Monthly Archives: April 2015

Harvard Kennedy School Fellow: Texas Wrong Path on Transportation Funding

After buttering Texas up by flattering its innovated use of public private partnerships in transportation, a Harvard Kennedy School fellow. He praises this method because roads are paid for by those who directly benefit from those roads.

Pivoting from flattery, he posits that opposition to tollroads and prublic private partnerships will:

  • reduce overall transportation funding over time
  • will harm public transit
  • harm transit funding in fast growing cit…

14 Elected Officials Want to Stop High Speed Rail. TXDOT forms Commission to Grow High Speed Rail.

14 elected officials have asked the Texas Congressional to request federal regulators stop high speed rail in Texas. The blessing of federal regulators will garner eminent domain powers for the high speed rail.

Simultaneously, TXDOT has created a high speed rail commission led by Ft. Worth businessman Bill Meadows to explore extending the Dallas-Houston jhigh speed rail to Arlington and Ft. Worth. 

Posted byadminPosted ineminent domain, legislative trend, railways

Uber Patiently Waits for State Guidance while Houston Mayor Parker Patience Wears Thin.

While we wait to see what the Legislature does with ride-share, Mayor Parker is asking that Uber submit a compliance plan to the City of Houston.

Uber has until Friday to comply. Houston is eager to match drivers to drivers licenses after the alleged April 2015 sexual assault of a passenger by an Uber driver. 

Houston Chronicle with Mayor Parker’s Lett…

Transportation Funding $3 B or $2.5B per year to TXDOT

TXDOT is getting closer to additional funding. The House and Senate transportation proposal both relate to sales tax and here’s the differences:

  • House: $3 B of sales tax to TXDOT, the remainder to General Revenue sytarting in 2018
  • House: TXDOT will get 2% of the remaining slaes tax over $3 billion. (the sales tax brings in roughly $25 billion per year)
  • House plan supported by Chairman Otto according to the Posted byadminPosted infunding, legislative trend, roads, tollroad

Peak Toll Pricing: Does it Work?

Peak toll pricing helps pay for roads, but does not help reduce congestion according to the nternational Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association.  Two case studies:

  • Los Angeles County’s Metro uses peak toll pricing, which can cost $15 for 11 miles. Their peak toll priced lanes often become so congested, that the lanes are closed for periods of time. 
  • Atlanta uses peak toll pricing and is considering approaching the 270 drivers that use the peak pay toll lanes 5 days …

Funding Trend: Make Cities Pay the State Hundreds of Millions Annually

The Chair of a New York legislative committee is proposing the creation of a transportation finance authority that would fund transportation with:

  • “A 10-cent increase in the state gas tax would yield $500 million annually.
  • A half-percent income tax increase on New Yorkers earning between $500,000 and $2 million each year would raise their rate from 6.85 percent to 7.35 percent, bringing in $750 million annually.
  • A mandatory contribution from New York City, …

Dedicated Transportation Funding: The California 3 Step Approach from Republicans

  • In 2002, California passed a constitutional amendment that dedicates the sales tax on fuel for motor vehicles  for maintaining and expanding our roads, highways and bridges.
  • In 2010, California passed a constitutional amendment that prohibits transportation taxes from being borrowed for non-transportation purposes.
  • In 2015, California Legislature is moving its way through Senate Constitutional Amendment 7 (SCA 7) that closes a loophole allowing transportation taxes…