Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Other High Speed Rail. $468 Billion Price Tag. 3 Things to Know from California.

What’s the high speed rail in Claifornia? A state backed project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

California has been looking for building partners and the responses questioned the state financing. The issues raised:

  • whether fare revenues would cover operating costs
  • can this be done without public subsidies, which the project is prohibited by law from using?
  • can  the first 300-mile segment between the San Fernando and Central valleys turn a profit like the project claims?…

NY Governor Says State Should Regulate Ride Share. Not Local Governments. 3 Reasons Why.

  • NYC. NYC can’t organize anything right
  • Sharing Economy isn’t Ripe for Local Regulations. Statewide regulation is important because drivers drive between cities
  • Power Struggle between the state & NYC. The big issue will be wehther the state will supercede all local regulation

Governing | States, Not Cities, Should Regulate Uber, Says New York Governor 

Politico New York | Cuomo hints at a new de Blasio fight, this time over Uber

6 Poll Results on Support of Transportation Funding

AAA released its polling information on transportation funding this week showing huge support for transportation funding:

  • 70% think the federal government should invest more than it does now for roads, bridges and mass transit systems
  • 91% think it important to conduct routine maintenance and repair of roads and bridges, such as fixing potholes, repaving roads, etc.: 
  • 70% rate it important to expand public and shared transportation, such as busses, commuter rail and support for…

Lege Trend: New Transportation Method Legalized. Marty McFly Relieved.

California Legislature legalized motorized skateboards. The legislation would:

  • require motorized skateboards, or other similar contraptions, to follow bike lane rules
  • allows for local control, enabling localities to ban their use

Economic Reason behind the legislation– tech start ups working on electric skateboards.

WallStreet Journal | Electric Skateboards Legalized in California, Reversing Ban

California’s Assembly Bill 604

7 Points: Economic Study Supporting TX High Speed Rail

  • $36 Billion impact over 25 years
  • All counties, not just those with stations, will reap economic benefits
  • Texas Central Rail will pay property taxes in all counties
  • Those property taxes are going to local schools too
  • Economic boon is higher in localities with stations which will see commercial and residential economic benefits
  • 10,000 full time jobs during construction
  • $10 bllion in eocnomic output

Houston Chronicle | Study finds high-speed rail line an economic shot for Texas

Dallas…

Senate Interim Charges 2015. Accountability. Eliminate Toll Roads. No Eminent Domain for Private Toll Roads.

• TxDOT Funding:

  • Monitor any new & anticipated revenue appropriated to TXDOT
  • Recommendations that address project prioritization & selection, effectiveness of staffing levels and project delivery methods.

• Vehicle Inspection System

  • Evaluate the efficiency & effectiveness of the state’s Vehicle Inspection Program.
  • Recommend how to compress/otherwise reduce the number of required inspections.

• Regional Mobility Authorities

  • Review State Highway Fund grants…

Trend: Electronic Data to Prioritize Road Repair

What city has gone techno for road repair? In Cincinnati what amounts to a larger scanner scans roadways to prioritize repairs.

How do you scan and map roads? The laser scanning of roads offers ” more comprehensive data than the random boots-on-the-ground sampling methods used in the past.”

What’s the benefit of scanning roads?

  • better assessment of needed road repairs
  • saves the city money
  • increases by 150% the number of lanes that can be repaved per year.

Governing | Cincinnati Uses…

Transportation Safety & Oil Boom Costs Billions. New Report. 4 Points.

Who authored this study about transportation safety being impacted by the oil boom? Texas A&M transportation Institute

What areas did they study to conclude its costing billions? They studied crashes in 2 time frames, 2006-2009 and 2010-2013, and in 3 areas; the Permian Basin, Barnett Shale, and Eagle Ford Shale regions.

What was the conclusion? As rig counts go up so do traffic collisions, and as rig counts go down so do traffic collisions.

How much do traffic collisions in energy…

Houston Area Transportation Leaders Comment on Texas High Speed Rail

Who? Alan Clark is the director of transportation planning for the Houston-Galveston Area Council & Jeff Collins, a board member for the Transportation Advocacy Group

Where? A discussion with Community Impact papers in the greater Houston Area

What did they say? 

Collins said: 

  • I am a big proponent of that project just because I see the potential benefit—not only to Houston [and] Dallas—but also the state of Texas with high-speed rail in place.
  • I do think it will get…