Transportation headlines, Friday, June 24

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.

Transit that’s anything but rapid (Which Way L.A.?)

On last night’s edition of Which Way L.A.?, host Warren Olney interviewed San Francisco Weekly writer Joe Eskenazi about his recent trip on municipal public transportation from San Francisco to L.A. That trip clocked in at 32 hours requiring 14 transfers. Beyond a transit tale, the story is worth a read for the author’s humorous rendering of the people and places he encounters along the way.

Kayaking trips on the L.A. River slated to begin in July (KCET)

Here’s a new wrinkle to multi-modal transportation. The Los Angeles River was declared a navigable waterway last summer in large part to make it eligible for funds to clean it up. But some urban explorers are embracing the new designation and are lining up to kayak a 3-mile portion in the San Fernando Valley. For now, only a few dozen will be allowed to participate on a reservation-only basis, but officials are considering expanding tours to Glendale Narrows and Long Beach.

Mineta Transportation Institute survey: Will Americans support federal transportation tax options? (PR Newswire)

Federal gas tax revenues have declined in value over the last two decades thanks to inflation, and the nation’s urgent infrastructure needs have only grown. So: Will Americans support the taxes needed to bring the transportation system into a state of good repair and to prepare for future travel needs? According to the survey, the most popular tax hike seems to be one that’s phased in slowly and dedicated to a specific purpose like road maintenance.