Month: April 2011
Streetsblog LA
Wilbur Road Diet Debate Reaches Its Conclusion, Again
The heated debate over the Wilbur Road diet is back in the news as Councilman Greig Smith has asked the LADOT to move forward with a compromise proposal that it presented to a joint meeting of the Northridge West and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Councils last month. The Council's had sent representatives to a "Wilbur Working Group" who helped LADOT devise the compromise, however neither the communities that wanted Wilbur returned to its faster design of yesteryear nor the community that applauded the calmed traffic was happy with the compromise.
April 8, 2011
Amidst Budget Impasse, GOP Tries and Fails to Gut Clean Air Act
With budget talks reaching a critical pass to avert a government shutdown, House Republicans have been busy passing an ideological wishlist, including an attempt to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from "raising taxes." H.R. 910, which they are calling the “Energy Tax Prevention Act” would undermine the EPA’s ability to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from industrial and manufacturing plants and gut the Clean Air Act.
April 8, 2011
Life’s Little Victories: City Working to Legalize Front Mounted Children’s Bike Seats
When we last discussed Los Angeles Municipal Code 80.27, we explained how a couple of sentences of city law makes it technically illegal to ride a child in a cargo bicycle or front-mounted bicycle seat. While this law has been sparsely enforced, it is on the books and has been a thorn in the side of cyclists that picture a future Los Angeles looking more like Bogota or Copenhagen than the L.A. of today.
April 8, 2011
Activists’ Warnings About Miami’s Brickell Avenue Prove Prophetic
Around the Network today: An avoidable tragedy shakes Miami, and reformers make progress in Seattle, but suffer a setback in Annapolis.
April 8, 2011
USC Research: Freeway Pollutants Cause Brain Damage in Mice
In a study that should give pause to anyone proposing a highway expansion project near where people live, A new study out of the University of Southern California should give them pause. Research by University Professor and senior author Caleb Finch and Constantinos Sioutas of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering demonstrates a direct correlation between certain types of brain damage and highway pollution.
April 7, 2011
The Ryan Budget: Doing the Same Thing, Expecting a Different Result
The House GOP had its big moment earlier this week. Amidst skyrocketing oil prices, deteriorating infrastructure and slumping transportation budgets, Republicans had their chance to lay out a bold new policy framework to help America recover from a brutal recession and reaffirm its place as a world leader.
April 7, 2011
Boxer Tests Out “America Fast Forward” at Senate Committee Hearing
With House GOP leadership making it abundantly clear that they would be pleased to return federal transportation policy to the 1950s, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works met today to get serious about the who, what and how of funding a 21st century transportation system.
April 7, 2011
Streetsblog Challenges City Leaders: Ride with Me for Bike to Work Week
Last year, when handing out the Streetsie for "Politician of the Year" to Bill Rosendahl, we challenged the Councilman to complete a bike safety course before we would give it to him in person. While he agreed, we've had to put the project on hold, in part because of his heart surgery.
April 7, 2011
Gold Line Foothill Extension Station Planning Workshops Upcoming
The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority is co-sponsoring workshops with the cities in the 12.6-mile corridor between Azusa and Montclair along which the Authority hopes to extend the Gold Line. The subject of the meetings are proposed station sites in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair. The meetings begin this coming Monday.
April 7, 2011