- Population growth requires that innovative transportation be accommodated
- High Speed Rail proposal is privately funded
- Private companies exercise eminent domain all the time in Texas with no gross mismangement
- Private rail has exercised eminent domain for more than 100 years
- Texas has property owner protections
Author Archives: admin
Gas Tax or Roads? Cheese Head Republican Infighting. Transportation Funding.
State: Wisconsin
What are the 2 Republican Factions? Gov. Scott Walker v.s Legislative leadership
What does Gov. Walker transportation funding plan look like? Delay or cancel road work
What do legislative leaders want? To consider increased fees or taxes to cover the cost of necessary road work.
Comptroller: 5 Benefits to Texas. Expanded Panama Canal.
- “any substantial increase in that trade could add billions to the state economy”
- In 2015, $204 billion in international trade passed through Texas seaports
- Greater efficiencies of Neo-Panamax ships could lower shipping cost by 30%
- Lower costs can add 10% increase in Asian container traffic
- Capital Improvements. $48 billion on capital improvements during the next five years in Texas Ports to accomodate Neo-Panamax ships
- New Development. $335 million marine terminal along the Houston Ship…
Lege Trend. No Eminent Domain for Rail. Mid West Edition.
State: Indiana
The eminent domain legislation:
- heightens the public use standard
- puts into state law a federal appraisal standard
- limits the amount of land that can be taken, tying all the land to the public use
Northwest Indiana Times | Rail eminent domain changes win legislative approval
3 Issues with Ride Share to the Emergency Room
- All emergency care facilities do not provide the same services
- If a patient ride shares to the emergency room, and the patient needs a different hospital, then the person will be put in an ambulence
- The extra 30 minutes of additional transportation can be a matter of life or death
WTOL 11 | More people are choosing Uber and Lyft for trips to emergency room
KTRK | ABC 13 Hou| GROWING NUMBER OF MEDICAL PATIENTS USING UBER OR LYFT FOR TRIPS TO THE ER
The Courts Work while the Legislature Works. Does high speed rail have eminent domain?
- A lawsuit from 78 year old property owner and a countersuit by Texas High Speed Rail had a hearing this week
- What put them into court was whether the rail could have pre-condemantion access to the property to survey it
- What kept them in court, when Texas Central Rail, had dropped other similar lawsuits, was that this lawsuit wanted Texas Central Rail to admit that it did not have eminent domain authority
No ruling yet from the Court.
Hyperloop test track finished + proposed Texas Route business benefit.
The finished hyperloop test track: DeveLop test track, the 1,640-foot long full-scale testing site
The proposed Texas route: Colorado and Texas will be brought together with a Cheyenne to Houston route
The Texas business benefit: The route will be useful for the military, industrial and aerospace industries
Tech Crunch | Hyperloop One completes Vegas test track tube, reveals 11 proposed U.S. routes
Business Trend. Self Driving Big Trucks with Zero Emissions.
Company: Einride, a Swedish start up
The product: ‘T-Pod’ , an electric vehicle with self-driving capabilities that can carry 15 pallets of goods 124 miles while producing zero emissions.
What would be th eimpact to roads? T Pod total weight of 20 tons when loaded down fully with cargo, which is smaller than most transport trucks
Tech Crunch | Einride’s electric self-driving T-pod is a new kind of freight transport vehicle
Legal Trend. High Speed Rail. Open Records. Eminent Domain.
Opponent to Texas Central rail are seeking disclosure of Texas Central Railway’s feasibility study held by TXDOT.
What arguments do the opponents make for disclosure?
- Disclosure should occur because the rail is using eminent domain
- Disclosure should occur because the rail is going after taxpayer dollars
What are the arguments to protect the information from disclosure?
Texas Central Rail shouldbe granted the same privacy protections that a business would be granted.
Trend Spotting. Ride Share. New Never Seen Before Requirements on Ride Share.
An alderman in Chicago wants to impose the following requirements on ride share in the Windy City:
- illuminated signs “visible from 50 feet away” for each driver/vehicle
- pick-up only from side streets instead of major thoroughfares, just like taxis do
The policy reasons: to make it easier for police to identify ride sahre drivers
The cost of illuminated signs: $80
Chicago Sun Times | Alderman wants Uber, Lyft vehicles to have illuminated signs