Category: L.A. Transit & Transportation History

L.A. Transit & Transportation History

Los Angeles in the 21st Century: How Much Do the City’s 1988 Forecast and Transportation Recommendations Hold Up?

Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the submission to Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley the final report of The Los Angeles 2000 Committee, LA 2000: A City for the Future. A compelling read in its entirety, the report is a…

How Silent Film Star Harold Lloyd “Flew” Through 1924 Multi-Modal Los Angeles

  The silent film era of the 1910’s and 1920’s was a period of explosive growth for Los Angeles.  For example, the number of automobiles registered in Los Angeles County quadrupled in just eight years, from 1914-1922. This transition to…

100 Years Ago Today: The Tragic Accident That Changed Los Angeles Streetcars Forever

At approximately 9:20 p.m. on this date in 1913, a Pacific Electric streetcar on the Venice Short Line slammed into another one on the same track just 50 feet east of Vineyard Junction. The accident, near the present-day intersection of Pico Boulevard…

We Are In Overdrive: L.A. Constructs The Future, 1940-1990

“Every city has had its boom, but the history of Los Angeles…should be regarded as one continuous boom punctuated at intervals with major explosions.”  —Carey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land, 1946 Metro Transportation Library, Archives & Records…

At L.A.’s Streetcar Inauguration, Who Told 8-Year Old Shirley Temple, “Buy Yourself A New Automobile”?

LA Streetcar Inaguration featured image

This week marks the anniversary of the 1937 National Transportation Week celebrations in Los Angeles. We reviewed the event for last year’s 75th anniversary, and included video footage of child actress Shirley Temple helping out with the launch of the new PCC…

At Last: All Of Los Angeles Transportation History Explained In Interactive Timeline & Interactive Organization Chart

[Above: Metro Library’s new interactive timeline for Los Angeles transit history. “X” out the introduction box and move the chronology slider along the bottom to reposition the timeline. You may click on each transit operator for more information and links…

Remembering Huell Howser: Some Archived Images Of The Region’s Official Rideshare Spokesman

Rideshare campaign featuring Huell Howser

Going back as far as at least the Gold Rush, California has been built on promotion — and we lost one of our greatest boosters this week. Television host Huell Howser criss-crossed the state promoting our diverse history and culture, uncovering…

Broadway Bound: Looking Back At Historic Streetcars On Broadway In Los Angeles’ Historic Core

Streetcar on Broadway, late 1880s

It was announced yesterday that plans to bring streetcars back to Broadway in downtown Los Angeles took a giant step forward. Business owners and residents with an approximate three-block radius of the proposed streetcar route voted to tax themselves to…

75 Years Ago This Weekend: California Inspires The World With One Of America’s Greatest Infrastructure Projects (And Celebrations) Ever

California Highways And Public Works, May 1937

This Sunday marks the 75th anniversary of the formal opening of the Golden Gate Bridge linking San Francisco to Marin County. The iconic span was at once the greatest over-water structure in the entire world, a profound achievement in engineering…

Vault Disney: How The Magic Kingdom Showcased The Magnificent Future Of Transportation in 1958

Vault Disney: Business conference

A look back through our archives provides no shortage of historic photos, documents and other resources telling the story of transportation planning and operation in Southern California. But sometimes, we come across something very special, though not necessarily related to the…