3 Ways Texas High Speed Rail Reflects Private Sector Future in Infrastructure

Prove the viability of this technology and private sector built infrastructure approach

Create a new high-tech industry where it never existed before. Texas will be like a domestic manufacturer of high-speed projects.

Market Driven approach will have fewer difficulties than government projects.

The Hill | Contributor : Texas Central Partners | Texas high-speed rail illustrates private sector’s role in America’s infrastructure future

Local Trend. Ordinance to Reign in Ride Share Price Surging. 3 Bits informed:intel

Chicago City Council, like other cities, is looking to reign in ride share price surging. Here’s the policy plan in Chicago:

  • surge pricing cap implementation to offset companies that use predatory pricing
  • surge price cap would be 150% of a regular fare during the 7 days before the unforeseen emergency
  • unforeseen emergency would be defined as “any actual or threatened terrorist attack, mass shooting, major disruption in public transportation, failure or shortage or electric power and…

Which companies hold the 39 Permits for Self Driving Cars in California?

  • Volkswagen Group of America
  • Mercedes Benz
  • Waymo
  • Delphi Automotive
  • Tesla Motors
  • Bosch
  • Nissan
  • GM Cruise LLC
  • BMW
  • Honda
  • Ford
  • Zoox, Inc.
  • Drive.ai, Inc.
  • Faraday & Future Inc.
  • Baidu USA LLC
  • Wheego Electric Cars Inc.
  • Valeo North America, Inc.
  • NextEV USA, Inc.
  • Telenav, Inc.
  • NVIDIA Corporation
  • AutoX Technologies Inc
  • Subaru
  • Udacity, Inc
  • Navya Inc.
  • Renovo.auto
  • UATC LLC (Uber)
  • PlusAi Inc
  • Nuro, Inc
  • CarOne LLC
  • Apple Inc.
  • Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation
  • Pony.AI
  • TuSimple
  • Jingc…

Local Control & EVs. Anatomy of parking vs. private charging curb side vs. public charging…2 Ordinances

Philadelphia is convening a task force to guide integration of electric vehicles into the quagmire of parking and charging in the City of Brotherly Love.

The policy issues:

  • Whether and how to permit curb side charging in residential neighborhoods
  • how EVs relate to transit, walking, and cycling

Philly Voice | Newly assembled task force will guide policy on Philly’s electric cars

Editorial. 3 Reasons to Slow Down on Self Driving Car Laws

Detroit. Motor City. An editorial board at the Detroit News isn’t keen on rapidly legislating self driving cars because:

  • Market Drivers.to develop the right policies we need clear signals from the market about what aspects of self driving cars will win the day
  • Infrastructure Needs. need to ensure that the legislature creates the infrastructure to maintain Dedicated Short Range Communications radios that communicate between self driving cars and the infrastructure
  • Public Private…

Executive Branch Trend. Engage Private Business. Give them State Data. Get Transportation Improvements in Return.

The State: Virginia

The goal of the public-private partnership:  “optimizing opportunities for innovative collaboration and investment in Virginia’s transportation system”

The data shared with the private sector: 22 different data sets, with initial data sets including traffic volumes, speed limits, travel advisories, lane closures, crashes, truck restrictions, traffic sensors, incidents, sign messages and locations, paving schedules, short- and long-term weather events, the Six-Year…

Business Trend Begets Local Trend. Integrated Roadways. 3 Bits informed:intel

The Business: Integrated Roadways

What are integrated roadways? Roads with sensors, phone, and internet connectivity, telecommunications, fiber-optic cable, and high-speed Internet, as well as other hardware, inside road surfaces.

What do local pilot projects look like? Kansas City has a pilot project to use integrated roads in construction of a combined 1.5 miles of pavement in the spring of 2018 with expected completion by August.

Would these integrated roads collect data for the benefit…

Lege Trend becomes Local Trend. Wheel Taxes. Will city folk do wheelies to celebrate?

Baraboo Wisconsin is considering implementing a “wheel tax” to fund transportation.
 
What sparked Baraboo’s brouhaha? Baraboo needs transportation funding
 
Did cities in Wisconsin need state approval? Yes, a statewide bill requires a citywide vote. 
 
In Wisconsin, wheel taxes account for 20-25% of street rehabilitation funding.
 

Legal Trend. Judge Requires Disclosure of lawmakers & lobbyist communication on direct sales.

Michigan’s direct sales ban is being tested in Michigan federal court as a violation of the Commerce Clause.

What does that mean in normal people terms? The direct sales ban isn’t just a question of is direct sales a Michigan law and constitution problem, but does direct sales bans run counter to the US Constitution. Also, the Supremes can get involved- as in Ruth Bader Ginsburg et. al, not Diana Ross et. al.

What documents is the court requiring be disclosed?

  • 2 lawmakers must turn over…

NEW KIDS. New Appointees to Port Authority Advisory Committee.

Lt. Gov. Patrick made the following appointments to the Port Authority  Advisory Committee:

  •  Michael J. Plank
    • From Houston
    • Chairman & CEO of The Plank Companies, Inc., a diversified holding company
    • Serves on the boards of Greater Houston Partnership, YMCA of Greater Houston & President’s Leadership Council at Methodist Hospital
    • 1983 Texas A&M grad in Mechanical Engineering

LT. GOVERNOR DAN PATRICK ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT TO THE PORT AUTHORITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE