November 2018 – InfoHive

Economic Development Reasons why High Speed Rail will work without Mass Transit Connections.

According to William J. Swinton, Temple University International Business Studies in Tokyo, a high speed rail end point becomes an economic engine by:

Creating transportation business opportunity for transportation companies like taxis and ride sahre
Creating real estate development opportunities by encouraging hotels and businesses to build nearby.

When Tokyo’s Shinagawa train station was built there was little development, within 10 years, skyscrapers had risen & the Japanese company…

3 Reasons Citizens Against Government Waste Oppose High Speed Rail in Texas

California. didn’t work/isn’t working in California which has large cost overruns and delays
Promises Break. The claim of no tax payer funds will be broken, it usually is
Ridership is a Myth. Projections on rideership aren’t realistic
- based on this 2017 Reason Foundation study
Government Overreach via Eminent Domain

Trib Talk | Tom Schatz | President, Citizens Against Government Waste | Hit the brakes on high speed rail in Texas

Lege TREND. Funding Transportation with Prison Funds

Where: Colorado

Legislation: SB267 (2017 | CO)

converted a hospital provider fee that supported expanded Medicaid to an enterprise fund, removing it from the general fund for $500 Million under the state general-fund spending cap
+ $500 million in “lease-purchase” of state buildings
- A dozen of the lease-purchase arrangements are prisons
- Prisons make a good bond offering because of the necessity of prisons

Colorado Politics | How Colorado is using prisons to help fund transportation

Local TREND. 5 Nationwide Scooter Regulatory Issues. Local and State.

WHERE can people ride scooters? on the street or the sidewalk?
- The use of geolocation, or bluetooth beacons to require parking in designated areas or the scooter ride will not end.
SPEED. How fast should they be able to go?
- Require driver license scans to ensur eno kids are riding.
WHO. What companies can operate the services, and under what circumstances?
- safe, reliable partners with cities
SAFETY. Are scooters even safe?
- Helmets. Should they be mandated?
- California cities…

High Speed Rail Audit in California. Biggest Cost Driver?

Not acquiring land prior to beginning construction is cited as the largest cost driver according to an audit of California’s High Speed Rail project.

Rushed construction contributed to $600 million in cost overruns in a single segment of the high spped project.

What happens if the project fails to accelerate the project? It will be forced to repay up to $3.5 billion to the federal government

Sacramento Bee | Rushed construction cost high-speed rail $600 million and delays mount, audit finds

…

3 Proactive Transportation Planning Needs of Texas Rural Highways.

Producers guide transportation needs by forecasting the changing truck travel to match advances in energy development
Creative engeinnering.
- converting an existing two-way frontage road to one-way traffic
- temporary use of bypass lanes until an overpass is built
Data TxDOT and TTI experts study accident data to reduce accidents

Trib Talks | William R. Stockton | Texas A&M Transportation Institute | Rural Texas highways give us a reliable path to the pump

+1 State Adopts Gas Tax Increase. 3 Pieces of Informed Intel

California voters approved a legislative increase in fuel taxes and vehicle fees by rejecting a rollback of those revenue sources in Propsoition 6.

55% of voters approved the increased taxes and fees.

The 3 reasons attributed to the win? (see the reasons Missouri failed, ying and yang):

clearly detailing how the levies would be spent to fix deteriorating roads
fix bridges
improve mass transit

A clear detailed plan won.

LA Times | California voter approval of gas tax increase gives hope…

What I need to know about a study that Says Ride Share Made Traffic Worse in an Urban Area?

Who conducted the study? San Francisco County Transportation Authority

What urban area was studied? average speeds

What did the study reveal:

Slower Morning traffic. 26% decrease in average morning speeds since 2009
Slower Night traffic. 27% for evening traffic speeds during the same time
More traffic jams. vehicle hour delays increased by 40,000 hours on an average day
More road wear and tear. miles traveled on local roads jumped 630,000 miles

The Car Connection | Study: Uber, Lyft…

2 Reasons Transportation Funding Failed in the Mount Laurel State

Colorado voters rejected by more than 20 points each 2 transportation funding mechanisms this November:

increased funding through a sales tax increase backed by Denver Chamber of Commerce
$3.5 billion bond package paid through existing tax revenue and backed by a libertarian think tank

2 transportaiotn funding options that could get more Colorado support:

more specific funding proposals
encouraging regional solutions to provide matching funds

Thr Journal | Colorado transportation…