Category Archives: legislative trend

State Legalizes Self Driving Cars in its Budget. 3 Key Points.

State: New York

How did New York manage to legalize self driving cars in a budget:

  • waives the prohibition on driverless cars
  • allows a 1 year testing program of self-driving and self-parking vehicles
  • requires direct supervision of the New York State Police
  • minimum of $5 million in insurance coverage
  • state motor vehicle commissioner to submit a study by June 1, 2018, focusing on:
    • safety
    • traffic control
    • traffic enforcement
    • other impacts of autonomous vehicle testing

The Governor…

Local Government Trend. Self Driving Car Initiative. 3 Pieces of Intel to Know Now.

  • Portland launched an inititiative to bring self driving cars to its fine city
  • The mayor says it will lower traffic fatalities and improve congrestion
  • Local streets must be regulated by local agencies that know the streets best.

Portland Bureau of Transportation | Portland Launches Smart Autonomous Vehicles Initiative (SAVI)

KATU | Portland launches self-driving car initiative, wants pilot program by end of year

Business Trend: Ride Share Co. $5 Per Hour Car Rentals.

Company: Uber

 Business Trend: Sharing economy meets car rentals. Uber will be offering $5/hr car rentals from designated pick up sposts around San Francisco.

How do regulatory and statutory issues factor into $5/hr rentals? $5/ hr covers insurance, gas and unlimited miles

Tech Crunch | Uber and Getaround to offer $5 hourly short-term car rentals for drivers

Sen. Huffines: 5 Reasons High Speed Rail Should have Eminent Domain Power.

  • 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

Dallas Morning News | Why it’s perfectly appropriate to allow a private railroad to use eminent domain

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. 

Wisconsin Public Radio | GOP Lawmakers Ditch Walker’s Transportation Funding Plan, Will Start From Scratch

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

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