http://la.streetsblog.org Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:10:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en (ed. note. Please welcome contributor Chris Bradford, author of the economics blog Austin Contrarian.) As this recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report reminds us, the answer is "very regressive." ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/just-how-regressive-is-america%e2%80%99s-federal-housing-policy/ Yesterday, transit advocates received a double-dose of good news as the air of compromise blew in and the debate over two light rail projects was changed.  In Santa Monica, the City Council endorsed a "compromise" plan on the location of a light rail yard for Expo Phase II.  Downtown, Metro ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/compromise-in-the-air-for-downtown-connector-expo-phase-ii/ Click to enlarge: Annual household transportation costs in the Bay Area. (editor's note: The section with area specific data for Southern California isn't done yet.  When it is, we'll have a post specific to our region.  In the meantime, this statewide article prepared by Matthew Roth in San ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/21701/ (Photo: Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious)Hey, we need your help again for our next slide show. This one is going to make you feel good. We're looking for pictures of kids on bikes -- on their own, with their parents, on trailers and seats and Xtracycles and whatever other kind of ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/wanted-your-photos-of-kids-on-bikes/ City parking meters are a gold mine, and in Chicago, Morgan Stanley is rolling in parking riches. Secret company documents leaked to reporters show the company will rake in a 70 percent profit margin this year from its $1.15 billion, 75-year lease of Chicago's parking meters. This profit ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/are-you-paying-attention-city-hall-chicago-ripped-off-in-parking-privatization/ A very interesting article in USA Today on the future viability of suburbs came up in our Twitter feed this morning, via Community Research Partners of Columbus, Ohio. The piece, by Haya el Nasser, starts out talking about how population is falling in many of the suburbs that grew most ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/to-thrive-suburbs-might-become-more-urban/ Annenberg's Neon Tommy Blog Destroys Metro's Turnstile Experiment Biggest Obstacle to HSR in CA?  Land Use (CAHSR Blog) Don't Take Our Chargers!  S.D. Contemplating Building a New Stadium (SanDiego.com) Eastside Extension Getting ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/20/21601/ Not a real sign. Image: LA Eastside Last week, LA Eastside decided to take a poke at Metro and posted a series of fake signs in "local lingo" to help keep Eastsiders safe from the Gold Line Extension trains.  One look at the above example, and you ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/cartoon-thursday-eastside-blog-punks-metro-on-gold-line-safety/ He's behind bars now, but should he stay there? Photo: Los Angeles TimesNext Monday, District Attorney Mary Stone will file her motion recommending a prison sentence for Dr. Christopher Thompson, the "Road Rage Doctor" who intentionally used his car as a weapon against recreational cyclists on ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/help-d-a-mary-stone-keep-the-road-rage-doc-behind-bars/ President Obama may be optimistic about continued U.S. economic growth as 2009 ends, but the reality on the ground in urban America -- which an estimated two-thirds of the population calls home -- is undeniably, disturbingly bleak. ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/a-warning-from-america%e2%80%99s-cities-the-recession-has-only-just-begun-to-hit/ There are two projects of the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition that haven't received as much attention on Streetsblog as they should, although CicLAvia did get a belated review last week after reviews in the Times and television. Photo: LACBC But first, ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/welcome-to-the-blogroll-ciclavia-and-city-of-lights/ Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and fellow lawmakers today pressed the Obama administration to take a more active role in ending the current political stalemate over federal transportation funding, but the sense of urgency they sought emerged only intermittently during an 80-minute session on infrastructure. Deputy ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/%e2%80%98this-needs-attention%e2%80%99-senators-seek-shot-in-the-arm-on-transportation/ Despite the growing national attention to the dangers posed by distracted driving, full accountability for drivers who kill or maim pedestrians while fiddling with electronic devices is likely a long way off. As today's post from Streetsblog Network member Sustainable Savannah notes, law enforcement officials too often seem to see things from the ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/blaming-the-pedestrian-again/ But His Environmental Review Was Good Enough for the Governor...DA Looking Into Rampant Conflict of Interest in Industry (Times) Bloomberg News on Mayor's "Creative" Plan to Extend the Subway State Needs $20.7 Billion to Balance Budget ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/19/todays-headlines-428/ The LADOT's favored alternative. Of course, they're willing to "compromise." At 1:00 P.M. down at Metro Headquarters Board Room, the Metro Board Planning and Programming Committee will vote on a staff proposal to accept a "hybrid alternative" to the Route 2 Terminus project.  Last week, Streetsblog discussed ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/echo-park-community-warns-metro-hybrid-plan-for-route-2-terminus-untested-illegal/ Photo of Ciclists in NELA via C.I.C.L.E. Yesterday, C.I.C.L.E. announced that they are ready to take the next steps in advocacy when they announced their "North East L.A. Campaign."  Generally, C.I.C.L.E. has focused their advocacy efforts on helping people get, and stay, on their bikes by providing classes, ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/c-i-c-l-e-announces-campaign-to-make-n-e-l-a-more-bike-friendly/ The senior Republicans on three of the Senate's four infrastructure-centric committees signed a bipartisan letter on Tuesday asking the leaders of Congress' upper chamber to call up a six-month extension of the 2005 transportation law. Senate environment chairman Barbara Boxer. Photo: Politics Now In the letter, ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/bipartisan-support-builds-for-six-month-extension-of-current-transpo-law/ Map of fault lines and recent earthquakes in Southern California. Map: USGS.gov I wonder if it's still too soon to criticize the concept of digging a tunnel to connect the 710 Tunnel to the I-210. To the absolute surprise of nobody that's ever dealt with ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/superfund-fault-lines-groundwater-all-in-the-way-lets-dig-a-tunnel/ She's back!  The woman you love to hate (and hate not to love) Veronica Moss, a Washington, D.C. lobbyist for - ahem! - the Automobile User Trade Organization (A.U.T.O.) In this "chapter", she's getting her first gander ever at the new pedestrian-friendly Times Square and she ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/streetfilms-a-u-t-o-lobbyist-visits-car-free-times-square/ We've got a fine sampling of content from the Streetsblog Network today. First, Steve Davis at Transportation for America reports on the meeting T4A and several of its partners had with U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood on Monday. The meeting was to deliver a petition with more than 4,100 signatures gathered ... http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/11/18/u-s-dot-secretary-gets-a-message-on-pedestrian-safety/