San Diego plans to cut emissions AND widen every highway

LA Times: "However, when it comes to meeting San Diego's transportation goals, elected officials may face an even more complicated puzzle. With vehicle emissions representing more than half of the city's greenhouse gases, the newly minted Climate Action Plan will fail if residents don't significantly cut back on the number of miles they drive.

In October, the San Diego Regional Assn. of Governments adopted a countywide transportation plan that included millions in infrastructure spending for the city of San Diego. While some of that money went to creating bike lanes and expanding the trolley network, funding was also allocated for widening nearly every major freeway in the city."

#Autosprawlsubsidy draining Southern California

sgvtribune: "Caltrans is falling $5.75 billion a year short in unfunded repairs to highways, freeways and bridges, state officials told six members of the Select Committee on Regional Transportation and Interconnective Solutions led by Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena."

Mission - CicLAvia - #carfree streets

Mission - CicLAvia: "CicLAvia catalyzes vibrant public spaces, active transportation and good health through car-free streets. CicLAvia engages with people to positively transform our relationship with our communities and with each other."



https://twitter.com/CicLAvia

SANDAG sprawl-trolls try to lock in billions in #autosprawlsubsidy

SANDAG’s transit plan hit with opposition | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com: "SAN DIEGO — As elected officials prepared to vote Friday on a blueprint for development, the economy and $204 billion in transportation projects, supporters of new trolley lines and bicycle and pedestrian-friendly routes demanded that their preferred modes of transportation move to the front of the line in a long list of infrastructure projects."

USC shows signs of oil industry influence

Streetsblog Los Angeles: "Earlier in the week, the focus was on the faculty outrage that the school was canceling a program designed to make rideshare easier and more affordable in favor of a parking subsidy program. Neither story was news to Streetsblog readers. We’ve covered the strange transportation policies at USC for years, including a recent takedown of the end of the rideshare subsidies by Sahra Sulaiman."

Public transit use hits all-time high, MTS reports

FOX5 San Diego: "SAN DIEGO — More than 96.7 million passenger trips were made on buses and trolleys during the fiscal year ended June 30 — an all-time high, the Metropolitan Transit System reported."

Los Angeles, three days a year in traffic jail.... for everyone!

westsidetoday.com: "Since 1985, Los Angeles County has seen a spike of over 1.7 million new registered motor vehicles; resulting in the LA region ranking the worst in gridlock nationwide. According 2014 Inrix Traffic Scorecard, Angelinos waste an average of 64 hours per year stuck in traffic.

The state’s transit infrastructure faces a funding shortfall of approximately $72 billion over the next decade. Transit is the “pressure relief valve” for roads and highways, which can no longer be easily expanded.  Transit must be included in the mix of multi-modal transportation funding solutions to keep L.A. moving."

Mother Nature calling.... pick up, pick up.

Boston Herald: "LOS ANGELES — A fast-moving wildfire that swept across a packed California interstate, sending people running for their lives, was burning more calmly Saturday as rain fell and temperatures dropped."

Poll reveals Americans are trapped in a failed system

Journal Star - Peoria, IL: "The share of Americans who prefer suburban or rural living — 53 percent — is identical to the share who say the government should increase spending to build and improve roads, bridges and interstate highways. About 1 in 3 think current spending levels are about right, while just over 1 in 10 would like to see less money spent on roads.
Many states are struggling just to maintain current spending levels, and Congress has been unable to come up with a long-term plan to pay for highway aid that closes the gap between current spending and federal gas tax revenue."

Grants to cut emissions, encourage public transit

MyNewsLA.com: "“When public transportation is efficient, affordable and enjoyable more Californians use it and that improves quality of life for everyone,” said Brian Kelly, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency. “These grants help support nearly $720 million in transportation investments in clean, affordable and low-stress commuting and traveling options by improving the quality and reliability of public transportation choices.”"

Transportation Matters to the Latino Community

Roll Call Opinion: "In this Congress, Republicans are continuing to slash services most important to minority communities. Transportation is now the latest issue on the chopping block."

Laguna Beach trolleys are fare-free

LA Times: "Laguna Beach trolleys are free and run along Coast Highway every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from March through June 25.

Dana Point is set to launch its own service this summer."

Hundreds of fish found onshore in Big Bear due to drought

abc7.com: "BIG BEAR, Calif. (KABC) -- Officials in Big Bear are responding to concerns over hundreds of dead fish that are washing up on shore near the lake.
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Funding uncertainty is one way that oil industry undercuts #publictransit

Southern California public transportation leaders push for federal funding | abc7.com: ""We are in a precarious position right now, because we do not know how much money we are getting from month-to-month, year-to-year," Johnson said.

"When you buy buses or build transportation projects, you need to know that you're going to have a funding source that is stable and that you can rely on, so you can plan for those projects," Orange County Transportation Authority CEO Darrell Johnson said. "Starting and stopping is expensive to the taxpayer and it's not helpful to get the project out there.""

Antarctic ice shelves melting 70% faster, study shows

LA Times: "An acceleration in the flow of massive ice sheets would add substantially to the ongoing rise of sea levels, according to Fernando Paolo, a geophysics PhD candidate at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and lead author of the study published online Thursday in the journal Science."

Public Transit Key to Creating a Livable City

GlobeSt.com: "LOS ANGELES—Public transit is the key to creating a livable city, according to the city leaders on the Infrastructure and Urban Design: Plans, Projects, Ideas and Ways to Make L.A. a More Livable City panel "

Sitting in traffic jams costs $16 per hour. #Freetransit is only $100 a year.

State's 5 worst bottlenecks are in L.A., Orange counties - LA Times: "Together, commuters traveling those routes experience 2.5 million hours of delay per year. If the Texas Transportation Institute is correct, every hour wasted in traffic tie-ups costs motorists $16.79 on average in extra fuel and lost time."

"I lived in Berlin for three years. Didn’t have a car, didn’t need one."

Equipment World : "When it’s not done piecemeal, this works quite well. Rail+bus is the norm in all the big cities of Europe and as a result, you’re never more than about three walkable blocks from public transportation. I lived in Berlin for three years. Didn’t have a car, didn’t need one. If LA did this and put free Wi-Fi on their buses and trains it would be a hit."

ASCC working to find free bus transport

Talon Marks: "Cerritos College students may be able to ride the local buses to and from school free of charge.
Dean of Student Services Gilbert Contreras discussed a program in the ASCC Cabinet meeting held Jan. 12. The program would allow eligible students to ride the local buses for free.
He explained the program would allow eligible students to have access to buses free of charge."

Green Party candidate calls out Paris #falseflag

PressTV : "Lindbald, of Green Party of LA County Council, told Press TV on Tuesday that the militants, carrying out the deadly attack against the Charlie Hebdo Satirical weekly and a supermarket, are “not from the religion… (but) from US and the Mossad” and the deadly attacks were meant to keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “in power” .

“It’s meant to keep Europe under Netanyahu’s thumb.”

Lindblad referred to a getaway car “left there by a Mossad agent ready for the shooters at the cartoonist office to get a second getaway car” with one of the terrorist’s passport left “intentionally… just like 9/11.”"