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.
It’s called “Dynamics of the Subway.” You’ll want headphones if at work. Explanation here at The Atlantic Cities. It’s way cool.
Los Angeles: restart your engines (L.A. Times)
Carmageddon II comes to a close uneventfully. The article looks at some of the work done over the weekend — paving and tree trimming were part of the mix — and the demolition of the four support structures. That had to be done carefully to avoid damaging the new columns for the new Mulholland Bridge.
Metro to apply to become managing agency for Surfliner (L.A. Streetsblog)
Bottom line here: a new state bill should lead to improvements in Amtrak in Southern California. In this post and a related one, Dana Gabbard provides a good and thorough explanation of the bill and its history and explains why Metro would be interested in overseeing Amtrak’s popular Surfliner service.
Bloomberg: transit should be free (Streetsblog)
He was just talking off the cuff, but New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a reporter that if starting from scratch, the way to design a great transit system would be make it free and charge motorists to use roads. He hasn’t gone that far in his administration, but has certainly tried to provide more amenities for transit riders (bus lanes), cyclists (bike lanes) and pedestrians (more sidewalks, plazas) while pushing for a congestion pricing project in Manhattan that failed.
Categories: Transportation Headlines
[…] has been is the pick-up of my coverage of Metro’s plans to apply to be managing agency by The Source. And rest assured we will continue coverage of this process as it proceeds. Email Share […]
I encourage those who want to actually understand what is happening to read the two pieces on the Surfliner. Goodwyn R obviously didn’t bother to do so and embarresses himself with an uninformed diatribe.
I second Dana — LOSSAN is not the easiest issue to grasp. Unfortunately, uninformed diatribes are the price we all pay for trying to have an open comments board.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Riiight, let’s make Metro, an agency whose jurisdiction only emcompasses LA County, head Amtrak Pacific Surfliner without zero input from San Diego County, Orange County, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara County.
Gee why don’t we let Metro head all of the operations to Las Vegas, NV and the Grand Canyon, AZ why don’t we? Let’s expand LA County jurisdictions all the way to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico as well!
Do any of these idiot politicians have any grasp of reality? Or are they just so power hungry they’ll do anything to get more power?
“New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a reporter that if starting from scratch, the way to design a great transit system would be make it free and charge motorists to use roads.”
Another example that shows bonehead politicians in America have absolutely no idea how to run and fund mass transit. What other city in the world does this? No one. The US does everything opposite under “American exceptionalism” and scratch their heads why they aren’t working. Then they keep trying to re-invent the wheel at the expense of taxpayer dollars.
Earth to America: the answers are simple!
Just look at what other cities around the world do. They privatize mass transit with government owning 70-80% of stocks and the rest owned by private investors, mass transit corporations become property developers and the align the fare system by the distance traveled. Local surface roads remain free and paid for by taxpayers, expressways are tolled by the distance. Vehicle registration fees are done based on gross vehicle weight which directly corresponds to wear and tear of the roads instead of year make of the vehicle.
This is the global standard of operating mass transit. America, keeps doing everything wrong and the old ways, just like how they continue to use the stupid imperial system when everyone has gone to metric.