In the second installment of our serialized tour through StreetsWiki, we turn to DianaD's entry on Vehicle-Miles Traveled:

Vehicle-Miles Traveled (VMT) is the total number of miles driven by all residential vehicles within a given time period and geographic area.

We're seeing more about VMT in the national media as rising gas prices cause people to drive less. Largely absent from the coverage -- so far -- is a discussion about intentionally reducing VMT through policy. Will that change soon? It should: A landscape that's easier to navigate without a car is one where expensive gas won't put such a crimp in household budgets. Diana's wiki entry highlights one avenue to explore in particular:

Land use -- namely sprawl development -- is the main culprit. Americans are living farther from work, school, shopping and basic services. Even in higher density areas, where amenities may be closer to home, the road framework can be punishing for pedestrians. It is nearly impossible to walk in areas that cater to cars instead of people. Autocentric street design therefore forces even more cars onto roadways, which further impedes walkers and bicyclists. The vicious cycle continues and local governments turn to the only “quick fix” that they seem to know: build bigger highways (at enormous taxpayer expense) to accommodate the increased traffic.

Got more to add? Any member of the Livable Streets Network can edit a StreetsWiki entry. 

Tomorrow is the Metro Board of Directors Meeting where the fate of the proposed sales tax proposal will be discussed and voted on for the final time. Before their ballot measure can be voted upon by the general public, it must also be approved by the state legislature.

There's a lot of things that still have to be decided before tomorrow's vote. I'll try to cover the major issues that are still on the table.

First, even though the most recent proposed expenditure plan has allocated so much money for the Gold Line that local papers are referring to the sales tax as the Gold Line Tax, San Gabriel Valley legislators are still not happy with the final proposal. This morning, the Bottleneck Blog reported that the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and the Gold Line Phase II Joint Powers Authority don't believe they'll see a completed Gold Line under the current scheme.

Of course, regular readers of this blog know there is a full blown movement to dedicate 1% of the budget for bicycles and another 1% for pedestrians. While some individual Board Members have shown interest in the proposal, there's no telling if it will gain any traction at tomorrow's meeting.

Environmentalists are also concerned about the lack of language mandating that bus service will be expanded under the sales tax plan. The current proposal does spell out that:

3. Operations money would be used for all the items described under Point 4 - Better Public Transportation, especially including:

4-A. Metro Rapid Improvements

4-C. Local Bus Improvements

4-D. Dedicated Bus Lanes

4-H. Fare Equity

The following letter will be faxed to all the members of the City Council Transportation Committee.  The letter is a compilation of reader comments to an article asking for people’s opinions whether or not the city should set aside dedicated parking for car sharing programs.

Given the success of this article, expect others soliciting reader’s opinions for the purpose of informing elected leaders of your opinions.  The letter is available after the jump.

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• Caltrans Short $135 million on 405/101 Interchange Project (Times, Daily News) 
• Less People Driving, Less People Dieing (Daily News) 
• Antonovich Pushing for Regional Distribution of Sales Tax (ABC7) 
• More HOV for the OC (Times) 
• Beverly Hills Gets Two Stops on Subway to the Sea (Curbed) 
• NYC Streetsblog on McCain's "Pump"  
• Debunking McCain's 'Pump' Ad (FactCheck)
• Bush Admin Moves to Increase Oil Shale Production (Gristmill)
• What About America's Least Walkable Cities? (TreeHugger)
• Believe It or Not: GM, Ford 'On Verge of Bankruptcy' (Bloomberg)
• National Mall Needs a Facelift (Newsweek)

Nick Anderson / Houston Chronicle

(Last Friday before the City Council Meeting, City Councilman Tom LaBonge sat down with Streetsblog to discuss some of the things he noticed on a recent trip to Europe and what Los Angeles can do to make the city a better place for cyclists.  You can leave feedback here, or join LaBonge and myself tomorrow night on the "Positively 4th Street" bike ride beginning at 3255 West 4th Street at 6 P.M.)

Streetsblog: So you were just in Europe.  Were you on vacation or there for city business?

LaBonge: It was a combination there of.  My wife Bridget and I were there for our 20th Wedding Anniversary and I was there on a program of the State Department in Bordeaux, France and went to Berlin on the invitation of the ambassador for the opening of the new embassy.  We’re Sister Cities with both cities.

Streetsblog: Last week at the Transportation Committee hearing, you talked about some of the things you experienced while in Europe.  You spent a lot of time on a bike...

LaBonge: Right.  Of the six days in Berlin, four of them...Fat Tire Bike Rentals in Alexanderplatz is the place to go.  It was a wonderful experience.  The people of Berlin, I don’t know the exact numbers, but a high percentage of them commute by bicycle. 

There’s a unique layout of the city.  It’s one-third developed, one-third green space, and one-third water.  After the horrors of the last century destroyed the city, there was a lot of thought and process has been made to make it a better city.  They built cycling into the regular flow of traffic

Streetsblog: What were some of the things that were different there?

LaBonge: One thing I liked.  They had signalized intersections with the tri-lights for vehicles and at eye level for bicyclists there were signals at eye level right on the post.  They also had clearly marked lines for bike lanes on many roads.  They also brought the bikes off the street between the sidewalk and the curb with their very own bike path, if you will.

But the most important thing, and this could take awhile for the people of Los Angeles to change, the motorists had great respect for people on bikes.  I never felt anyone on my tail.  If we were going straight and they were turning right, they waited for me to get through the intersection.  Nobody cut me off .  It was amazing.  You immediately felt that there was some respect for the bicycle.

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John McCain released a new television advertisement where he promises relief at the gas pump for working families by increasing oil drilling in America.

The ad begins by showing an old fashioned gas pump as a voice darkly intones, “Gas prices, $5, $% no end in site.”  Then, as the image changes to rapidly rising pump numbers, the very serious voice continues, “Because some in Washington are saying ‘no’ to drilling in America.  No to independence to foreign oil.”

As an image of Barack Obama appears on the screen as the voice continues, “Who can you blame for rising prices at the pump?”  A crowd chants, “OBAMA, OBAMA, OBAMA!”

The screen changes to John McCain talking with a microphone as the narrator continues, “One man knows we must drill more of America and rescue our family budgets.  Don’t hope for more energy.  Vote for it.”   

Wow.  Where to start?

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