Funds above the Rainy Day (ESF) Fund cap of $7.5 billion move to transportation funding.
Monthly Archives: November 2016
1 Local Transportation Entity. 1 Ransomeware Attack Defeated. 3 Takeaways.
How did San Francisco’s Muni system stop a ransomeware attack that held its system hostage? In 3 steps:
- Shut down electronics- opened fare gates & shut down ticket machines
- Contacted Homeland Security
- Relied on its technology team to restart the system from a backup
The success of Muni’s actions:
- Friday night the electronic ticketing shut down, by Monday the system was up and running
- No confidential information was obtained by the hackers
- Muni never communicated with the hackers…
Editorial. Speed Limits. 3 Reasons Speed Limits Should be Under Local Control.
Ft. Worth Star Telegram editorial lays out 3 reasons speed limits should be controlled locally and not by Austin lawmakers:
- If the state lowers the default residential speed limit, there will be no funding for additional patrols
- The city would benefit from assessing street safety to determine appropriate speeds
- The city can already lower the speed limit itself, so why is a Ft. Worth citycouncil member pushing this idea?
Ride Share and Accessible Options. Schwertner Bill fits the bill.
The ride share issue: accessibility for the disability community
Do local ordinances require accessibility standards? In Austin, TX, yes.
Is it working? Not according to the former chair of Austin’s Capmetro accessibility board
Does Sen. Schwertner’s SB 176 require acessibility? Yes, and a surcharge is levied on companies that do not provide accessible service.
KXAN | Smaller TNCs struggle to fill gap in accessibility after Uber, Lyft leave
Port Infrastructure Fund. Interim Recommendation. What you need to know.
The Select Committee on Ports Interim Report recommends a fund to fund port projects, the key points:
Why a fund? Texas ports are “responsible for over 30% of the Texas gross domestic product and are integral to the Texas manufacturing and energy miracle that sustained the Texas economy.”
How would the fund work? Provide loans similar to the Texas Mobility Fund
What’s the fund’s timeline? 2017 should set the parameters. 2019 sets the funding amounts.
State #3 Pay as You Drive Swap for Gas Tax
State #3 to move toward swapping the gas tax for pay as your drive: Colorado
How is Colorado implementing as pay as you? In December Colorado’s Road Usage Charge Pilot Program will begin with 100 volunteers.
What should I know about the pilot program for pay as your drive ?
- 100 volunteers
- no money will be paid for the miles
- it will test the exchange of information of mileage reporting and revenue collection
- 4 month duration
TXDOT Sunset Nuts and Bolts. Report Available. 24 Recommendations.
Sunset timeline:
- Submit responses to staff report through Novmeber 30th.
- December 8th and 9th Sunset hearing
24 Sunset staff recommendations:
Require TxDOT to adopt one consistent set of statewide transportation goals, revise its approach to distributing funding to better align with these goals, and better analyze and report on the impact of funding decisions.
Require TxDOT to update its approach to project prioritization, evaluating a project’s strategic need…
+1 City Council Supports Dallas Houston High Speed Rail
Add Plano City Council to the supporter list for Texas Central Rail Dallas to Houston high speed rail.
How did Plano City Council express support for high speed rail? By resolution, passing 7 to 1.
What reasons for supporting high speed rail were given by City Council?
- boost regional economy
- help alleviate traffic congestion
3 Pieces of Intel. Each New Texas Legislator.
+26 House:
- Valoree Swanson
- Baylor. Concerned Women of America. Real Estate Broker.
- Shawn Thierry
- Attorney. Howard Univ. & South TX College of Law. Big Borther Big Sisters.
- Mary Ann Perez
- U of H. Insurance. Former HCC Trustee.
- Jarvis D. Johnson
- Former Houston Council Member. Restraunteur & Consultant African Trade. Texas Southern.
- Tom Oliverson
- Anesthesiologist. Home Schools. Baylor College of Medicine.
- Briscoe Cain
- U of H. South Texas College of Law. Raised working…
West Coast High Speed Rail Asks Feds for Permission to Buy Train
Why does California’s high speed rail need federal permission to buy a train? Because the Federal Railroad Administration must comply with federal law’s Buy American standard.
Why not buy an American made high speed rail? They don’t exist like the easter bunny or freddy krueger.