Today marks the start of Transportation for America's "Build for America" campaign, which will work to influence the transportation funding legislation that goes before the next Congress in 2009. (You'll be hearing a lot more about it here in the coming months; we have received a grant from the T4America campaign to kick-start the development of Streetsblog.net, a national network of transportation policy bloggers.) It's a major effort to fundamentally change the way this country thinks about and finances transportation infrastructure — at the same time creating jobs, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and helping the environment. Download a PDF of the plan here.

Yesterday, Shelley Poticha, Transportation for America's co-chair, was joined by Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and others in a telephone briefing for reporters. She said the campaign aimed to challenge Congress to "adopt a bold new agenda" by shifting emphasis away from building new roads and onto expanding mass transit, maintaining existing roads and bridges, and focusing on sustainable development. "We need to invest in infrastructure that will get our economy moving," said Poticha.

The campaign's five-point plan calls for Congress and the next president to:

• Build rail and transit networks that are competitive with those in China and Europe, reducing oil dependence and connecting metro regions.
• Invest in "the cleanest forms of transportation — modern public transit, walking and biking."
• Adopt a "fix-it-first" policy to repair crumbling roads and bridges rather than building new ones.
• Stop wasteful spending and re-evaluate projects that have already been approved.
• "Save Americans money" by providing them with cost-efficient, sustainable transportation options where they live and work.

Asked about the political will to increase federal funding for mass transit in the current atmosphere of economic crisis, Gov. Rendell acknowledged it would not be easy. "Is there an appetite for it?" he said. "I'm not sure there is. Raising revenue is always difficult....We have to build the appetite. The movement has to start in the hometowns and move to Washington."

"Build for America" officially kicks off today with events in New York, Madison (WI), Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle.

The Daily News printed a story today about some of the changes that Los Angeles has undergone as a result of high gas prices.  There's nothing surprising about their findings, more people are biking, taking transit, and buying fuel efficient cars.  The Daily News' article focuses on what steps will have to be taken to accomodate these changes if they continue to happen.

And yes, a fare hike is mentioned to help Metro deal with all of its new passengers.

But what if gas prices continue their recent trend, and fall back to $3 a gallon.  Up here in the Bay Area the local news is focusing on forecasters that are predicting gas prices to be between $3 and $3.25.

So here's the question I put to you: If gas prices fall and don't rise, what's going to happen to Los Angeles?  Have we learned our lesson?  If we return to an era of $3 gasoline, will we see people continue to pursue alternative transportation, or will the city breathe a deep sigh of relief and get back in their SUV's?

Photo: Sirigous/Flickr

Last week, the state legislature finally passed AB 1358, The Complete Streets Act.  This legislation would require that all modes of transportation be given equal consideration when Caltrans or any other government body in California spends funds on a road project. Other states that have passed similar legislation include Oregon, Illinois, Massachusetts and Virginia.

Passage of this type of legislation is at the top of the "to do" list for bicycle and pedestrian reformers throughout the country including the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition and the California Bike Coalition. 

I guess state legislators know how to say "Happy Birthday."

For such a groundbreaking piece of legislation, it received scant notice in the press.  Over the last week, the only news story on A.B. 1358's passage can be found in a Sacramento Bee editorial, which devoted one paragraph of an editorial to the legislation over the weekend.

Pedestrian safety: Assembly Bill 1358 would require cities and counties to accommodate all users – including bicyclists, pedestrians and transit passengers – when building new streets and highways. This "complete streets" bill by Assemblyman Mark Leno of San Francisco would encourage the building of more sidewalks and bike lanes statewide. It dovetails with the governor's efforts to fight obesity and reduce greenhouse pollution.

However, as with all things in Sacramento these days, this important piece of legislation is caught in the logjam created by the Governor's insistence that he will not sign any legislation until after the legislature passes a balance budget.  However, that timeline doesn't work for local bike advocates.  The LACBC wrote their members yesterday with instructions of how to write to Governor Schwarzengger.  Their draft letter and instructions can be found after the jump.

Photo: Ohio Cap City/Flickr

Because of language changes at the last minute needed to win the approval of Senator Jenny Oropeza, a Senator and member of the Appropriations Committee who has long pushed for a Green Line extension to LAX, the bill has to be approved by the Senate and go back to the Assembly before going to the Governor's desk.  It seems nothing can be simple with this sales tax plan.

Nevertheless, both A.B. 2321 Author Mike Feuer and Oropeza seem content with the compromise so let's enjoy this moment of political harmony.  After all, even if everything goes smoothly in Sacramento, the measure still needs the support of 2/3's of participating voters on election day.  With opposition promised in both San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley, we still have a long way to go.

Wall Street Journal Celebrity Stephen Box at Bike Not to Work Day in 2007

Was there ever a subject that you talked about all of the time and thought you knew just about everything there was to know about it, then someone you don't know has an opinion and all of a sudden you're fascinated with what they have to say?  Well, that's how I feel about a Wall Street Journal article about Los Angeles' bike culture. 

The main focus of the article is on the perils of bike commuting in the urban jungle that is LA.  Riders have to fend off automobiles when on the road and deal with a lack inadequate bike racks on Metro buses when they try and get off the road.  The Journal talks to commuting cyclists from throughout the county about their concerns and injury history while painting a picture of bicyclists as normal people that are no different than other commuters.

None of this is news to the hundreds of us who use our bikes on a daily basis, but what is interesting is who the Journal chose to speak with and quote.  When you look at LA bike culture from a distance, who and what stand out?  For example, they talk to Stephen Box, discuss the Bike Writer's Collective and the Crimanimals but not the LACBC and the Midnight Ridazz.  Michelle Mowery might be the most controversial government official in LADOT as far as bicycle activists are concerned, but the Journal talks to Lynne Goldsmith, bike coordinator at Metro.

In the end, the article concludes that LA is becoming more of a bike town everyday.  With the high cost of gas prices, more people have turned to two wheeled transportation despite the challenges that Angeleno cyclists face.

Photo: ubrayj02/Flickr

Last month, a group of graduate students working with city staff designed a model of what downtown Los Angeles would look like if the 101 Freeway were capped and Los Angeles undertook creating its version of Central Park.  While some planners scoffed at the notion, one email I received joked that it looked like a volcano erupted in Downtown LA, overall the project was well received. 

Now you can view the project for yourself.  The 7th and Fig Art Center, the same gallery hosting James Rojas' car-free downtown model, is also showing the model created by the students.  The "car-free" model and the "Central Park" model are both presented about 20 yards apart creating dueling visions for a better, greener, downtown.

Both exhibits can be viewed until August 8th when the EDAW exhibit moves on.  The 7th and Fig arts center is located in the second floor of the outdoor mall located at the corner of 7th and Figueroa Streets and is open between noon and 4 P.M. daily.  For information on other events at the Art Gallery, visit their website.

Photo: Damien Newton

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that City Supervisor Chris Daly wants to ban cars from part of Market Street.  While transit would still be able to traverse the 2.3 mile stretch between Octavia Boulevard and the Embarcadero all privately owned passenger vehicles would be banned.

Daly says that the idea of closing Market Street came from the popularity of temporary street closures that Mayor Gavin Newsome is proposing.

Daly said discussion of a proposal by Mayor Gavin Newsom to close portions of city streets, including a large stretch of the Embarcadero, on two Sundays this year prompted his action.

"It's the city's grand boulevard," Daly said. "Why don't we go for the gold?"

Closing the 2.3-mile portion of Market Street would open the often-congested roadway to pedestrians and cyclists, though Daly said there would still need to be places where cars and other vehicles could cross.

Excellent! This way, business on Market will dry up, and all the cars will just end up on side streets anyway causing evey more traffic headaches. I can't think of a better idea.

 and...

Yet another example of why we need to make the board of supervisors position a part time job. These imbiciles have too much time on their hands so they come up with worthless legislation. Mission, Howard and Folsom Streets are already quite busy so the idea of diverting traffic to those streets is only more absurd. I suppose if one were to bad automobiles on Market Street, it would only make sense to ban bicycles since they are equally reckless in the face of pedestrians.

Photo: Kurt Rogers/San Francisco Chronicle

The Times reports that Southern California school districts are cutting back on school bus funding to help balance their budgets.  In some areas, the urban design style so "popular" in Southern California has led those students unfortunate enough to lose their bus options no choices besides the private automobile for transport or not going to school at all.  Unsurprisingly, these cuts are proving less than popular.

Critics worry that the cuts will increase traffic around schools, shift costs to parents already struggling with rising gas prices and prompt more absenteeism, hurting students' academic achievement. But paramount is the fear that the reductions will endanger students as more walk or drive to school.

While reducing access to school is certainly a low point for our society, what's even worse is that we seem to have no other transportation options for students when there's a cutback in the amount of buses and bus routes available.  Too many students don't believe they have the options to walk or bike to school because freeways or multi-lane surface streets serve as dangerous barriers to students walking or biking to school.  And, as we saw in Van Nuys, oftentimes schools have no facilities for cyclists to park their vehicle despite providing a sea of asphalt for car driving students.

It's inexcusable to leave a generation of students with no means besides the private automobile to get to school.  However, for many of the students left without bus service, there would be other options if schools and municipalities act now.  Locals shouldn't wait for either Caltrans or the Federal Government to fund Safe Streets to School programs, they should act now to make certain intersections near the schools are improved, and freshly painted.  Bike routes from the various community served by the school should be planned and marked and bike routes should be well marked.  This can be done in the time between now and the start of the school year.

Like any crisis, this one brings a certain amount of opportunity.  Whether or not schools, school districts and elected leaders are creative enough to take advantage of them remains to be seen.

Photo: LemonReese/Flickr 

Yesterday, the City Council Transportation Committee followed the advice of the LAPD and voted to approve a trial closure of one of the entrances to the Ballona Creek trail along Culver Drive between Purdue Avenue and Sawtelle Boulevard.  An amendment by Committee Chair Wendy Greuel requires that a detailed series of goal posts be put in place to measure the closure’s success before the resolution comes before the full Council.

After months of debate since this issue first appeared on the Transportation Committee Agenda in March, the local LAPD commander wrote a letter to the City Council urging them to “temporarily” close the gate for 90 days so that they could assess it’s impact on the community. 

But not providing any other alternatives other than a closure, the LAPD did the Council and local Councilman Bill Rosendahl a disservice; forcing a clash between trail users who view the gate as a safe entrance and exit from the trail and those living adjacent to the gate who view it as a hotbed of gang activity because it provides an extra escape route.

Much of the testimony from the bike community was similar to what’s been said before.  Concerns were raised about the safety of people on the trail, the potential crashes that would occur by forcing all those wishing to enter or exit the crash to do so off more heavily traveled roadways and even if the safety measure was needed at all.  Local bike advocate Howard Hackett pointed out that it had been more than 100 days since the Transportation Committee first addressed the potential closure and there had been no crime reported in the area.  How could a closed gate over a 90-day period improve on that record?

In response, the LAPD’s representatives admitted that crime in the area has gone down 46% in the first two months of 2008 compared to the same time period in 2007.  Statistics for crime for the bike trail weren't available because the LAPD Crime Maps system has trouble keeping records for crimes without a street address.  Three years ago LAPD tried to get a list of crimes on the bike path, but LADOT could only provide statistics "for the area."

Oddly, in response to questions about why the gate closure would be a full-time closure and not just at night, the LAPD responded that crime in the area is a 24-hour problem and not just isolated to evening hours.  This is a direct contradiction to comments made by Lou Corbin, whose house is directly across the street and is a leading proponent of gate closure, at previous meetings where he stated that the problem is during the day when people aren’t home and their houses get vandalized and burglarized.  There was no effort to contradict Corbin at previous meetings when the debate was about whether or not increased lighting could improve the crime situation in the area.

The meeting also featured a sharp exchange between Councilman Richard Alarcon and Rosendahl over whether the community had done enough to warrant the city stepping in.  Alarcon fixated on the lack of a community watch program and forcefully argued that closing access to a public amenity before the community had tried policing itself was the wrong way to go about things.  Rosendahl noted that the police in his district get no funds from the city’s gang prevention program and we should support their request for a closure.

Beliot Ave. Gate, Now Also Closed Because of Neighbors Concerns About Crime

Alarcon also asked the million-dollar question for which there is no reply, “If they don’t have trouble breaking into a house, how are they going to be stopped by a fence?”  Earlier, Alex Thompson testified to the ease of using bolt cutters to quickly making a hole in a chain link fence.  Other bike advocates wondered how difficult it would be to just jump or climb the four-foot obstacle to get to the trail.

Before ultimately voting to move the motion forward, Wendy Greuel commented on the incomplete nature of the LAPD’s proposal.  Greuel was concerned that if the evaluation was limited to asking the community if it “felt more safe” that the gate would remain closed forever regardless of its impact on safety.  Before a final vote the committee agreed that a detailed evaluation criteria would need to be in place before the council could give final approval.

One issue that remained unresolved was whether the closure could impact future funding of trail projects in the city.  This point was brought up multiple times during testimony; but when a Metro lobbyist was asked point blank if this were the case, he replied that he would have to look it up.

In the end, the Committee moved the proposal by a 4-1 vote, with Alarcon voting against.  Actually, I’m just assuming the vote was 4-1 and not 3-1-1 or 3-2.  Councilman Parks didn’t move for most of the debate and never spoke.  Some of those in the audience wondered whether or not the Councilman had fallen asleep.  Regardless, the full council will take up the issue later this summer.

First photo by Alex Thompson.

Second photo by Will Campbell.

These realities are lost on many of the suburbanites quoted in the Post story, notably Northern Virginia Congressman James P. Moran Jr., who predicts the District's economy will dry up as its streets become more people-friendly (an argument also heard -- and ultimately rejected -- recently in San Francisco, of all places). But one out-of-town legislator has a more tempered view, and offered an insight that also rings true around these parts.

"You'd like me to lambaste the District, but we're all in the same boat," said Montgomery County Council member Nancy Floreen (D-At Large). "I am sympathetic to some of these initiatives. But the challenge is finding the right balance. Not everyone can ride Metro or walk to work."

She placed blame for the problem, in part, on the federal government, which offers many of its employees free parking in the city.

While DC can't stop the feds from giving away parking, it has launched its aforementioned market rate metering program for curbside space, even dedicating a good share of the proceeds to pedestrian and bike improvements. And with no far-flung authority to answer to, the District is free, for example, to use automated traffic enforcement, including red light and speeding cameras.

Left to its own devices to achieve its stated goal of encouraging transit use, biking and walking, it will be interesting to see how this major US city pulls it off, and what other cities, including ours, can learn from it.

Photo of crosswalk flags on Connecticut Ave by billadler/Flickr. DC has one of the highest pedestrian death rates among large US cities.

Artist's Rendering of South Figueroa After Funded Streetscape Improvements

What would you think of a government grant funding $22.5 million for streetscape improvements on Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles to support biking, walking and transit usage? What if the same project allocated another 7.5 million will be used to renovate Expo Park, build a new Venice-Hope Recreation Center, transform the concrete plaza at the Convention Center into a storm water retention demonstration park and study building a new transit hub over the Harbor Fwy. at Adams Blvd.? And what if that proposal also would also help bring 400 new affordable housing units to the area?

If you're the LA Times, you think, "yuck, who wants any of that?"

In the past couple of weeks, the Times wrote not once, but twice about the proposal (before and after it received funding from a state committee) complaining that the project was only funded because it was an insider deal that will benefit the LA Live entertainment development and not lower income communities. Basically, the Times' articles are heavy on political conspiracy, but low on any sort of evaluation of the actual proposals which include a broad range of improvements to a much larger area.

Fortunately, representatives of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA) with joint applicants of the Figueroa Corridor Partnership Business Improvement District and the South Park Business and Community Benefit Business Improvement District were happy to supply Streetsblog with a list of improvements funded by the grant that will link South Los Angeles to Downtown. To get more details, and draw your own conclusion whether or not this was a good use of state funds, read on after the jump.

Figueroa Street and 11th Street Streetscape
Implement established L.A. Sports and Entertainment District streetscape design standards between 7th Street and Venice Boulevard along Figueroa Street and 11th Street between Figueroa Street and Broadway, including sidewalk paving, parkway planting, street trees, transit stops/shelters, and pedestrian lighting. Also, implement newly established streetscape design standards that continue the design standard of the L.A. Sports and Entertainment streetscape design standards south to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard along Figueroa Street

Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard Streetscape
Design and build streetscape improvements including new street trees, transit shelters, pedestrian lighting, and new landscaped median to connect Figueroa Street along the southern edge of Expo Park to Vermont Avenue. This further extends the connectivity from South Los Angeles neighborhoods to the Figueroa Corridor and connection to Downtown and the Exposition Light Rail line.

Washington Boulevard Streetscape (from Figueroa Street to Broadway)
Design and build streetscape improvements including new street trees, transit shelters, and pedestrian lighting to support the existing Blue Line light rail corridor between Figueroa Street and Broadway. This improves a current blighted transit corridor that does not welcome walkability between existing and planned mixed use housing and the public transit in the area.

Venice-Hope Recreation Center
Public Private partnership between CRA/LA and California Hospital Medical Center to provide community education and recreation facility for new and existing residents in the South Park neighborhood. Currently, the neighborhood is seriously underserved for recreational and educational opportunities.

Exposition Park Sports Fields
Transform an under-improved open space into a multi-use state-of-the-art sports field to serve South Los Angeles neighborhood. The area currently is "park poor" and does not provide sufficient recreation facilities for the local South Los Angeles community and a critically underserved population living in among the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city.

Gilbert Lindsay Park at the L.A. Convention Center
Transform current Convention Center frontage into a pedestrian friendly, usable open space. This new area will provide additional "park" space for local area residents, as well as the millions of visitors to the Convention Center.

Freeway Cap Park Feasibility Study
Funding for engineering and design feasibility study to build a "cap" over the 110 Freeway near Adams Boulevard to provided needed green and open space for the adjacent park poor neighborhood. With the addition of residential and mixed used projects in the area, the already "park poor" community is in need of more open space. This project could create a park in what is now a tear in the neighborhood as a result of the below grade freeway.

New Housing Units being Supported:
The grant application is designed to fund infrastructure improvements that support the transformation of the Qualified Infill Area from a mostly commercial/industrial area to a residential and mixed-use neighborhood. Currently, the infrastructure improvements will support over 400 units of affordable housing and 1600 units of market rate housing. The balance between affordable and market rate housing is at 20%. Additionally, the infrastructure is meant to attract other developers to invest in the neighborhood and further create both market rate and affordable housing that is close to transit, jobs and other amenities. Specific developments "in the pipeline" supported by this grant applications include:

• The YWCA/Jobs Corps at Olive Street between 11th Street and Olympic - 100% affordable housing project with 200 affordable units
• Morrison Hotel at Pico Boulevard and Hope Street - 100% affordable housing project with 84 units
• Pierce Brothers Mortuary Site at Washington Boulevard west of the 110 Freeway - 100% affordable housing project with 60 units
• Community Financial Resource Center CFRC Site at 41st Place and Figueroa Street - 100% affordable housing project with 65 units
• 8th and Hope - 100% market rate with 209 units
• Fashion Industry of Design and Merchandising at Flower Street and Olympic Boulevard - 100% market rate housing with 112 units
• Figueroa South Phase One at Figueroa Street between Pico Boulevard and 12th Streets- 100% market rate with 330 units
• 1133 So. Hope - 100% market rate with 159 units
• 1500 S. Figueroa - 100% market rate with 113units
• 2100 S. Figueroa - 100% market rate with 108 units
• University Gateway at Jefferson and Figueroa - 100% market rate with 421 units
  

This week, Metrolink will begin random searches of riders to help make trains more secure for riders.  LA County Sheriffs will be conducting the searches which Metrolink claims are not in response to a specific threat.

A flyer to passengers left on Metrolink trains explains the procedure:

Prior to initiation of a screening event, signs will be posted at all entrances to the station parking lots and platforms to notify passengers that the deputies are present and the random security screening will be conducted. Access to the station platform will be restricted; passengers must pass through the checkpoint to gain access to the station platform.

The new random searches have already come under praise and criticism from Metrolink passengers.

Robert Akrow, the owner of the website metrolinkrider.com, went so far as to claim that the program is an example of why Metrolink is in need of an independent inspector general.

So lets assume that a terrorist has a bomb and is planning to put it on a Metrolink train.   Upon entering the station parking lot, he would see the sign and then realize that he could not do his intended deed.  It would be a simple process for the terrorist to go to the next station or wait until tomorrow and try again.

The stupidity of this program shows just how backward Metrolink's thinking is.  Do they really think the terrorists are that dumb?

This demonstrates why Metrolink needs an Inspector General, to ferret out fraud, waste, abuse, and stupidity.  A Metrolink Riders Union is another good idea.

Meanwhile, Brian Buss, the founder of LAPassenger.com, sees value in the current system and would like to see more security on trains.

I'm with California voters who passed 1B in supporting security improvements to our growing rail transit system, as long as searches are conducted with little impact to train and passenger schedules.  LAPassenger's mission is to send train delay alerts to passengers' cell phones, so we like the current system which includes random K-9 searches does not interfere with passengers getting on the train.  It delays the train only for about a minute....

...If the intent is to truly randomize the searches, there should be a variety of random time and place searches; K-9 station boarding, platform passenger checkpoints, on-board passenger audits, and the continued visible presence of law enforcement officers on the trains, both uniformed and plain clothes officers.

If riders find Metrolink’s efforts at security irksome enough to do something about it, there isn’t much recourse.  Previous efforts to use the courts to fight similar search plans have come up empty.

All this extra security, and to think Metrolink already has a gating system to keep their riders safe from terrorists!  If any readers witness or get searched and want to write about it, send your story to damien@streetsblog.org.

Photo: Borderhacker/Flickr

Biting commentary on the D.C. dog and pony show isn't just for Streetsblog anymore.

The New York Times' David M. Herszenhorn has a not-so-subtle indictment of this week's Congressional hearings on gasoline prices, where slippery oil executives were lined up before flustered pols like "targets in a carnival dunk tank."

It was the Thursday before the Memorial Day weekend - the ideal time for Congress to show its solidarity with angry American motorists. Ms. [Debbie] Wasserman Schultz, [House] Democrat of Florida, channeled the rage of every parent in America who has pulled into a gas station recently on the way to ballet lessons or soccer practice, letting loose on the men from Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP America.

"I'm a mom of three young children who filled up her minivan the other day for $68," she said, seething. "Sixty-eight dollars - that's real money. Maybe that's not real money to the five people sitting here because $68 is like a nickel to you, based on the income you all earn."

Ah, the sweet, indelible signs of summer. Baseball. Backyard barbecues. And dramatic Congressional hearings over the rising price of gasoline.

Herszenhorn explains that, as prices keep going up, oil executives insist that market forces are beyond their control, Congressional Democrats threaten punitive actions that few believe will have much if any impact, and Republicans join the oilmen in calling for expeditions for untapped veins -- which Democrats generally oppose. And round and round it goes.

The fecklessness of the politicians and the futility of this latest round of public floggings (who'd have thought one could actually feel sympathy for oil company suits?) was epitomized in a comment from California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters:

“Thank you for being here today,” Ms. Waters told the executives. “If you feel a little bit beaten up on, we all feel beaten up on, so just share the pain. We get our behinds kicked every day in our districts about what is going on.”

So on the advent of this year's driving season (is there a non-driving
season, btw?), as Americans pour hundreds of dollars into their
tanks en route to and from their holiday destinations, they can at
least rest easy knowing that their leaders in Washington are as helpless as they are when it comes to grappling for an answer to car dependence.

We'll see you next week.

Video: mhsslacker / YouTube

(The following post was written by Ron Milam, longtime transportation advocate, co-founder of the LACBC, Eco-Villager and self-employed consultant. Read more about Ron at his website.  Also, our friend Darrell Clarke has more images from the conference at LA Visions.)

Imagine streetcars returning to Los Angeles. Picture a modern, quiet streetcar going down Broadway in Downtown weaving together residences, business and cultural institutions while also facilitating a vibrant street life.

On May 22^nd, over 250 people not only imagined what a streetcar in Downtown Los Angeles would look like, they also gained inspiration from places like Portland and Seattle that recently launched their own modern streetcar lines.

Earlier last century, Angelenos abandoned the streetcar. Now it seems, a critical mass is coming together to bring it back to life, and in the process, create more livable communities with welcoming pedestrian environments, mixed-income housing and locally owned businesses.

In attendance were the usual planners and policy makers, as well as local elected officials (such as Councilmembers José Huizar, who's the streetcars biggest advocate, Jan Perry and Tom Labonge). A large contingency of Downtown LA stakeholders attended, including local business owners, residents, downtown BID's, Neighborhood Council and those just curious about the concept.

I sensed an excitement in the air, especially as people lingered and networked outside the official panel discussion during lunch and in intermissions. The workshops were informative and covered multiple aspects of streetcars: what other cities have done, the feasibility of bringing the streetcar back to LA, design issues and local case studies.

Several morning panelists referred to streetcars as "development oriented transit" as opposed to the more common term of "transit oriented development". Streetcars are as much about place making and they are about people moving.

As someone who helped spread the word about this conference, I'm pleased with both the attendance and excitement about the streetcar. While my sense is that the major stakeholders downtown agree on the concept, the challenge moving forward will be going from a good idea to implementation. One of the early morning panelists urged attendees not to get bogged down in planning and studies, but rather just build a simple, short first segment, which would build future momentum. Will the Downtown leadership come to consensus and make this reality? We'll just have to wait and see.

Photo: Ron Milam

This week's LA Weekly has a fascinating expose on Metrolink's ham-handed attempt to silence bloggers by dragging them in front of international courts.  I wish this were an April Fool's story, but it isn't.  The story's author, Max Taves, abandons any pretense of objectivity slamming Metrolink as a "Paranoid Transit Agency" before we even get to the text of the piece.   After reading the story, I can't say I blame him.

 And the story is basically this.  Desperate to shut down a website that is critical of its policies, Metrolink filed suit against Bob Arkow because his website was a violation of international copyright laws.  You see, the website's name is MetrolinkRider.com and Metrolink claimed that people might think the site was an official Metro message board.  Metrolink also sued for the domain metrolinksucks.com which doesn't have a website attached to it yet, but is also owned by Arkow.  Metrolink must have a pretty low opinion of its riders...that or members of its board and staff are going to be shocked to hear that Kobe Bryant doesn't spend his off days updating the links at this website.  Don't panic Camino, Metrolink lost its case in front of the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) court earlier this month.

Despite this setback, Metrolink is sticking to their guns and refusing to apologize for what is clearly a gross violation of Arkow's right to free speech.  According to LA Weekly:

Yet Metrolink’s Francisco Oaxaca doesn’t regret spending public money and L.A. County lawyers’ time trying to shut down Arkow’s small sites. He sees it as merely a trial run in silencing other bloggers and Web sites.

“I don’t think it was a mistake,” Oaxaca says. “If we do this again, we’ll have more information than if we hadn’t tried it, to see what is the most effective way to protect our trademark.” He promises that Metrolink is “considering actions against other domain-name holders.”

It must be reassuring for Metrolink passengers to hear that agency that just raised fares for the second time this year isn't wasting money on frivolous expenses. 

Say what you want about Metro, but I could never see them tilting at windmills like this.  As a matter of fact, their press department always returns my calls and even does outreach when there's an event they wish to promote.  I don't think anyone that reads Streetsblog thinks I go easy on Metro as a result, but by treating each other as professionals, blogger journalists and public agencies can develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

Or you agencies and bloggers can go to war with each other and the world will be full of websites named (nameofyouragency)sucks.com.

Image: Atwater Village Newbie/Flickr 

On Tuesday, voters in Portland, Oregon elected Sam Adams as their next mayor. A former Congressional staffer and current Portland city commissioner, Adams -- who is a cyclist -- ran on a platform that emphasized environmental and progressive growth initiatives, including, in the words of the Oregonian, "use [of] the Portland Streetcar and better planning to spur urban renewal." Adams received strong support from the livable streets community, which helped earn him a 52-34 percent margin of victory.

There is speculation that the Adams camp got a last-minute boost from Barack Obama, who came to town ahead of Tuesday's primary and drew a crowd of some 75,000 -- with an estimated 8,000+ arriving on bicycles. As quoted on BikePortland.org, Obama responded with some fairly breathtaking comments on transportation policy.

“If we are going to solve our energy problems we’ve got to think long term. It’s time for us to be serious about investing in alternative energy. It’s time for us to get serious about raising fuel efficiency standards on cars. It’s time that the entire country learn from what’s happening right here in Portland with mass transit and bicycle lanes and funding alternative means of transportation.

That’s the kind of solution that we need for America. That’s the kind of truth-telling that we are going to do in this campaign and when I am President of the United States of America.”

How remarkable is it that a presidential candidate -- or virtually any politician in higher office -- would talk about transit and bike lanes without making fun of them? Still, as BikePortland Editor Jonathan Maus notes:

These are all good signs; but what happens on the campaign trail is not
the same as real change. It will take the work of voters, local
leaders, and advocates to seize this moment in history and work
together to push the pendulum toward more sustainable, human powered
cities.

At the very least, it looks like Obama may be willing to get this conversation started on a national level.

Many of the Workshops at Next Week's Conference Were Based on the Book Street Smart

One week from today, the Seaside Institute will be holding am all-day workshop on streetcars at the Orpheum Theatre.  With the news last winter that the city is thinking of putting a trolley back on Broadway, this workshop could provide a blueprint for what L.A. should be doing to maximize its investment.

From the press release announcing the workshop:

For more information, or to register for the conference, go here.

Image: The Seaside Institute

The most common complaint is that the committee has neither the teeth nor the will power to enact major changes.  Streetsblog reader Ubrayj2 actually referred to the committee as an “April Fool’s Joke” in a post at his blog last month.  Other complaints deal with members who don’t show up for meetings and that by forcing people to sign-in, the meetings are in violation of the Brown Act.

The motion, put forward by bike activist’s go-to Councilmember, Ed Reyes, and Transportation Committee Chair Wendy Greuel, recognizes that “there are certain structural and operational changes which must be made at this time in order to allow the Bicycle Advisory Committee to reach its full potential” and makes the following changes. 

Will be jointly staffed by the Department of Transportation and the City Planning Department;

A liaison from the Department of Recreation and Parks will be assigned to assist the committee as needed;

Appoint an administrative staff person to be responsible to post meeting minutes, agendas, and other support services;

Establish that any member of the Bicycle Advisory Committee may make a motion for the election of a new Chair; and that upon
a majority vote of the members, an election for the Chair will be immediately held for a minimum term of one year; and

Require each member to have an assigned alternate member.

The motion, if passed, would address two major problems.  Adding staff members from the Department of Planning and the Department of Recreation and Parks should make the LABAC a stronger body, one that has the teeth to handle both short and long-term issues.  Second, assigning an alternate member will increase attendance and participation at meetings.

Assuming the motion is passed in committee, it must also be passed by the Transportation Committee before moving to the full Council.  Currently, the Transportation Committee does not have a hearing scheduled on the motion, although that could change as soon as the Planning and Land Use Committee move the bill this afternoon.

Photo: Ubrayj2/Flickr 

Bi-partisan or not, the Members of Congress are showing a lack of understanding of both congestion pricing and the process going forward.

The Whittier Daily News quotes Solis as saying:

This plan could transfer traffic from the freeways to our residential neighborhoods, posing significant and unnecessary safety and public health risks.

Rather than rush this plan through the process, the MTA should allow the public an opportunity to learn more about it and discuss its potential impacts.

Metro’s HOT Lanes proposal has to be approved by both houses of the state legislature and the California Transportation Commission before the end of this year.  Solis’ statement shows she either doesn’t understand the process or believes that the United States Congress is the best place to debate local issues.If federal lawmakers want to oppose Metro’s HOT Lanes plan, they should offer an alternative.  If they want to deny Metro the funding for additional buses and park-and-rides they had best be working on earmarks to get LA County the funds to replace the funds they lost.

Photo:Wikipedia 

While the New York Times is discovering a growing livable streets movement in Los Angeles, our Paper of Record’s transportation columnist, Steve Hymon, is ready to throw a party for a road widening project in Eastern Sierra. The widening will double road capacity from two to four lanes for 14 miles between Independence and Big Pine. It should be completed in 2009.

According to the article car traffic is light on the now two-lane stretch of road but that the road’s duel use as a truck route makes it more perilous. Hyman goes into detail about some of the horrific crashes that have taken the lives of motorists and passengers along the route, but in every example given, the fault of the accident lies on drivers who were driving recklessly not road conditions.

For example:

Take, for example, the crash near Olancha last August. A 23-year-old woman from Cerritos was driving a Toyota SUV on the 395.

Stuck behind an SUV pulling a trailer, she tried going around and rammed into a Mazda traveling in the other direction. A 14-year-old girl in her SUV died, as did a female passenger in the Mazda.

Or:

At midnight on Aug. 30, 2003, on a two-lane stretch of 395 near a well-known jerky stand in Olancha, a vehicle carrying two drunk men veered across the road and rammed into Margaret Hart's vehicle. Hart, 43, was killed instantly.

Or:

One of the CHP officers who responded to Hart's crash was Paul Pino. Four months later, on Dec. 30, 2003, Pino was sitting in his patrol car writing a citation to a trucker he had just pulled over on a nearby stretch of 395.

An SUV driven by a 20-year-old woman, who later said she was tired, veered off the road and plowed into Pino's car, pushing it under the truck.

The causes of these deaths were not that the road was only two lanes; the cause of these deaths were drivers who chose to break the law by driving while exhausted and drunk or that were in too much of a rush to safely pass another vehicle.

Towards the middle of the article, Hymon makes a plea that people urge elected leaders to consider safety when handing out transportation funds.  Instead, how about urging safety when enforcing traffic laws? This fourteen mile stretch of road may indeed by a deathtrap, but it also sounds like an area where state police should be handing out tickets like candy at Halloween.

A former city politics reporter for the Times, Hymon clearly thinks this "safety" project should have been completed years ago and feels justified in slamming CALTRANS once a spokesperson reveals that the project has been on the books since the 1950's.  Hymon wonders what’s taken so long to get this road widened..

A better question would have been, why are we still using solutions dreamed up over half a century ago to solve problems that exist today?

Photo: Kellogg Photography/Flickr