Damien Newton
Recent Posts
A Tale of Two Future Bridges: New Bike/Ped Crossing on L.A. River, Fewer Sidewalks on Glendale-Hyperion
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It was sort of a surreal moment. Even as Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell stood at the podium discussing the benefits of a planned new bicycle and pedestrian crossing over the L.A. River, the Bureau of Public Works released its recommendation (PDF) that the new Glendale-Hyperion Bridge would actually have fewer feet devoted to […]
Eyes on the Street: Hit and Run PSA Appears on Pasadena Billboard
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If you’re traveling through Pasadena, you may note a new “Public Service Announcement” billboard from Finish the Ride and Assemblyman Mike Gatto urging people to stop and give aide if they are involved in a traffic crash. It’s no secret that both Finish the Ride (FtR) and Gatto are champions of reforming hit and run […]
Damien Talks Episode 1: Bike SD’s Sam Ollinger
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Welcome to the first episode of Damien Talks, a podcast series for Streetsblog Los Angeles, Streetsblog California, LongBeachize and Santa Monica Next. In each episode, I’ll be talking to someone from the transportation scene from somewhere in California. I’ll try to provide minimal commentary so that the interviews speak for themselves. We’re always looking for […]
For Goodness’ Sake, Stop Widening the 405
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Albert Einstein says that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I have bad news for transportation planners at OCTA and Caltrans. You’ve gone insane. And the disease is spreading. The Orange County Transportation Authority and Caltrans are banding together for another 1950’s style environmental disaster, […]
R’s and D’s Agree State Needs More Transpo. Dollars. Disagree on Source.
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In his 2015 State of the State, Governor Jerry Brown challenged the state legislature to come up with a funding formula that is both fair and that creates a sustainable funding stream for the state’s transportation trust fund. While the federal government continues to struggle to fund the national seemingly-always-beleagured Transportation Trust Fund, California now has […]
Interview: Mike Gatto Talks Hit and Runs and Why Jerry Brown Will Get Behind a “Yellow Alert” System
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Last week, I conducted a phone interview with Assemblyman Mike Gatto, best known to Streetsblog readers for his tireless work fighting for tougher laws to prevent hit and run drivers. While Gatto’s efforts have proven popular with safety advocates, his center piece legislation to create a statewide hit and run alert system was vetoed last […]
As SCAG Talks Environmental Justice, Tea Party Group Hones in on E.D.
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Regional planning documents and hearings are hardly exciting to write about. Interminably long public meetings, wonky terms, never-ending studies. It’s one reason that Streetsblog hardly covers the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), even though the regional plan it puts out is incredibly important in determining which projects receive federal funds and which ones don’t. […]
Republican’s Attempt to Undermine High Speed Rail on Hold…for Now
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The Assembly Transportation Committee said “thanks, but no thanks” to A.B. 6, legislation by a Santa Clarita Republican that would give voters the chance to overturn $8 billion in bonds meant to fund California High Speed Rail. A.B. 6 was defeated by an unofficial vote of 7-4 (which will likely be 11-5 when the official […]
Finish the Ride Rolls on While Hit-and-Runs Make Headlines
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Yesterday, Finish the Ride held its second annual self-titled bike ride to raise awareness of traffic safety issues. Damian Kevitt, the hit-and-run survivor who lost a leg and founded a movement around creating safer roads, was front and center, offering both a frank statement on the safety of our roads and optimism and encouragement for those […]
The Week in Livable Streets Events
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Metro is getting ready to pass its budget for next year. Big hearing on Saturday. Tuesday – The City Council Planning and Land Use Committee meets to discuss a number of issues and receive an oral report from a Planning Director on the planning policies, work program, operations, and other items of interest. Read the agenda, […]
“Level of Service” Planning Is Not Dead Yet
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This is what happens when transportation planning focuses on moving cars instead of creating spaces for people. At the same time that California is aggressively moving to ditch the Level of Service standard that has forced transportation and planning projects to measure and mitigate their impact on car traffic, some projects evaluated under that car-centric […]
My Interview with Tamika Butler: Equity and Social Justice Are Rallying Cries for LACBC’s New Leader
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When the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition announced its new Executive Director last December, the early reviews were somewhat mixed. Those close to the hiring process were confident they had the right mix, and many backers of the organization took to social media to embrace the new face of bike advocacy in Los Angeles, Tamika […]