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ART OF TRANSIT: A potential passenger? Taken in Toronto. Photo by Jamaal, via Flickr creative commons.
The Los Angeles Rams loved public transit (CityLab)
Fun pics of Rams players in the 1970s promoting taking RTD buses to games at the L.A. Coliseum. The Rams are threatening to move to Inglewood from St. Louis unless St. Louis ponies up a better stadium. Even that may not be enough. If they move, it would be fun to have the Los Angeles Rams playing in Inglewood and the San Francisco 49ers playing in Santa Clara. The Rams owner says that building the 80,000-seat stadium would result in 40,000 jobs and $1-billion of investment in Inglewood, according to the L.A. Times. One job for every two seats!
More commuters look to Metro van pools as alternative to solo driving (L.A. Times)
Excerpt:
At Metro, which administers the largest public van pool operation in North America, participation has more than doubled in the last six years, with a total of 1,375 van groups operating today. Officials expect that figure to grow by at least 8% in 2015.
The van pools are for long-distance commuters. Metro provides $400 to help offset the costs and each member of the van pool contributes money to help pay for the van lease and gas. As with transit, I’m guessing the rise of the internet, smart phones and tablets is providing a boost to van pools, where riders can get some work done.
To learn more about Metro’s van pool program and to find a seat on an existing van or start a new van pool, please visit this page on metro.net.
GOP Senator won’t rule out gas tax increase (Better Roads)
On television this past weekend, Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) said that while he’s opposed to an increase, lawmakers must keep open all options to keep the federal Highway Trust Fund in the black. A temporary fix to keep the fund solvent expires in May. Increasing the tax is obviously a tough sell for both political parties — and I’m guessing especially tough in more rural states where people have to often drive more.
Beverly Hills takes up bike lane question (WEHOville)
The Beverly Hills City Council is still wrestling with the question of whether to build bike lanes — or even protected bike lanes — along the stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard that goes through the city. Bike lanes, proponents say, would be a good way to connect the business districts of WeHo and Beverly Hills.
Categories: Transportation Headlines
Many decades ago, the Los Angeles Rams were the flagship franchise on the National Football League. In the 1950’s, they routinely packed the Coliseum for regular season games at a time when other NFL teams (such as the “Chicago Cardinals”) struggled at the gate. The NFL before the age of National TV Broadcasts hardly resembled the NFL of today.
Pete Rozelle, the legendary long term Commissioner of the NFL, got his start with the Rams in Public Relations, later becoming General Manager of the Rams in 1957 before becoming NFL Commissioner in 1960 at the young age of 33. He was born in South Gate, grew up in Lynwood and graduated from Compton High School in 1944.
The Rams did win an NFL Championship in 1951 and did play in the 1979 Superbowl. They had many winning seasons while in Los Angeles. They were at their most popular in Los Angeles during the 1950’s while Sid Gillman was head coach and the team played an exciting and wide open offensive game.
The Rams were the first NFL team to sign African-American players, post WWII, signing Kenny Washington and Woody Strode (yes, the movie actor) in 1946, a year before the Brooklyn Dodgers played Jackie Robinson. Interesting that all three went to UCLA.
the RAMS can stay where they are, we don’t need another team coming here and taking money from us then leaving like the RAIDERS did, a new team ok but not the losing RAMS who never won anything while here in L.A.