news>>Friday Headlines
Here are newspaper and magazine stories, news releases and other items relevant to San Francisco Bay Area transportation. This list was last revised on October 30, 2009 and covers the period dating back to October 24. Go to previous listing. Every Friday, ITS sends out an email alert with the headlines of the items posted thatweek, along with occasional ITS-related news. Request the Friday Headlines alert. The other online publication from ITS is NewsBITS, the quarterly newsletter of ITS Berkeley. Subscribe to NewsBITS. This week's pick: Grand Plans for Rail in Denver Hit a Wall of Fiscal Realities: Voters in 2004 approved a $4.7 billion, 122-mile rail project; costs are now expected to be $7 billion. Most of the lines are still on the drawing board...New research about the recession has also bolstered one of transit’s central premises — that highway-driven sprawl is bad for a city’s economic health. Recent studies at the University of Utah, for example, concluded that foreclosure rates in the Washington area were much lower in counties served by the Metro rail system, compared with the next ring of counties farther out, and that home prices in Phoenix had also fallen in direct proportion to the distance from downtown. (New York Times) November 6 Bay Bridge closure takes a toll on region: Cost of six-day Bay Bridge closure in lost bridge tolls: about $2 million. Cost of repairing the bridge: $1.5 million to $2 million. Extra money from higher BART ticket sales: perhaps tens of thousands of dollars. Cost of annoyance from freeway traffic delays: priceless. Caltrans to close Bay Bridge lane daily to check steel beam: Caltrans is closing a westbound lane of the Bay Bridge upper deck from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on weekdays through Nov. 13 for inspections of a cracked eyebar. November 5 Little opposition at bridge toll hearing: Bay Bridge commuters can expect higher tolls in commute hours, carpoolers can look forward to paying for the first time to cross state-owned bridges, and truckers should prepare for huge hikes at the toll booths if the first public hearing on a toll increase was any indication. Officials say texting while driving an epidemic: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday that texting while driving is an epidemic, but they declined to endorse proposals that would pressure states to ban the practice. California legislators strike a final water deal: The package, which includes an $11.1-billion bond that must go before voters, would nudge California in new directions on water policy while giving something to each of the major factions that have warred over the state's supplies. (LA Times) SFPD tickets Muni fare evaders: Police have a new tool for their belts — a Muni fare-evasion ticket book. While texting and driving, I ran off the freeway: A veteran texter faces facts in a texting and driving simulator. (Christian Science Monitor) Texting while driving: the new drunk driving. Texting...and gadgets like iPods and GPS devices – are a public safety epidemic. (Christian Science Monitor) Grand Plans for Rail in Denver Hit a Wall of Fiscal Realities: Voters in 2004 approved a $4.7 billion, 122-mile rail project; costs are now expected to be $7 billion. Most of the lines are still on the drawing board...New research about the recession has also bolstered one of transit’s central premises — that highway-driven sprawl is bad for a city’s economic health. Recent studies at the University of Utah, for example, concluded that foreclosure rates in the Washington area were much lower in counties served by the Metro rail system, compared with the next ring of counties farther out, and that home prices in Phoenix had also fallen in direct proportion to the distance from downtown. (New York Times) November 4 S.F. transportation costs lower than in suburbs: Planners and transit buffs routinely make the case that Bay Area residents can reap benefits by living close to their jobs and the errands of the day. Now comes a study that translates the payoff into dollars and cents - such as how the average San Francisco household spends roughly $500 less on transportation each month than households in such suburban outposts as Antioch or Livermore. Hour-plus commutes a way of life for many in East Bay: Mike Kroleski copes with his evening commute from San Jose back home to Danville by blasting his favorite metal music with the windows down, cursing and flashing his fog lights at the slowest drivers in his way...Contra Costa County residents such as Oleski and her suburban neighbors face the worst commutes in California and rank among the worst in the nation..."I'm not surprised Contra Costa commutes are so long," said Stuart Cohen, executive director of Transform, an Oakland group that promotes sustainable development. "There is such a huge difference in housing prices between the urban core and outer suburbs." Marin, North Bay pay more for transportation/housing costs: Marin and other North Bay residents pay a lot for housing and transportation, more so than other regions in the Bay Area, according to a report Wednesday by the Urban Land Institute's Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing. Burden of housing and transportation costs high in the Bay Area: It's highest in San Pablo — a striking 81 percent of the median income is spent on housing and transportation, with several other East Bay cities including Berkeley and Richmond following close behind. Should home prices come with warnings about transit costs, too? That was one of dozens of ideas bandied about Wednesday at a real estate conference in San Francisco, but what was special about the proposal was its source...Many developers said they were enthused at what appeared to be growing awareness in the Obama administration of the importance of intelligent regional planning, but were looking for more incentives or specific direction. "The market cannot by itself supply — under our current zoning regulations, under our current infrastructure, without help from the government — it cannot supply adequate affordable housing close to people's jobs," said J. Ronald Terwilliger, a developer and head of the research center that bears his name. Historic water accord reached: After years of gridlock and failure, California lawmakers reached a historic agreement in Wednesday's pre-dawn hours to address one of California's most vexing problems: its vulnerable water supply and a dying Delta ecosystem. Truckers scrambling after grant money dries up: Starting Jan. 1, all diesel drayage trucks serving the Port of Oakland — from 2,000 to 3,000 — must comply with strict air quality regulations enacted by the state Air Resources Board. Bey firm awarded BART contract for up to $1 million: BART has inked a half-million dollar contract — with options to double it later — with a longtime Your Black Muslim Bakery associate who has a checkered past in dealing with public money. I-680 freeway lanes to close in Alamo: The deep depression in the freeway will be repaired with hot asphalt to provide a smoother ride for motorists, Caltrans spokesman Allyn Amsk said. High-speed trains seek Inland route: The next step in a multi-year process to bring high-speed trains to Southern California will be the selection of a route between Los Angeles and San Diego through the Inland Empire. L.A. bicyclists in the driver's seat, one day a week: A group called cicLAvia wants to close major L.A. thoroughfares to cars and open them to bicyclists on Sundays. City officials are looking for ways to support the plan, which originated in Colombia. November 3 High speed rail needs Feinstein's help: Sen. Dianne Feinstein has established herself as a high-speed rail champion. She has another great opportunity to stand up for high-speed rail, since she serves on the House-Senate conference committee that will finalize the bill. (Opinion, Mercury News) New black eye for recently improved Caltrans: Long the butt of jokes and insults, Caltrans had pulled itself up by its muddy bootstraps and started rebuilding its reputation over the past few years with the quick repair of the MacArthur Maze, the speedy rebuild of Devil's Slide and the amazing work rolling in pieces of the new Bay Bridge. Bridge closure later likely for permanent fix: The Bay Bridge is once again open to traffic - after six long days of emergency structural repairs and hellish commutes - but it will probably be shut down again in a few months for a permanent fix. Major components of water overhaul pass Senate: The California Senate on Monday approved major portions of a plan to overhaul the state's water system, putting the Legislature close to agreement after years of discussions about updating the aging infrastructure. West Oakland may be on verge of positive change: Central Station is a project to build 1,200 units of mixed housing at the site of the city's old Southern Pacific train station, and it's a long way from anywhere. This new community sits on 26 acres on the edge of the city, behind the old factories that stand along the Grand Avenue entrance to the Bay Bridge. Altamont Landfill's gas fuels garbage trucks: A company that manages landfills has a new source of fuel for its garbage trucks - rotting trash...The idea of turning landfill gas into liquefied natural gas has been tried before, but the Altamont project is the world's largest, according to Waste Management and Linde. Stoddard said the companies, which developed the project as a joint venture, plan to replicate it elsewhere once they have more experience running it. Chevron land donation closes Bay Trail gap: The first piece of land runs from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge north to Point Molate Beach, and the second piece is from Point Molate to Point San Pablo. The pieces are a combined 1.6 miles. MTA's train wreck of a deal: A rail-car contract with Italian manufacturer AnsaldoBreda has finally run off the rails...AnsaldoBreda's promises were lavish: an energy-efficient "green" factory that would pay its unionized workers top wages, plus a money-back guarantee in the form of a $300-million performance bond. Yet long before Friday, it was clear that those vows were suspect -- AnsaldoBreda's history with the MTA is a tale of incompetence and expense. (Editorial, LA Times) Recalling the Yellow Cars while riding the Gold Line extension: Armando Ybarra, who took the trolley to Los Angeles' Eastside as a teen, gets a preview of the new light-rail line, giving it a thumbs up. (LA Times) Ground to be broken on 91 Freeway widening project: The $59.5-million plan to widen the eastbound side of the freeway for six miles is expected to ease the commute between Orange and Riverside counties...Transportation officials have been talking for decades about how to ease the commute between the Inland Empire and Orange County. More than a decade ago, officials opened toll lanes along a portion of the 91 Freeway, offering less congestion for commuters willing to pay the price. The 241 Toll Road, which runs from the 91 into South Orange County, also was designed to improve the commute. In Defense of Jaywalking:
Banning the practice won't make pedestrians safer. (Tom Vanderbilt,
Slate) With AnsaldoBreda’s Exclusive Contract Expired, What Is Next? Like the villain in a horror-serial that won't go away; we haven't heard the last of AnsaldoBreda. First, they still have to complete their current rail car contract which should have been completed years ago. Second, Board Member Richard Katz, who was a supporter of AnsaldoBreda during some Board Meetings, blasted the Metro contractor in the press claiming they owe Metro some "free" light rail cars as reparation for their late performance in their current contract. AnsaldoBreda offered the cars as an attempt to soothe feelings and doesn't seem interested in following through on that commitment now. (LA Streetsblog) November 2 Bay Bridge reopens, but more closures possible: "We are ... looking at a better solution with a more predictable performance for the long term that doesn't require as much monitoring," Rick Land, Caltrans chief engineer, said at a press briefing. (Marin IJ) Lighter-than-usual traffic moving across reopened Bay Bridge: About an hour after the bridge reopened, traffic was moving through the toll plaza with no backup. Many motorists had made alternative plans to get to work after Caltrans reported Sunday night that the bridge would not be ready for the morning commute. Bay Bridge reopens after 6-day closure: Traffic began crossing the span shortly after 9 a.m. as tests conducted on a repair job on a cracked structural beam are completed. S.F. Bay Bridge reopens to relieved commuters: The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge reopened Monday after workers made significant progress overnight to assure the bridge's safety, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) spokesman Bart Ney said. Building in S.F. not expected to grow for years: San Francisco has seen its share of building booms and busts, but the construction drought that has persisted in the city since 2008 may signal a fundamentally altered market in which growth does not return for many years, local lenders and builders say. Federal officials reject restrictions on night flights at Bob Hope Airport: The FAA found that a curfew "was not reasonable"’ because it would "create an undue burden on commerce" and negatively effect the national air transportation system. It also said other alternatives are available for dealing with noise. (LA Times) Bikes and cars: Can we share the road? With more bikes on the road, drivers are frustrated -- and cyclists are at risk. Now's the time for changes. (LA Times) UPS, FedEx reap the benefits of airports' pet projects: Since 2001, $100 million in earmarked money has gone to 11 small airports where one of the two major cargo carriers has a large operation with daily flights. The funds have paid to expand or upgrade runways and taxiways to handle the large jets flown by FedEx and UPS. Small airports land big money: Nearly half of the $55.6 billion that has gone to airports in the 28-year-old Airport Improvement Program has gone to airports used exclusively or mostly by private planes. (USA Today) NextGen Panel Warns Of Obstacles: A number of issues, such as providing operators incentives to equip their aircraft, must be addressed before progress can be made. (Aviation Week) Ontario leaders seeking airport options: Ontario officials have been asked more than once why they haven't tried to take back Ontario International Airport from its city of Los Angeles ownership. (Riverside Press-Enterprise) Metro's Rail Car Deal is Dead: What About That Manufacturing Land Downtown? (LA Curbed) Transportation's Value-Added Funding Option: As if we needed more reminding, the country has a huge gap between costs required for transportation needs and the funding sources to pay for them. The shutdown of the San Francisco Bay Bridge last week due to faulty repairs earlier this year at least had the miraculous silver lining that there were no deaths from falling structural steel onto the crowded road way. (The New Republic) November 1 Many in U.S. Want Texting at the Wheel to Be Illegal: Nearly all Americans say sending a text message while driving should be illegal, and about half say texting while behind the wheel should be punished at least as harshly as drunken driving, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll. (New York Times) Fiscal Blood on the Tracks: LIKE a tsunami that follows an undersea earthquake, collateral damage from the collapse of credit markets is about to strike the millions of daily transit riders in America’s biggest cities. (Op-ed, New York Times) October 31 The real question is why a new Bay Bridge isn't already in place: Senate Bill 60, introduced by state Sen. Quentin Kopp, of San Francisco, which laid out the funding for a "skyway" design, had barely been signed into law in 1997 when Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown began picking apart the plan...It's difficult to fathom that more than 20 years have passed since the ground shook the Bay Area's busiest bridge so hard that it came apart. It's sobering to realize that three governors — Wilson, Gray Davis and Schwarzenegger — will have come and gone without fixing the problem. A Bid to Cut Emissions Looks Away From Coal: The nation's first project for capturing and separating carbon dioxide from a coal plant began Oct. 1 at American Electric Power's coal-fired plant in West Virginia. (New York Times)
|
