MetroRiderLA

• Union Pacific doesn’t want high speed rail in California, cites safety concerns.
• City Beat interviews transit sales tax advocate Mike Feuer.
• It’s time, once and for all, for America to get serious about public transportation.
• The Amalgamated Transit Union wants fuel costs for transit agencies to be subsidized by the Federal government.
• A deeper look at the fight for the Expo Line.

• LAist informs new MetroRiders and reminds long-time MetroRiders about the basics of “Metroquette”.
• Despite rising gas prices and rising transit ridership, Arnold still set on slashing transit funding.
• The new-and-improved Bottleneck Blog talks to Damien Goodmon about the fight over Expo.
• How to prevent people from taking mass transit Part 1 and Part 2.

Image courtesy of igetrad.

• Metro wins at the Rail Rodeo, a competition to see which agency is  the best at rail maintenance, for the second year in a row. America’s Best!
• Wendy Greuel talks about the staggering costs of traffic congestion in Los Angeles.
• The United States gets a D+ in transit infrastructure which generally means people are stuck in their pricey gas-guzzling cars or on over-crowded buses.  Land of the free!
• Marketplace takes a look at the ridership/infrastructure gap. It seems the idea that transit is just for poor people doesn’t bode well in a era where everyone is poor because of pricey gasoline.
• Congestion pricing works! For the wealthy, L.A.’s freeways are suddenly fun to drive on again.
• Los Angeles used to be a two funicular town.  How the mighty have fallen.
• Santa Clarita Transit to add GPS tracking information at 35 busy bus stops.

• The high price of gas has to be the fault of some greedy corporation or overzealous government, right?
• The United States is stuck in oil based stasis as the rest of the world moves on.
• Transit agencies face increased ridership and increased fuel costs.
• Planners transforming Sepulveda and Lincoln Boulevard in Westchester into pedestrian friendly thoroughfares.
• Starting in July, it may be a lot easier to catch a cab in Downtown and Hollywood.
• Questioning the solvency of the Gold Line in spite of increased ridership.

Image courtesy of igetrad.

• Los Angeles has a small carbon footprint compared to other American cities… with some caveats.
• Another day, another story about Americans trading in their car keys for bus passes because of rising gas prices.
• It’s not over until it’s under… City Beat looks at the Expo Line’s arduous battle.
• Libertarian think tank wants an end to long range transportation planning because it creates congestion.
• Airports across the country are creating rail links to ease mobility woes.
• ABC7 looks at a local phenomenon with national implications, Angelenos giving up their cars for mass transit.

• A Damien Goodmon video from earlier this year surfaces.  Comments ensue.
• Megabus bids adieu to the West Coast.  We hardly knew ye.
• Don’t worry drivers, money spent on gasoline is just 17% of the total cost of car ownership.
• Republicans don’t realize that money spent on gasoline is just 17% of the total cost of car ownership.
• Even though the cost of gas is only 17% of the total cost of car ownership, the price increase is leading more people to the Gold Line.  If these people choose to dump their cars altogether they could get back the other 83%.