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.
Sic transit Gloria: a bus museum fails to gain traction (Wall Street Journal)
If there was ever any doubt about where the transit bus stands in popular culture, this article serves as a reminder of its dubious distinction as America’s most loathed form of transport. While car and railroad museums flourish, bus museums are rare and those that do exist struggle to attract patrons. Even popular music has nothing but contempt for the bus. Lyrics tend to sound more like rants than the romantic odes written for trains and cars. Why is America’s preferred choice for public transit also its most hated?
Downtown Long Beach Transit Mall to reopen after $7M revamp (Long Beach Press-Telegram)
A $7-million federal stimulus project has recently been completed in Long Beach. The money went to revamp the Long Beach transit mall – home to the Blue Line, Long Beach Transit buses and Torrance Transit buses. Located in the heart of downtown Long Beach, the transit mall serves 20,000 riders each day. The upgrade includes newly designed bus shelters, night lighting, landscaping and public art. Readers: the transit mall was scheduled to open this past weekend – any reviews?
Public transit: user it or lose it (Daily Breeze)
This editorial from the Daily Breeze staff gets right to the point: if you want to improve public transit, you’ve got to use public transit. Amid complaints about high gas prices, the public is eager for an alternative. Yet in Los Angeles transit ridership has fallen flat or slightly dropped — and Metro’s recent service cuts were prompted by low ridership numbers on some lines. Funding is one of the biggest challenges public transit faces and, as the Daily Breeze sees it, there’s no incentive to better fund transit without ridership.
L.A. MTA faces tough crowd in Lawndale over Green Line (Neon Tommy)
The Green Line South Bay extension faced criticism from local residents at last Thursday’s community meeting. Comments about falling home values, wasteful spending and safety were met with cheers and applause. On the other hand, a comment about the rail line’s potential for future generations received boos from the crowd.
Categories: Transportation Headlines
The Green Line South Bay Extension, which lacks an exciting destination at its terminus, has failed to develop a dedicated base of support. Meanwhile, nervous homeowners have spread rumors and fears amongst each other about impacts to property values, crime, noise and filth.
It’s a shame the extent to which opposition to this project has grown. Best of luck to the Metro project team, who have the challenging job of moving this project forward.