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.

Antonio Villaraigosa: Transit will keep L.A. competitive (Daily News)

L.A. mayor and Metro Board chairman Antonio Villaraigosa pens this opinion column for the Daily News that sheds some light on his vision for the future of transportation in L.A. And his vision is one I can get behind: the mayor wants to get L.A. to finally shed its car-crazed stereotype and become a city of transit riders. His reasoning is sound too. This isn’t just about (ugh) “reducing traffic” –  it’s about fixing unemployment, making it easier for people to get to jobs, reducing pollution, creating walkable and bikeable neighborhoods and most importantly, improving the quality of life for Angelenos. The question is: can the mayor realize his vision?

Reader Q and A: Deputy Mayor Borja Leon Responds (Streetsblog Los Angeles)

L.A.’s new deputy mayor for transportation Borja Leon directly responds to some good questions from Streetsblog readers. A few tidbits he reveals: while he’s not a daily transit rider, he does hop on buses and trains a few times a month; his dream transit system for L.A. would be a fare-free expansive subway system; and his transit funding solution is tax credit bonds – special bonds that offer tax credits to investors and could help Metro have quick access to money for projects without incurring massive debt costs.

One billion vehicles hit the road. Are we ready for two billion? (Washington Post)

We may have hit “peak car” in the developed world, but rapidly developing nations like China, India and Brazil seem to have an insatiable thirst for our four-wheeled friends. Last year the world hit the one billion cars mark and experts say we could hit 2.5 billion by 2050. What does it mean to have billions of cars on the planet? It means we’re going to need a lot more oil to drive them around (carbon emissions) and a lot more space devoted to them (sprawl).