Transportation headlines, Tuesday, March 6

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 Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

Sunset Triangle Plaza (Photo by Joel Epstein/Metro)

Los Angeles seeks pedestrians (The Atlantic Cities)

Angelenos who care about public space and making LA a more livable city had reason to celebrate on Sunday. That is when a coalition of Silver Lake residents, city agencies, public space advocates and others, welcomed to L.A. a new pedestrian plaza in Silver Lake. Advocates hope that Sunset Triangle Plaza will be the first of many such L.A. parks and public spaces.

MTA’s long-planned restoration of historic North Hollywood train depot set to begin (North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch)

It has been nearly 50 years since a Pacific Electric Red Car trolley left the San Fernando Valley bound for downtown L.A. Now, Metro is beginning a long-planned restoration of the historic train depot at Lankershim Blvd and Chandler Blvd in North Hollywood. The Patch looks at this significant piece of North Hollywood and L.A. history.

Meet Sam Schwartz (New York Times)

This New York Times tribute to the transportation engineer who coined the term, ‘gridlock’ is also about Gridlock Sam’s thoughts on congestion pricing — charging drivers coming into Manhattan at peak times of the day more money at the toll booth. Schwartz would use the revenue from $7 tolls on New York’s bridges and tunnels to reduce transit fares and to launch new transit lines including bus rapid transit in the outer boroughs where transit service is not as good. Gridlock Sam also calls for construction of new pedestrian/bicycle bridges including one between the financial district and downtown Brooklyn with a stop on Governors Island.

L.A. public transportation extension talk heard in D.C. (Laist)

Mayor Villaraigosa will be in Washington, D.C.,again this week for meeting regarding funding for the Westside Subway Extension and the Metro Green Line to LAX. The mayor, accompanied by 200 L.A. business and civic leaders, plans to meet with senior Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Obama administration officials to express support for passage of a $109 billion surface transportation bill currently stalled in Congress. The bill’s passage would help fund Measure R-funded transit programs and expand a federal loan program.

Dont forget, tomorrow (Wednesday, March 7), between 6 and 8 pm at Union Station’s historic ticketing concourse, Metro will be hosting a community workshop to update the public on a current study that is examining ways to connect the Green Line to LAX. Those unable to attend the workshop can participate online beginning at 6:15. For more  information on the Green Line to LAX Project, call (310) 499-0553 or go to the project website.