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Streetsblog LA
Washington Post Columnist: Measure R a National Guide to Economic Recovery
In a sure sign that the "30 in 10" plan to accelerate all Measure R transit projects to be completed within a decade, national media is picking up the story and praising Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for providing a new model of federal stimulus for America.
March 10, 2010
Fight Brewing Between Council and Mayor Over Street Furniture Funds
With all the bleak news about the City of Los Angeles' budget woes, and the ridiculously poor state of the same city's Transit Oriented Development program; the last thing one might expect to hear out of city hall is a fight over how the city spends its "Street Furniture Revenue Fund." Yesterday, when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced a veto of Councilman Tony Cardenas' request to use street furniture funds to pay for his office staff, that's exactly what we got.
March 9, 2010
Enviros, Villaraigosa Slam Out of State Oil Companies for Threatening CA Greenhouse Gas Laws
(editor's note: This is Part I of a two part series. Next week we'll look specifically at how the repeal or delaying of this legislation would effect transportation and Livable Streets. - DN)
March 5, 2010
A Review of the Metro Sector Governance Council’s Meet and Confer
(Author's note: this write-up was delayed when I was hit with a particular vicious bout of flu that made me bed ridden for 9 days. But since no one in the media (including Metro's own bloggers!) attended it is still timely and informative as the sole coverage of this event. - DG)
March 5, 2010
LaHood Faces Off With GOP Senator Over High-Speed Rail, Livability
When Cabinet secretaries appear in front of Congress' appropriations
committees, which control the annual budgets for each federal agency,
the proceedings tend to be dry affairs dominated by local concerns and
arcane fiscal debates.
March 5, 2010
Senate Starts Work on New Transport Bill, With House Version as a Guide
The Senate today took its first steps towards voting on a new
long-term federal transportation bill, with environment committee
chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) vowing to take up a successor to the 2005 infrastructure law before 2011 and indicating she would use the House's already-introduced version as a framework.
March 4, 2010
Hummer Going the Way of the Dodo
The days are numbered for the military vehicle that carmakers turned
into the bane of pedestrians, cyclists and planet Earth. GM has
announced plans to wind down Hummer production
after a deal to sell the brand to a Chinese manufacturer fell apart.
According to the Times, the Chinese government wanted no part of Hummer
because it is "trying to put a new emphasis on limiting China’s
dependence on imported oil and protecting the environment."
February 25, 2010
LaHood: Lower Speeds Doesn’t Save Lives
Megan McArdle at the Atlantic, writing on
today's Toyota hearing in the House oversight committee, hears
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood claim that "lowering the speed
limit to 30 mph would not save any lives, which is why we have minimum
speeds on highways."
February 24, 2010