New Opponent to Self Driving Cars. Taxis. The Enemy of your Enemy is your Friend.

 

What group opposes self driving cars? An association of taxi and limo drivers, The Upstate Transportation Association

Where: New York

What is the anti-self-driving car group calling for? a 50 year moratorium on self driving cars in NY

Why the leap to self driving car opposition? Because the President of a Ride Share company tied to the 2 issues together in a letter 

Fortune | Taxi Drivers’ New Uber Defense: Lobby for Self-Driving Car Bans

Unicameral statewide Ride Share Regs. Report Shows No Harm to Taxis. 3 Key Points.

When did Nebraska create a statewide regulatory framework for ride share? 2015

What legislation was passed? LB 629 (2015)

Tell me what I need to know about this new report on how the statewide regualtions impacted taxis?

  • Report was published by the Nebraska Public Service Commission
  • The NPSC regulates ride share companies & taxis  in Nebraska
  • In the last 5 years, taxi ridership has “generally” increased
  • Lincoln has a decrease in taxi use, but the report clarifies it existed before…

New Austin to San Antonio Rail Project is Existing Rail? 3 Key Pieces of Intel.

The proposed solution for the 1-35 rail issue? Commuter Amtrack.

What do I need to know about the Amtrack and Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization dialog? The Alamo City asked if Amtrack wanted to be its partner and Amtrack said sure.

What has to happen to make commuter rail a reality?

  • Amtrack is conducting a Ridership and Revenue Study to look at:
    • cost to improve Union Pacific track
    • to allow for 90mph trains
  • Cost to San Antonio for the study? 100,000
  • Part of a larger…

TREND: Interstate Tolls. From the Land of Cheese & Federal Prognosticators.

Interstate Tolls  are on the minds of people from Gov. Scott Walker to the crystal ball readers deciphering public private partnerships under President Trump.

What’s the state outlook on interstate tolls? 

  • A Wisconsin state study sais it could raise $14 to $41 billion in revenue. 
  • But, interstate tolls will require $350-$400 million infrastructure investment & federal approval

Iron Moutnain Daily News | Wisconsin transportation study considers interstate tollways

What do people…

TREND & Procurement Opportunity: Smart Roads.

What is a smart road? A road rired with fiber optic cable, cameras and conencted devices

What are the goals of smart roads? 

  • Alert drivers to accidents, weather, and adjust speed limits
  • Communicate with self driving cars
  • Help all cars move as quickly as possible & as safely as possible

Where are we seeing smart roads?  

  • Virginia I-66 smart road  is up and running
  • In 2016 Ohio pledged to spend $15 million for 35 miles of smart road on Rt. 33
  • Utah is testing it on Salt Lake…

Finger Print Compromise from Maryland. The Nuts & Bolts from Legislators & Regulators.

The Legislative standard: No finger print requirement for ride share, if ride share comapnies could shoe regulators that their background checks were just as effective.

The regulators respond with: Increased safety measures and reporting requirements for ride share companies, such as:

  • Annual background checks on all drivers

  • Auditing and accrediting by an arm of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners

  • Alerting regulators to any changes to their…

New Interim Director. Port of Galveston. 3 Keys Pieces Intel.

  • Effective 1/1/17 Deputy Port Director Peter Simons will be the interim port director
  • Simons will:
    • Re-organize port staff to effectively execute Board goals
    • Broaden Galveston’s cruise business
    • Broaden Galveston’s vehcile distribution center
  • The Port’s Board goals are to:
    • Grow & diversify  the cargo base
    • Use soil to fill in an unused ship slip to store cargo
    • Planning at strategic and tactical level

Houston Chronicle | Port of Galveston appoints interim director

Business Trend: Ride Share + Land Use for Business Expansion. Win for ride share. Win for Business.

Where: Nashville, TN

The Business Rethinking Land Use, Parking Requirements & Transportation: Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group

What did Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group Leverage to be granted a variance from parking space requirements for its building epxansion?  The unanimous variance was granted for TriStar to partner with ride share to “pay monthly rates for the commutes for 23 employees, equal to the number of parking spaces” lost to the building expansion

Nashville…