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.

Beverly Hills Council discusses next step on subway (Beverly Hills Patch)

The city has hired two independent consultants to review the studies released by Metro that concluded a subway station in Century City should not be built on Santa Monica Boulevard because of active earthquake fault zones along that road. Beverly Hills officials also say they remain dedicated to stopping the alternative — tunneling under the city’s high school instead in order to reach a station along Constellation Boulevard in Century City. Obviously it will be interesting to see if the city ends up supporting or opposing the science in Metro’s studies.

Downtown Long Beach development: boon or bane? (Press-Telegram)

The city is considering a massive re-zoning of its downtown area that would allow for larger buildings and an easier approval process. While some say that will provide for the growth and the jolt that Long Beach needs, others are concerned that developers will target older residential properties that provide homes to those with low incomes. It’s a fair question that always comes up when the word gentrification gets tossed around. But I always wonder what’s the alternative? Do nothing? Perhaps the solution is novel zoning laws that provide incentives to those who build or protect existing affordable housing.

America will build high-speed rail — because of the challenges, not despite of them (Welcome to the Fast Lane)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says America builds big when times are tough — citing the Transcontinental Railroad (built partially during the Civil War) and the Hoover Dam (Great Depression). And LaHood says the only thing standing in the way of America building more high-speed rail is Congress. If I was a federal government blogger and not a county government blogger, I would have modified that statement (after filling out the 13 request forms in duplicate to do so) to say that the only thing standing in the way is Congress having any kind of fully formed vision for the future of transportation in America. Meow!