Today’s Headlines

  • The MyFigueroa! Opponents Bring Conjecture to the Argument (Downtown News)
  • Downtown Streetcar Already $200 Million Off Budget (LAT)
  • More on the City’s Plans to Legalize Curbside Gardens (KPCC)
  • Editorial: Let People Garden in the Parkway (LAT)
  • Editorial: Let’s Approve Bills on Fracking, Licenses for Undocumented’s (Daily News)
  • Following Derailment, Angels Flight Could Be Shutdown for Six Months for Study (LAT)
  • Zev Looks at BRT, 405 Widening, Tree Removal on Wilshire Boulevard (Zev Web)
  • L.A. Has the Highest Car Insurance Rates in the State (LAT)
  • Gov. Brown Cuts Transit Pension Deal (SacBee), Cements HSR/Caltrain Track Plans (Daily, Almanac)

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

  • UrbanLA

    With respect to the Streetcar (also posted on CurbedLA):

    Fresh thinking is needed given this latest budget overrun. For longer trips within the streetcar area, the Regional Connector provides faster service than a streetcar would and hits both ends – LA Live and 2nd/Broadway. For shorter trips in the middle why not use the space for protected bike lanes? They are already revamping 11th Street as part of the Figueroa project, so funds would only be needed for Broadway and 7th Street. Pop in some of the Japanese style automated bike parking facilities (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcZSU40RBrg) and bike sharing facilities and you have a viable alternative for a fraction of the cost. Also, a big benefit of the Streetcar was to be increased property values. Now property values are way up downtown anyway so this is not really important.

  • Anonymous

    Given that the streetcar overrun was apparently from not including any utility relocation – something that is obviously necessary and a huge cost in DTLA – you have to wonder if the plan was to get public buy-in with the referendum before revealing the true cost.