Category Archives: roads

TX Attorney General Opinion. County Roads v. Public Roads.

KP-0240 is about whether a pulic road with a gate on on it, can the county open the gate, effectively treating the road as a county road. 

What did the Attorney General Opinion say about what the county can or cannot do with the gate on the public road? Until the road is a county road, or the county is party ot a court order, the county cnanot open the gate

What do I need to know about public roads and county roads from a regulatory/legislative approach?

  • Texas statutes use “county road” and…

Lege TREND. Anatomy of a Gas Tax + Its Alternative in a Red State with Trucking Association Support

Ohio Governor proposes raising the gas tax by 18 cents from the current 28 cents.

Supporters of the gas tax increase:

  • Ohio Trucking Association

The alternative: pay as you drive.

Opponents to Pay as You Drive say:

  • Pay as your Drive has high administrative costs
  • isn’t well vetted
  • hard to implement

Government Technology | Ohio Looks to Oregon’s Mileage Tax Plan to Fund Transportation

Lege TREND. Legalizing Consumption of Roadkill

State: California

The legislation: SB 395 (CA | 2019)

Specific animals: deer, elk, antelope and wild pigs

How does it work?

  • Permits a person to retroactively, at no cost, apply for any necessary hunting license
  • It also applies to seriosuly injured animals may be killed “in a safe, legal, and humane manner”

Supporters say:

  • “translates into hundreds of thousands of pounds of healthy meat that could be utilized to feed those in need”

Sacramento Bee | You kill it, you grill it? New California…

Lege TREND. State legislation to remove speed limits on highways.

The State: California

The bill: SB 319 (CA | 2019)  by  Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa

Parameters of the bill:

  • Limited to 2 lanes each to the north- and south-bound lanes of I-5 & Highway 99
  • there will be a lower speed limit
     

Supporters say:

  •  “traffic congestion increases the emissions of greenhouse gases as it causes automobiles to idle longer while on roadways.“
  • A 2008 Purdue University report found that “raising the speed limit on an interstate highway in Indiana had not increased the…

Regulatory TREND. 3 Recommendations. Regulatory Report. Utility Investment in EV Charging.

Who is making recommendations? Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection

What are the 3 recommendations for utilties to invest in EV?

  • transportation electrification
  • establishing statewide sales goals
  • expanding an alternative fuel investment grants program for municipalities, businesses and organizations

3 Ways the EV investment can benefit utilities:

  • invest in EV infrastructure to benefit drivers and the grid
  • support fleet EV purchases for government
  • Innovative financing…

Lege TREND. No Eminent Domain for Homes in Transportation Projects. The bill:

HB 663 (MD | 2019) prevents the use of eminent domain for:

  • state transportation projects
  • if the property is taken is residential
  • and if the project is in a public-private partnership

How did this get triggered in Maryland? The Governor’s proposed plan would include toll lanes, and this  bill was filed in response.

 

Bethesda Magazine | Governor’s Highway Widening Plan Gets Another Potential Roadblock

Lege TREND. Port Recommendations. Texas Interim Reports. 2019 Legislature. Speed Read.

House Committee on Transportation makes the following recommendations on ports:

  • Funding Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund should be funded
  • Underground Facility Notification. Railroad Commission, the General Land Office and the Port Authority Advisory Committee should work with stakeholders and the appropriate federal agencies to make a recommendation to the legislature regarding the inclusion of underwater infrastructure in the Texas Underground Facility Notification
  • Funding for roads…

A State & Local Transportation Policy that bolster Ride Share Profit.

  • congestion pricing- user fee to roads in high-traffic urban centers
    • “surcharges on single-occupancy driving could encourage the use of less-expensive carpool offerings”

 

Cities that implement it: Stockholm, London Singapore

Cities considering it: New York City

City lab | The Policy That Will Make the Uber/Lyft IPO Pay Off