MetroRiderLA

China wants a piece of this. Photo courtesy of VirtualErn.

• Emulating the United States, China starts to choke on the exhaust fumes of its own growing car-culture
• The Downtown News looks at the loss of Flexcar and the impact on residents of Central City
• After dumping Souther California, Zipcar prepares to go public

Photo courtesy of Nicole Lee.

• LAist takes a look at L.A.’s transit accident toll so far this year: 43 injuries and 1 death
• The Public Routes Blog gives us some President’s Day transportation trivia
• Carectomy gives has more President’s Day fun: big oil loves the big candidates
• Are Angelenos hungry for transportation alternatives instead of oil?

Photo courtesy of alonzoD via Flickr.

• 78 people cited in 3 hours for violating laws around Santa Clarita rail crossings
• Same deal: In a 20-minute period 4 drivers rushed through lowering gates at Santa Clarita rail crossings
• Wired magazine takes a look at the subway to the sea
• Despite opposition, Mayor says Pico and Olympic are becoming one-way streets
• Pedestrians win, 2nd street widening halted in Downtown

The sceninc lounge on an Amtrak Southwest Chief.

• City Beat takes a look at Damien Goodmon and his plan to fix… or halt… Expo
• Cops defend their case in the Koreatown Pedestrian Crackdown 2008
• CBS News takes a look at the growing popularity of Amtrak and its funding challenges versus highways and planes (video)
• The Mayor waits for a 720 and transfers to the Red Line

Do you have what it takes to be the next Miss Traffic?

• LAist reminds us that if your company pays for parking and you don’t drive, they owe you the cash for that space
• USC Master Plan has some decent ideas about pedestrian safety and some whacky ideas about mass transit (eg. Personal Rapid Transit over light rail)
• Metro introduces “Miss Traffic” contest, aka Public Transit American Idol
• Mayor V. tries to cut some car out of his diet… can he break the addiction?

Pedestrains cross Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles.

• The LA Straphanger provides a great video review that critiques the pedestrian friendliness of a block of Sixth Street in Downtown
• Women-only buses a hit in Mexico City - could a similar idea work to get more women Metro Riders in Los Angeles? Are pervs are problem on Metro?
• Gordon Price talks about Los Angeles’s transit failings compared to Vancouver’s successes
• RT Rider dreams of a multi-modal alliance of transit, bike, and pedestrian advocates to lobby for car-free funding