Category Archives: legislative trend

Lege Trend: Sales Tax for Road Funding. County Based Funding with Pros & Cons.

Utah voters will be asked to approve whether counties can add a 0.25 percent general sales tax, excluding food, to be used exclusively for transportation at the county level. 

Opponents Say:

  • Burdens  taxpayers
  • Taxpayers will soon pay more in fuel tax & property taxes
  • Utah should instead advocate for a Oregon-style vehicle-miles-traveled system. 
     

Supporters Say:

  • Necessary to help address population growth, deteriorating roads, and insufficient funds
  • A fuel tax increase alone…

The Other High Speed Rail. $468 Billion Price Tag. 3 Things to Know from California.

What’s the high speed rail in Claifornia? A state backed project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

California has been looking for building partners and the responses questioned the state financing. The issues raised:

  • whether fare revenues would cover operating costs
  • can this be done without public subsidies, which the project is prohibited by law from using?
  • can  the first 300-mile segment between the San Fernando and Central valleys turn a profit like the project claims?…

NY Governor Says State Should Regulate Ride Share. Not Local Governments. 3 Reasons Why.

  • NYC. NYC can’t organize anything right
  • Sharing Economy isn’t Ripe for Local Regulations. Statewide regulation is important because drivers drive between cities
  • Power Struggle between the state & NYC. The big issue will be wehther the state will supercede all local regulation

Governing | States, Not Cities, Should Regulate Uber, Says New York Governor 

Politico New York | Cuomo hints at a new de Blasio fight, this time over Uber

Lege Trend: New Transportation Method Legalized. Marty McFly Relieved.

California Legislature legalized motorized skateboards. The legislation would:

  • require motorized skateboards, or other similar contraptions, to follow bike lane rules
  • allows for local control, enabling localities to ban their use

Economic Reason behind the legislation– tech start ups working on electric skateboards.

WallStreet Journal | Electric Skateboards Legalized in California, Reversing Ban

California’s Assembly Bill 604

7 Results of Texas Variable Speed Pilot Study. 3+ Procurement Opportunities Abound.

What group studied variable speeds on Texas roads? Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Why? HB 2204 from 2013 legislation required it.

What roadways did TTI study? 

  •   Urban Congestion Site: Westbound (WB) State Loop (SL) 1604 between US 281 and IH-10, San Antonio

  •   Construction Work Zone Site: IH-35 northbound (NB), MM 297 – MM 301, Temple

  •   Weather-Related Site: Eastbound (EB) and WB IH-20 at Ranger Hill, Eastland County

What was the result? Yes,…

Lege Trend: NO HOV Lanes to ease congestion

No HOV lanes to help ease congestion? How is this possible?

California Legislature passed AB 210 that would prohibit HOV times at non-rush hour times. For those who don’t like double negatives, that means HOV lanes are only permissible during rush hour.

What statutory language did California use?

a high-occupancy vehicle lane shall not
be established....
 unless
the lane is established as a high-occupancy vehicle lane only during
the hours of heavy commuter traffic, as determined by...

The Home of the Ducks has a new State Transportation Panel for Long Term Funding with 4 Focus Areas

Oregon Governor Kate Brown reinstituted a transporation advisory panel to focus on long term transportation planning.

Advisory Committee Focus Will:

  1. Determine how much OR would have to spend to prepare its transportation to be “resilient” during a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake
  2. Recommend ways to promote alternative transportation to address traffic congestion
  3. Recommend spending levels and options to raise money for current and future transportation needs
  4. Recommend how OR can…

Lege Trend: Transportation Funding Options in Graceland

Tennessee needs transportation funding. It’s also 1 of 5 states that holds no debt for roads. 

Transportation options on the table in Tennessee:

  • increase the gas tax (TN gas tax is the 13th lowest)
  • tolls
  • developing a mileage-based tax system
  • debt financing through general obligation bonds and public-private partnerships.

The Daily Herald: Senator pushes for transport tax reform

Trend: 2 Texas Senators Continue Opposition to Toll Roads

Which road project? LBJ Freeway expansion

Which Senators? Both Senator Van Taylor and Senator Bob Hall reiterated their opposition to the use of toll roads. 

What do local transportation officials say? The transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments also wants pay-as-you go and not tolls to expand LBJ. But, the Council needs $1.4 Billion for the project.

Senator Bob Hall’s comment: if two-thirds of the project can be built without tolls, why not the…