Category Archives: 2019 issue

New Study. Ride Share Less Likely to Take Advantage of Passengers.4 Points from the Academics in Boston.

MIT Researchers found that ride share drivers:

  • taxi drivers are more likely than Uber drivers to take advantage of a situation that offers opportunities to earn a higher fare
    • 7.4% deviation on average for airport pickups
  • when a taxi driver switched over to driving Uber, their behavior also changed to match the effect
  • Taxi drivers also tend to speed more than Uber drivers
  • Uber drivers do tend to be susceptible to detouring or driving more slowly to extend a metered airport trip when surge…

+1 Local Gov. Capping Ride Share. What you Need to Know. How. What. Where.

Where:  Miami Beach

What: Miami Beach Commissioners want to cap the number of ride shares, like NYC did

How? By asking state legislators to allow exceptions to statewide ride sahre regulations to allow for a cap or to allow for a cap and a wage requirement. The latter being the NYC approach.

What’s the argument supporting the exceptions? ride share is skirting the rules

“For a certain price, these companies circumvent home rule and buy themselves legislators who create the laws in…

Local TREND. 3 Arguments Against Red Light Cameras. Texas Governor Abbott. 2 Legislative Solutions.

Safeguarding, Securing, Serving, a report by Texas Governor Abbott calls red light cameras:

  •  expensive
  • increase accidents
  •  pose constitutional issues
The 2 legislative solutions proposed:
  • ban red light cameras in state law
  • preempt local governments from using autmated traffic enforcement

Ft. Worth Star Telegram | Gov. Greg Abbott says it’s time to turn off red light cameras in Texas

 

Regulatory TREND. Anatomy of an EV Coalition Touting EVs=Jobs

State: Maryland

The EV Coalition: 

  • PC44 Electric Vehicle Work Group Leader Baltimore Gas and Electric Company
  • Delmarva Power & Light Company
  • Potomac Electric Power Company
  • The Potomac Edison Company
  • ChargePoint
  • Greenlots
  • Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Sierra Club 
  • Chesapeake Climate Action Network
  • Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
  • Marylanders for Energy Democracy and Affordability
  • Pace Energy and Climate Center
  • Solar United Neighbors of Maryland

Supporters of the…

Local TREND. Exception to EV Charging Station Building Code Proposal

City: Menlo Park

The Ordinance goal is to standardize:

  • the type
  • quality
  • quantity
  • of all electric vehicle charging infrastructure
  • installed in future commercial and residential projects

The up in the air exception to the rules:

Whether the EV charger building requirements apply to Affordable Housing Projects.

The Almanac | Menlo Park council plugs into ordinance to boost EV charging stations

Local TREND. Anatomy of a Local EV Charging Station Building requirements.

City: Menlo Park

The Ordinance goal is to standardize:

  • the type
  • quality
  • quantity
  • of all electric vehicle charging infrastructure
  • installed in future commercial and residential projects

What are the practical implications:

  • 15% of the total number of required parking spaces would need to be “pre-wired” EV spaces in commercial buildings
  • 10%  of the total number of parking spaces would have to install charging stations in commercial buildings
  • projects affecting between 10,000 and 25,000…

Regulatory TREND. Fall 2018 Opposition Arguments to Texas High Speed Rail.

Ellis County residents offered the following reasons to oppose Texas Central Rail high speed rail project:

  • local property taxes will rise because “nearby properties will be taken out of the tax base”
  • eminent domain a railroad could take a 2 mile on each side swatch of land
  • destruction of family farms
  • uncertainty  too many unknowns for the comfort level of residents
  • environmental concerns the train will cut species migration

Waxahachie Daily Light | Ellis County Residents Express new…

5 Points from the Toll Payer Protection Act Proposal

What group is the brainchild of the Toll Payer Protection Act? Texans for Traffic Relief

What does the proposed Act do?

  • Required voter approval for all toll roads
  • transparent, accurate, and no exorbitant administration fees in toll billing
  • when the toll project costs are paid, tolls are removed
  • no tolling on existing lanes. never ever ever.
  • no Prop. 1 or 7 funds for tolling

 

PRESS RELEASE: TEXANS FOR TRAFFIC RELIEF ANNOUNCES NEW PLAN FOR TOLLING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TAXPAYER PROTECTION