The new year got off to a brisk start for L.A. as Subject, the research alliance comprised of over 230 institutional and individual members (including Metro’s Transportation Library & Archive) who collect, preserve and provide access to the history and…
Author: Kenn Bicknell
Advertising Los Angeles’ Bus Service On Television: 1956 Cartoon Commercials & How They Were Made
Transit promotion is everywhere. The ever-expanding media universe and our constant contact with it provides ample opportunities to spread the word about the benefits of public transportation. These days, transit marketing can be found not only in traditional media…
Research Roundup: ARRA Meets Passenger Rail, Overlooked Density & The Use Of Advance Construction
In January, 2010, President Obama announced that 31 states and the District of Columbia would receive $8 billion in funds from the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act to plan, develop, and construct high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects in corridors around…
“Metro Diesels Don’t Cause Smog”: The 1954 Tests “Proving” L.A. Buses Were Clean & Actually “Helped” Solve The Smog Problem
Earlier this year, Metro retired its last diesel bus from its fleet of over 2,2000 vehicles. At that time, we took a closer look at the early history of diesel buses in Los Angeles and how Los Angeles Motor Coach‘s 1940 fleet…
Resources To Know: Mapping All Of America With Key Census Data, Block By Block
The New York Times recently released its mapping project containing information from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The Survey is a statistical sampling of 1 in 10 Americans between the years 2005 and 2009. Unlike the decennial census we are…
Celebrating Women’s History Month: The First Women Transit Operators In Los Angeles, Which Led The Way As “Motormanettes”
The first reported instance of a woman working on Los Angeles streetcars occured during World War I, in May of 1918. She was recruited from the Los Angeles Railway’s office help, and worked as a conductor collecting fares and making…
Arroyo Seco Parkway At 70: The Unusual History Of The “Pasadena Freeway,” California Cycleway & Rare Traffic Plan Images
This Winter marks the 70th anniversary of the oldest freeway in the United States: The Arroyo Seco Parkway opened on December 30, 1940. Built during the Great Depression, construction of the parkway put a lot of people to work. At…
Research Roundup: A Closer Look At Transportation Policies — Energy Security Is National Security
Despite transportation accounting for 70% of U.S. oil consumption, energy and transportation policy have historically been devised and implemented in wholly disparate spheres. Transportation projects, whether highways, public transit, or port upgrades, are neither developed nor operated with any consideration…
Bringing Streetcars Back To Downtown Los Angeles: A Closer Look At The Economic Benefits Outlined In New Study
This week a new study was released indicating how the Downtown L.A. Streetcar will have a significant and profound effect on revitalization in Downtown Los Angeles. The L.A. Streetcar Economic Analysis Report & Technical Appendix (64p. PDF) studied the…
Celebrating Black History Month: How The First African-American Motormen & “Motormanette” Pioneered Social Justice On The Los Angeles Railway
Los Angeles Railway was not previously known as a socially progressive organization, nor were many other industries or job markets of the early 1940s. The headlines of the Los Angeles Sentinel and the California Eagle from 1942-1944, the leading African…