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.

Berman offers bill to curb copter flight paths (L.A. Daily News)

The ubiquitous L.A. helicopter may get taken down a notch if Congressman Howard Berman (D-Van Nuys) can work some legislative magic. Following numerous complaints from constituents about the noise, Berman wants Congress to restrict where and how low choppers can fly in L.A. County. The main culprits appear to be a combination of tour operators and chartered flights. I was surprised to learn how few restrictions there are on how helicopters travel in L.A., especially compared to planes.

Game changer: Disabled Angelenos win major concessions from city (L.A. Streetsblog)

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires cities to ensure that sidewalks are made accessible to everyone — regardless of physical limitation — by removing obstacles and providing ramps at crosswalks. Well, a group of disabled Angelenos sued the city on the grounds that it wasn’t proceeding quickly enough to bring sidewalks into compliance. The two sides are on the verge of settling the suit and the terms of the settlement appear to be a huge win for pedestrians across the city — which, you know, is basically everyone. The city would be required to:

• Place curb cuts or access ramps to intersections on 1,000 intersections in less than a year.
• …Spend up to $4 million each year to improve pedestrian crossings and safety in high-risk areas that have more pedestrian traffic, such as the areas around schools, government buildings and parks.
• Over the next twenty five years…bring all areas to compliance with the American with Disability Act

New projects fuel downtown L.A.’s transformation (Retail Traffic)

You only have to walk through the Old Bank District after hours to see the way L.A.’s downtown is transforming into an all-day business and cultural destination. The website Retail Traffic attributes this “emergence” to a number of things, one of which is the investment in public transit linking the broader L.A. area to downtown. With the Expo Line and Foothill Extension putting even more Angelenos in reach of downtown in the next few years — not to mention this possible football stadium — it seems like a safe bet that downtown is going to continue its upward trend.