the Rockefeller Foundation found that an “overwhelming” major of Americans want those things. The same survey, however, found that an “overwhelming” number of Americans also don’t want to pay for it. Instead, they are hoping for investment by private interests. There was also wide support for the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank to protect transpo money from day-to-day politics.

System detects cell phone usage by transit operators (Passenger Transport)

Metro and private firms are developing a system that detects cell phone use in the operator section of a transit vehicle. Once detected, a video system is triggered to record the offense.