MetroRiderLA

• The illusion of control: in a car you’ve got control, in a bus you don’t. Or is that really the case?
• Angelenos dump the pump with gusto. Not hard with gas prices over $4/gallon.
• In Orange County, 10,000 people downloaded a free transit pass offered by OCTA for Dump the Pump Day.
• Metrolink hits 50,000 riders on Tueday, its highest single day ridership EVAR.
• A freeway is completed and traffic increases.

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.

Image courtesy of puck90.

• Pricey gas could lead to a better tomorrow.
• Air travel is no longer the default when it comes to long distance travel.
• The Los Angeles Metro Mole returns with more tales from the sordid side of the transit oriented lifestyle.
• As transit use sky rockets, so do transit costs, leading to higher fares and reduced service.

• 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.

• Pasadena rules when it comes to smart growth planning.
• Transit advocates storm Sacramento looking for some respect, or at least money.
• Pam chat aftermath: O’Connor wants to end the free ride for low-emission vehicles.
• Metrolink is a bit overzealous when it comes to protecting its “brand”.
• The L.A. Underground as seen from the BBC.
• Pleasure in pain, high gas prices put smiles on the faces of environmentalists