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Interesting (and a little troubling) statistic cited by the O.C. Register about how much extra this new contract with bus drivers will cost the Orange County Transportation Authority: The tentative agreement, announced at a 9 a.m. OCTA press conference, will cost the transit agency $200,000 more over the next three years.
For those riders left stranded this week because of the strike, that might seem like not all that much money for the headaches this strike caused. More on those numbers later. And The Times' strike team will have a story posted on latimes.com soon.
 The weeklong Orange County bus strike is over, and buses could be rolling again by Monday:
"We’ve reached a settlement of the economic issues," Patrick D. Kelly of Teamsters Local 952 said about 1:45 a.m. Drivers with less than five years' experience will start at $14.20 per hour and get raises in each of the following two years to $14.63 per hour and finally to $15.22 per hour, he said. Veteran drivers will start at $21.42 per hour and will be making $23.92 by the end of the three-year deal, he said. The two sides are scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m. today to address some details, but Kelly said he expected picket lines to come down later today and bus service to resume "no later than Sunday." Kelly said he expected the drivers to ratify the tentative deal over the weekend. (CNS)
 Well, not sure we need another study telling us about traffic problems. But Jack Weiss says his new study will also look at ways to pay for improvements:
City Councilman Jack Weiss called for a study today that would identify funding options for proposed subway, rail and bus projects aimed at reducing traffic in Los Angeles. Weiss said he wants the City Council to explore alternatives, including a possible ballot measure asking for funding from city voters. He also said current plans for traffic infrastructure are not keeping up with the region’s rapidly growing population. Weiss’ motion was referred to the council’s Transportation Committee for consideration. (CNS)
 Is the opposition to the 710 extension lessening in South Pasadena? Some longtime -- and aging -- freeway foes worry about this as officials plan a study of the 710 tunnel idea. These old-timers tell the Star-News that they want to pass the torch to other, younger residents:
Many of the city's most vocal freeway critics have been battling efforts by Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to connect the freeway gap between the Los Angeles/Alhambra border and Pasadena since 1964. Now as these activists get older, they have begun to express fears that younger residents, and members of the City Council, will not have the same passion for staving off a freeway through the center of South Pasadena -- in either surface or tunnel form. "I call on the young people of South Pasadena to take our place," said longtime resident and political activist Robert Siev, looking into television cameras on hand for the occasion. "We are old; some of us are in our 80s. We are tired of fighting the freeway."
Has it gotten to the point where you need wireless access IN YOUR CAR? Well, the San Diego Union-Tribune writes about folks who can't live without it. One is Terry Smith, a Poway auto insurance agent who is shown in a photo typing away, hunched over his back hatch!! The first commercial deployments of wireless access in vehicles were in law-enforcement cars and on commuter shuttle buses. Avis Rent a Car System offers a wireless Internet device for its rental vehicles in San Francisco for an extra $10.95 a day. The company plans to roll out the service to other cities, including San Diego, this year. Made by AutoNet Mobile, the device is about the size of a three-ring binder and plugs into a vehicle's cigarette lighter for power. It serves as a router by accessing the Internet via a cellular network and then beaming a WiFi connection throughout the vehicle. Any WiFi-enabled laptop can connect to it. AutoNet Mobile, based in Marin County, plans to sell the $399 devices through dealerships this year. The service requires a monthly connection fee of $39 to $49.
 A U.S. Senate committee has approved the long-stalled bill that would allow subway tunneling under Wilshire Boulevard. But there are several other steps in the process, including full Senate approval and probably a conference committee. From Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office:
The Fiscal Year 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill unanimously approved today by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes an amendment offered by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein that would allow for subway tunneling in parts of Los Angeles. This could help provide much needed public transit to one of the most congested regions in the country. Specifically, the spending bill includes a provision to overturn a 1985 law that prohibited tunneling because of the potential for methane gas explosions. After the Los Angeles City Council passed a motion in support of reversing the laws banning tunneling in 2004 and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted to begin discussions of subway expansion in 2005, an independent scientific safety review determined that subway tunneling could move forward safely.
 Lady Bird Johnson -- the former first lady who died Wednesday -- was a friend to our nation's highways. CNN recounts her efforts to improve the looks of our freeways:
As first lady, Lady Bird created a legacy through her passion for what the press called "beautification" and the legislation it produced. She had the billboards and junkyards banished from the federal highway rights-of-way, and she inspired the carpets of daffodils and tulips that delight tourists who come to the nation's capital. She was more than a gardener. She was one of the first true environmentalists of our times. Even LBJ liked the idea, complaining proudly one day that he had a hell of a time taking a nap because Lady Bird and Laurance Rockefeller and a bunch of other beautification folks down below his bedroom were holding a meeting and talking loud and he could not go to sleep. "She's going to beautify us right out of existence," he said.
The Times' Elaine Woo notes: "Her love of nature was enshrined in law when her husband signed the Highway Beautification Act of 1965. Conceived primarily to restrict junkyards and unsightly signs along the nation's highways, it was the first major legislative campaign launched by a first lady."
There has been much discussion over the last few days about the need for more freeways as California's population is set to grow more than 70% by midcentury. But how realistic are all these proposals. Which ones do you like? The BB examines:
 710 tunnel Filling in the "missing link" of the 710 between the 10 and 210. Pros: This is a key route not just for commuters, but as a truck route from the Port of L.A. Cons: South Pasadena has successfully fought a freeway for decades, and the multibillion-dollar price is a big problem.
 High-desert corridor: This is a much-needed Antelope Valley-to-Victor Valley route. Pros: It's where the growth is, and it's less expensive than tunnel. Cons: High-desert needs have long been ignored.
Santa Ana Mountains corridor: This would provide that golden second freeway between Riverside and Orange counties. Pros: This is perhaps the Southland's worse commute, and it is getting more terrible by the day. Cons: Tunneling is hugely expensive (no price tag yet) and would face much environmental opposition.
 57 Freeway extension: Running the 57 south from the Orange Crush through central Orange County to the 405 has long been talked about. Pros: There are now limited north-south freeways in O.C. Could be built as a tollroad. Cons: Opposition in neighborhoods is strong, and the Orange County Transportation Authority is not officially studying the idea at this time.
 L.A. now has the nation's first stop-sign cameras, according to The Times' Bob Pool. They were erected in the Westside by a parks agency, and many residents don't like them. Some say it's illegal to post cameras at stop signs. Expect for this to generate a lot of controversy around L.A. and beyond:
"What they're doing is not legal," said Jack Allen, a retired Beverly Hills city attorney who spent 10 hours at Temescal Gateway Park counting cars exiting the parking lot and measuring speeds on the nearby street with a radar gun. "The first thing I learned as city attorney was that the state vehicle code preempts any local ordinance." The vehicle code allows camera enforcement at rail crossings and intersections with automated traffic signals. It requires "a clear photograph of a vehicle's license plate and the driver of the vehicle." Allen said federal guidelines authorize traffic cameras at "high-crash or other high-risk locations where on-site traffic law enforcement personnel cannot be utilized" and require a traffic-engineering analysis of the site before the surveillance equipment is installed.
Heads up on a freeway closure in El Segundo: A motorist has been killed in a collision between a Honda and a charter bus on the westbound Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway in El Segundo. All westbound traffic is being diverted off the freeway at Nash Street, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Vince Ramirez.
 South Pasadena didn't end up taking a firm stand either for or against the proposed 710 proposal, though some residents are skeptical. The Star-News said the City Council did again say it opposed a surface freeway, which would finally connect the 10 and 210 freeways (and take away many homes):
The city reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to a surface extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway and tried to clarify its more ambiguous stance on the latest tunnel alternative Tuesday during a special meeting of the City Council. City officials said the meeting was called only to update the public -- along with new council members David Sifuentes and Richard Schneider -- about South Pasadena's existing freeway position. The City Council did not discuss any policy changes. South Pasadena has been fighting efforts by Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to connect the freeway gap between the Los Angeles/Alhambra border and Pasadena since 1964.
 Road Warrior is an occassional series on the Bottleneck Blog in which people recount their experiences on Southland freeways. Today, Times Staff Writer Tami Abdollah writes about what happened when her car suddenly broke down on the 10 Freeway. It turns out she made some mistakes:
About 8:45 a.m., while I was traveling toward downtown L.A. from the Westside Monday on the 10 Freeway, my VW Jetta broke down, right before the Crenshaw Boulevard exit. As plumes of smoke seeped out of the front of my car's hood while I was traveling at a raging 30 mph, I decided to pull over to the left shoulder. That was my first mistake.
Easing my car onto the dark pavement, I focused on stopping and turning off my engine, then I called my dad. "You're stopped on the left shoulder? That's very dangerous. Get off the freeway!" he said. Actually, I had been standing outside the car with the front hood popped up for a while, trying to cool my car down and let the steam clear -- as well as keep cool myself. But I got back in when I saw cars heading westbound on the 10 freeway start to slow down, with people doing the famous rubber neck. (Story continues below)
Continue reading "Road Warrior: Wrong side of the road" »
Six bus riders were taken to the hospital after an MTA bus and a cargo van tangled on Avalon Boulevard: A half-dozen passengers aboard a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus were taken to hospitals today, including a pregnant woman, following a collision with a cargo van, authorities said. The bus driver was making a turn when the accident occurred about 11:30 a.m. at 12121 S. Avalon Blvd., said d’Lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The occupants of the van refused treatment, but six passengers on the bus were taken to hospitals to be examined, she said. Five of them described minor back and neck pain, and the pregnant woman complained of abdominal pain, Davies said. (CNS)
Still no agreement, but some hopeful signs from the O.C. bus strike front: Orange County Transportation Authority officials say they will restore service on two more bus lines beginning Monday, but they remain hopeful an agreement can be reached with striking drivers. Negotiators for both sides have been meeting for about 26 hours, and talks are expected to continue for about another hour or so. If no agreement is reached by then, negotiators will take a break until tomorrow. OCTA officials also say they plan to hire 15 replacement drivers, but it will take about three weeks to get them fully trained. (CNS)
 Orange County killed its much-debated CenterLine light-rail line a few years ago. But rail might be coming to the O.C. after all. Irvine is considering aa line that would run to the Great Park (being built on the old El Toro Marine base). Backers tell the Orange County Register that it would carry 5,000 people a day:
The five-mile-long combination streetcar and bus system would link the future Great Park, Irvine Spectrum, Irvine train station and the Lennar Corp.'s housing, commercial and educational development that will surround the Great Park. The project is estimated to cost $280 million based on rising construction costs. Operations are expected to cost $7 million each year. "The guideway is something that will be good for the park -– bringing people to the park without using cars and parking lots," lead Great Park designer Ken Smith said Monday. (Image: Orange County Great Park)
 A new AAA study found that teens admitted to some bad driving habits in the first years of having their licenses:
More than half of 16- and 17-year-old drivers admit to risky behaviors behind the wheel, according to an Auto Club of Southern California survey released today.
-- 66% admitted breaking the speed limit by at least 10 mph.
-- 51% said they talked on the telephone while driving.
-- 46% said they punched in and sent text messages on electronic devices.
-- 11% admitted drinking or using drugs behind the wheel.
(CNS)
 They're going to need a lot more roads in the Inland Empire if the state's new projections are true (a 75% boost in the population by 2050). The Times' Maria L. LaGanga, Jeff Rabin and Sara Lin report that traffic is a huge issue for the future:
John Husing, an economist who studies the Inland Empire, is betting that even in land-rich Riverside County, more vertical development is on the horizon. Part of the reason: a multi-species habitat conservation plan that went into effect in 2005, preserving 550,000 acres of green space that otherwise would have vanished. "The difficult thing will be for anybody who likes where they live in Riverside County because it's rural," Husing said. "In 2050, you might still find rural out by Blythe, but other than that, forget rural." Husing predicts that growth will be most dramatic beyond the city of Riverside as the patches of empty space around communities such as Palm Springs, Perris and Hemet begin to fill in with housing tracts. The Coachella Valley, for example, will become fully developed and seem like less of a distinct area outside of Riverside, he said. "It'll be desert urban, but it'll be urban. Think of Phoenix," he said. Expect a lot of the new development in Riverside County to go up along the 215 Freeway between Perris and Murrieta, according to Riverside County Planning Director Ron Goldman. Thousands of homes have popped up in that area in the last decade, and Goldman said applications for that area indicate condominiums are next. The department is so busy that he's hiring 10 people who'll start in the next month.
 There were signs of progress during a marathon session of talks between OCTA officials and bus drivers:
Both sides in the Orange County Transportation Authority bus strike continued negotiations today as the work stoppage entered its fourth day. "We’re making progress," OCTA spokesman Ted Nguyen said last night. "We’re moving in the right direction. There’s a lot of progress that’s been made" in the negotiations that began at 1 p.m. yesterday. The two sides -- five negotiators for the OCTA and 10 for the union -- then negotiated through the night, though what they accomplished was not immediately disclosed this morning. A main sticking point, according to OCTA officials, is that the union wants wage increases over the span of the three-year upcoming contract to benefit senior drivers -- those with five years or more on the job and making $21.42 an hour -- with none going to younger drivers. (CNS)
Meanwhile, The Times' Jennifer Delson reports that the strike has hit working-class Santa Ana hard.
  South Pasadena today will hold a special public meeting to discuss a proposal to complete the 710 Freeway by tunneling under the city.
The meeting comes as nearby cities such as Alhambra and Monterey Park have expressed support for the plan, which would complete the "missing link" of the freeway between roughly the 10 and 210 freeways. South Pasadena has for decades opposed building the freeway, which would threaten historic homes and neighborhoods. As a result, the 710 dead-ends at Valley Boulevard at the L.A.-Alhambra border, causing traffic backups in the area. (Story continues below)
-- Ari M. Bloomekatz
Continue reading "710 tunnel: South Pasadena's move" »
 The mayor appeared for the first time in public in several days to talk about filling more potholes. But it looks like reporters wanted to talk about his "relationship." But here at the BB, we also care about potholes:
City crews will soon go on patrol to seek out and fill 350,000 potholes citywide over the next year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today. Villaraigosa kicked off his "350,000 Pothole Repair Challenge" by filling the first pothole during a news conference this afternoon in Eagle Rock. "When it comes to filling potholes in Los Angeles, we are not hitting the brakes," Villaraigosa said. "While our long-term plans for mass transit and freeways take shape, we are going to work to smooth over the cracks that bring street traffic to a halt everyday." This isn’t the first time Villaraigosa has declared war on potholes. Last year, he announced a program to fill 300,000 potholes across the city, and exceeded that goal by filling 307,767 of them. (CNS)
 The issue of the 710 Freeway extension through (or under) South Pasadena has been quiet for a few months. But that's about to change: South Pasadena on Tuesday will hold a special meeting to develop strategy on the tunnel proposal and other 710 matters. As you might recall, Alhambra and other cities to the south and east support the tunnel proposal (traffic now jams there when the freeway ends at Valley Boulevard). South Pasadena has been more wary.
Continue reading "More on 710 tunnel" »
Latest from CNS on the bus strike: Both sides in the Orange County transit strike have agreed to resume negotiations. Talks are to resume at 1 p.m. today, according to Orange County Transportation Authority Chairwoman Carolyn Cavecche.
 A fatal fall on the 10 Freeway jammed the return-from-holiday traffic into downtown this morning. The full-freeway closure caused what radio traffic was describing as two-hour delays. Yes:
A man plunged to his death today from a freeway overcrossing in Monterey Park, prompting authorities to close the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway, the California Highway Patrol reported. The man, who appeared to be in his 30s, died at the scene of the fall, which occurred about 6:15 a.m. near the Long Beach (710) Freeway, said CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos. His name was not immediately disclosed. The westbound San Bernardino Freeway was closed at the site while an investigation was conducted. The lanes were reopened by about 9:35 a.m., Villalobos said. (CNS)
Heads up on this street work going on in Southwest L.A.: An emergency repair of a sewer trunk line will mean inconvenience next week for motorists and residents at West Jefferson Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, the city of Los Angeles said today. City Councilman Bernard Parks said in a press release that the repair has to be done on an immediate basis "to protect public health and safety." The construction will begin Monday, last all week, and restrict traffic at the Jefferson/Normandie intersection in all directions to one lane. (CNS)
 The bus strike in Orange County is going to hit the working-class hardest -- and some businesses like Disneyland are already bracing for the worst. The Times' David Haldane reports that bus drivers and OCTA officials have no new labor talks scheduled as the strike enters Day 3:
As the first bus strike in the county in 21 years threatened to drag on, companies sought ways to help workers with their disrupted commutes. Disneyland, the county's largest employer, set up a carpool hotline for employees who have no transportation to work. By midday Sunday, spokesman Bob Tucker said, the line had received calls. "We are working closely with our cast members and deploying various resources to make sure they can travel to and from work in a safe and sufficient manner," he said in a prepared statement. OCTA workers spent much of the day staffing a customer-service call center, which received more calls than usual, and posting fliers announcing the strike at major transportation centers and along major routes. "We want to notify as many people as possible," OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik said, "so they can make alternative arrangements." Beginning today, he said, the agency will be posting "transit ambassadors" aboard buses that are running, as well as at hubs, to give out information.
Need help getting around OC? Click below
Continue reading "O.C. bus strike: Day 3" »
That San Fernando Valley commute is going to be worse than normal today because of a water main break that has Ventura Boulevard closed in both directions in Studio City. But there's always the 101 (right!): A 12-inch pipe burst at 12548 Ventura Blvd., at Whitsett Avenue, about 5 p.m. Sunday, said spokesperson Kim Hughes of the DWP. Tens of thousands of gallons of water flooded Ventura Boulevard, which remains closed to traffic. The cause of the break was not immediately known. Water service is not expected to be restored to the businesses until after 6 a.m., Hughes said. (CNS)
 A lot of bus riders were caught off guard by the OCTA strike -- and are now looking in vain for other ways to get around, according to The Times' Dave McKibben and Tony Barboza:
Across Orange County Saturday, hundreds of overheated, frustrated and bewildered would-be riders waited for buses that never showed, following a walkout by county bus drivers, their first in 21 years. Some stranded riders sat for 30 minutes and others, like Virginia Pedroza, camped out for hours before being told about the strike. "I'm looking for the 59 bus, but it's not coming," said Pedroza, 50, a red-faced Santa Ana resident lugging two shopping bags. "It's too hot to walk in the sun."
Information about getting around O.C. without buses follows:
Continue reading "Stranded in O.C." »
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