http://la.streetsblog.org Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:51:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Over the past two days at the Congress for the New Urbanism Project for Transportation Reform conference, attendees have called for transportation reform at local, regional, and national levels. In a panel debate about the future of transportation funding and the role of regional planning through ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/at-cnu-representative-of-texas-legislature-says-%e2%80%9cno-road-pays-for-itself%e2%80%9d/ With the U.S. unemployment rate hitting 10.2 percent today, its highest level in 26 years, a palpable shift is occurring on Capitol Hill. House transportation chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) (Photo: STLToday) ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/%e2%80%98the-concrete-is-cracking%e2%80%99-front-loaded-new-transport-bill-gains-steam/ While I'm going to syndicate some stories a little later today, I'm going to be away from the computer for much of this afternoon so their probably won't be another "L.A. Only" story.  But before I sign-off for the weekend, I wanted to take a moment to note an L.A. ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/thanks-a-million/ Ray LaHood likes the Eastside Extension...but will we? Image: The Fastlane One week from today the Eastside Bike Club, Streetsblog and the Bus Bench will meet at the Union Station Entrance to bike the six-mile Gold Line Extension to document what we see concerning crossings and safety.  I've ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/update-on-eastside-safety-ride-next-friday/ Today on the Streetsblog Network, a story about some kids in Los Angeles who did their research and came up with several good ideas about improving conditions for bicycle commuters. Then they ran up against the reality that the public forums on the city's bike plan weren't so public. But they ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/westside-kids-testify-on-bike-plan-and-are-heard-across-the-country/ The first time I saw this ad I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me. But no, there it is: a young woman holding a cellphone toward the camera as "nüvifone" maker Garmin beckons viewers to "communicate while navigating." "With my nüvifone, I can take calls ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/garmin-chat-navigate-and-steer-%e2%80%94-but-don%e2%80%99t-drive-distracted/ Waiting to board the B44 in Brooklyn. Photo: Benjamin FriedOur latest call for photos was inspired by the picture at right, taken by Streetsblog New York's own Ben Fried. It's an all too familiar scene -- transit riders crammed together, waiting for a bus (or train) that doesn't come when it's supposed to ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/wanted-your-photos-of-crummy-transit-conditions/ State Legislator Rushes to Protect Their Salary and Car Perks (Times) Punk Duo Expresses Rage at City Commuting (LA Weekly) 10 Questions for City Planning (City Watch) Will Feinstein Support HSR When It ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/06/todays-headlines-422/ She looks like she could handle life on a bike. Join us, Meghan! Photo: Creepyla.comSince the Christopher Thompson verdict was announced on Monday, many cyclists have reacted with dismay to the media coverage of the assault, the trial, and the reactions of other Angelenos on message boards and ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/times-oped-on-bike-car-relationship-reveals-the-good-and-bad-of-thompson-fallout/ Photo: npGreenway The Congress for the New Urbanism's Project for Transportation Reform summit in Portland, Oregon, has brought together transportation engineers, city planners, and transportation reform advocates to share best practice policies for reforming transportation metrics, funding mechanisms, and regional practices that isolate transportation planning from ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/cnu-transportation-project-raises-bar-on-planning-for-livable-cities/ Clarence Eckerson Jr., the mad genius behind Streetfilms, believes that the next frontier of activist journalism isn't going to be written blogs but video blogs.  Sometimes, when I look at the performance of your average Streetfilm  compared to the hits one of my best researched and most ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/citizen-journalism-usc-student-reveals-flaws-in-citys-street-cleaning-and-parking-enforcement/ The area arond Park-LaBrea is "very walkable." I can agree with that. Earlier today, Walk Score, the website that ranks areas based on how easy it is to lead a car-lite lifestyle, has taken a big step towards improving its metrics by adding transit data.  As long as ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/newest-way-to-procrastinate-on-the-internet-walk-score-adds-transit/ The Senate environment committee approved its climate change bill today on a 10-1 vote, shrugging off a boycott by all of the panel's Republicans but missing out on the chance to consider amendments to the lengthy legislation. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (Photo: AP) ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/boxer-okays-senate-climate-bill-without-amendments-or-gop/ Loads of good stuff today on the Streetsblog Network. Portland Transport has a post on the connection between cul-de-sac development and safety for all street users, as discussed at the Congress for the New Urbanism Transportation Summit in Portland. ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/the-perils-of-cul-de-sac-development/ Imagine, a Ciclovia for Los Angeles (Times) LA Weekly Reviews the Best Eats on the Blue Line.  That Must Have Been Some Fun Research... ...But They Also Offer a Harsh Critique of Villaraigosa and Measure R ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/05/todays-headlines-421/ Families that Mass together, stay together. Shot of May 2008 Passadena Critical Mass Sometimes when there's breaking news, such as dissolving light rail contracts, verdicts from trials, public hearings on major transit or bicycle plans, it's easy to lose sight that sometimes Livable Streets activism can ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/04/c-i-c-l-e-wants-you-and-your-family-to-ride-your-bikes/ Open space not condos for Elephant Hill. Image: L.A. Eastsider Yesterday, a twenty-five year battle between the Los Angeles City Council and the development group Monterey Hills Investors may have reached the end of the road. The Council ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/04/city-council-agrees-to-buy-elephant-hill-from-developer-and-preserve-it-as-open-space/ In Montreal, theft is "not a major problem" for the bike-share network. Photo: TreeHugger.The New York Times ran a piece on Vélib's growing pains this weekend. The story is more thoroughly reported than the hatchet job we saw from the BBC back in February -- no claims that bike-share in Paris ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/04/19011/ The $8,000 tax credit for new home buyers -- which was wracked by fraudulent claims after its creation as part of the nation's economic recovery effort -- is on the verge of a significant expansion by Congress. Just how much will the tax credit mushroom thanks to the deal reached ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/04/congress-set-to-double-the-size-of-sprawl-centric-home-buyer%e2%80%99s-tax-credit/ Today on the Streetsblog Network, Bike Portland looks at a new review of the scientific literature on the relation between bicycle infrastructure and injuries to cyclists, conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia. While the study points to the need for more data, it finds that dedicated bicycle infrastructure is associated with ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/04/there%e2%80%99s-safety-in-bike-specific-infrastructure/