Matthew Roth

The next generation of community-driven reporting of quality-of-life issues--like potholes, graffiti, garbage buildup, or broken street lights--is SeeClickFix, a mapping software that enables users to populate a map with cases that are then forwarded to the responsible city agency. Much like a 311 system, SeeClickFix's software is predicated on the assumption that an aware and engaged public that uses technology can get the city that represents it to efficiently resolve its problems.

Hunter College student and photographer Andrew Lynch recently posted Google Map mashups of the unbuilt freeways that made up many of the master plans in cities around the country in the 1950s and 1960s.  San Francisco, New York City, and Boston avoided the worst of automobility, while the map of Los Angeles freeways was pretty well paved.

BART Will Join Translink Later This Summer (SF Gate) Booming Bicycle Traffic to Sausalito Has Some Residents Upset (SF Gate) Survey Says Californians Willing to Limit Flights for High Speed Rail (Examiner) 511.org Offers Up to $100 for Driving in HOV Lanes (CC Times) Contra Costa Times Looks at Mileage Tax Debate ‘Back Seat Driver’ … Continued

Raising the price of parking is a contentious issue anywhere, but it's particularly divisive for the BART Board of Directors, who may be debating a proposal from their finance committee as soon as next Thursday's board meeting to raise parking fees to mitigate their soaring budget deficit.

TransForm tells Streetsblog San Francisco that legislators in Sacramento have prepared draft legislation for how the state should spend federal stimulus money on transportation projects and that there is important advocacy that needs to be done to improve it.  AB X3 20 will be introduced imminently and debated this week. 

It's a good day to talk about the costs of car ownership on individuals and families and the need to integrate transportation and land use planning regionally.

Let's hope California rail passengers can look back on the drama playing out between the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) and the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) as a small hiccup on the way to building the nation's preeminent rail network into one of the most impressive rail stations in the world. And for our sake, let's hope Washington isn't paying too much attention to the infighting and will still award California the lion's share of the $8 billion in federal stimulus money slated for high speed rail.

US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood made cyclists smile at the National Bike Summit when he pledged to be a "full partner" with them through his term as head of the agency.  Not content with good rhetoric at a gala event, he wrote about it on his official Welcome to the Fast Lane blog.

Op-Ed in Chronicle Supporting Congestion Pricing in San Francisco (SF Gate) The TA Will Consider Releasing Prop K Funds for Transbay Terminal (Examiner) Muni Crash with 18-Wheeler on T-3rd Sent Seven to Hospital Last Night (Examiner) (SF Gate) MTC Revises Revenue Projections, Delays Vote on RTP (Merc) Sacramento Mayor KJ Upset His City Not on … Continued