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.

Transit that serves all requires some sacrifice (L.A. Times)

To provide some perspective on the Beverly Hills versus Westside Subway Extension controversy, columnist Hector Tobar visits the Blue Line in Compton, where trains run at street level, access to stations is not always easy, public art is lacking and many residents say they’re utterly dependent on the train. Tobar takes a dim view of Beverly Hills’ arguments against the proposed subway tunnel under part of the Beverly Hills High School campus, writing:

“Public good requires public sacrifice. Compton, Boyle Heights, and many other communities have sacrificed a lot in the building of the rail lines and freeways that link us together. I don’t think it’s asking too much to expect Beverly Hills to do its share.”

 

Can ditching your car make you more free? (GOOD)

Nice article looking at a few local folks who have bid adieu to their cars and instead rely on transit, walking and cycling to get around. The pros: money is saved and an intense connection with the city around them. The cons: you can’t get everywhere you want to go.

Desert XPress looks toward Palmdale (VegasInc.)

Officials with the proposed Desert Xpress bullet train and County Supervisor Mike Antonovich — the incoming Metro Board Chair — signed papers agreeing to pursue a common strategy for extending the Xpress train from Victorville to Palmdale. The Xpress, as originally proposed, would link Las Vegas and Victorville. Antonovich wants to see the train continue along the proposed High Desert Corridor freeway to Palmdale, where there would be connecting service to Los Angeles Union Station via Metrolink and possibly the California state bullet train project. One note: the Xpress still needs major funding from the federal government in order to make it to Victorville.