Nice new video from the activist group Investing in Place.
•Nice step forward for the Crenshaw/LAX Line project with the ribbon cutting today for the new Southwestern Yard — next to LAX — where rail cars will be serviced. Here’s the Source post with plenty of pics.
The first rail cars were moved into the Southwestern Yard in November. Photo: LA Metro.
•Metro announced Tuesday that it would immediately replace the remaining 32 diesel buses used by contractor MV after a bus caught fire in Redondo Beach. There were no injuries. Metro is in the process of replacing the older diesel buses — so far one compressed natural gas-powered bus has been put into service and another 10 CNG buses have been delivered and are undergoing testing and inspections before being placed into service.
In the meantime, Metro will use existing CNG buses to replace the diesel ones. Here’s a segment on CBS Los Angeles by reporter David Goldstein — who originally reported the story last year — and here’s an update on the Facebook page of L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Janice Hahn.
•Snoop Dogg posted a bus-related tribute to Nipsey Hussle.
•After promising transparency, the New York State Legislature confirmed a new chairman of the New York MTA with little public oversight and in the dead of the long, dark Albany night, so says the NYT.
In case you were wondering what Albany looks like. Credit: Getty Images.
•Drop everything! The latest “Freeways Without Futures” report has been issued by the Congress of New Urbanism. The report lists 10 freeways the organization would like to replace with more livable places. No L.A.-area freeways are targeted this year but the group summons their inner-Alpha and puts the I-980 in Oakland on the pike.
•Things to listen to whilst transiting: Fresh Air has a good episode on the emotional life of primates. From the description:
Primatologist Frans de Waal has spent 40 years studying the behavior and emotions of primates. He talks about how primates experience jealousy, reconciliation, and empathy — just like humans. “That’s a spectrum of behavior that we have, and the same thing is true for many other species.”
Attentive readers know that I am on record as pretty much convinced that primates will be running the show on Planet Earth one of these days. If it happens sooner rather than later, I plan to convince the primates to spare me so that I can write the “The Daily Banana” blog that explains primate governance, projects and programs.
Categories: Transportation Headlines
On freeway removals, i would have voted for the 2 freeway between the I-5 and Silver Lake- keep all the traffic on the I-5. Maybe the removal of the short Marina Del Rey Freeway (or whatever its called). Land value in that area alone would be worth it to convert to housing and some badly needed green space. Long Beach Freeway north of I-10- that interchange needs to be rebuilt anyway. Turn it into a much more efficient “T” shape. The land between Cal State LA and Alhambra can then be repurposed. The short stub of the Colorado Blvd freeway off the I-5 in Glendale is another one. There are 4 I can think off just off the top of my head.
The Marina Freeway could be turned into a parkway, but not eliminated. Traffic on the north/south streets like Lincoln and Centinela would increase if it was totally eliminated. Fairly certain CalTrans still has a full 90 freeway extension to Lincoln deep in their long term plans.
Truncating the 710 to the San Bernardino Fwy might relieve some traffic off Valley Blvd.
Unfortunately, that Glendale Freeway ending in Echo Park needs to stay. The Pasadena Freeway couldn’t handle the extra traffic into downtown
This!!! But I agree with the 710 north though. You can leave a PROPER 4-Lane entrance/exitway (for lack of a better term) if keeping access to/from Del Mar and California are necessary, but overall build something on that stub already.