Category Archives: tollroad

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. 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. Transportation Interim Charge Recommendations. 2019 Texas Legislature. Speed Read.

House Committee on Transportation recommends:

  • TXDOT cooperation with local governments durin emergencies for evacuation routes, signage, and emergency management information systems
  • comprehensive development agreements for projects which are not included in TxDOT’s Uniform Transportation Program should be OK if local governing bodies approve them
  • If local governmental bodies have approved toll roads they should be able to have toll roads
  • Increase to 6, from 3, the number of design-build…

Lege Trend. HOV lanes and EVs

California’s  AB544 (2018 | CA) gives zero emission & low emission vehicles access to HOV lanes.

What did the bill text look like to define these vehicles?

  • A vehicle that meets the state’s super ultra-low emission vehicle (SULEV) standard for exhaust emissions and the federal inherently low-emission vehicle (ILEV) evaporative emission standard, as defined in Part 88 (commencing with Section 88.101-94) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
  • A vehicle that was produced during the 2004…

Local TREND. Ride Share Wants Tolling?

In Seattle, Uber is supporting tolling for:

  • congestion pricing 

Are they doing this elsewhere? Yes, $10 M committed nationally to support sustainable mobility

Why does ride share support congestion pricing tolls?

  • the company supports “sustainable mobility” issues
  • the company supports measures to reduce congestion

The Hill | Uber to lobby for road tolling in Seattle

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

CAMPAIGN and LEGE TREND. No Tollroads without Voter Approval Per Project. WHO. WHAT. WHERE.

WHO:  Michael Quinn Sullivan

WHAT:  Pushing local activists for primary election question on voter approval for toll roads, adding voter approval for tolls to the State GOP Party Platform, and calling for legislation

WHERE: Texas local GOP party activist, state GOP party, and Texas Legislature

Empower Texas | No Tolls without Voter Approval 

3 Reasons Trucking Association Opposes State Highway Tolls

 Motor Transport Association of Connecticut opposes a toll road study because:

  • studies have already been done
  • funds should go to infrastructure not studies
  • oppose tolls and motor fuel tax increases

 

Background on Toll Study:

  • Created by Executive Order
  • Approved by the state’s Bond Commission
  • Will study how much revenue adding tolls to Connecticut highways
  • Supporters say it would be $1 B in annual revenue

Freight Waves | State trucking association pushes back against need for tolls in…

TX Attorney General Opinion. What you Need to Know about the Constitution & Tollroad Funding. The 2019 legislative fix.

The question the Texas Attorney General Answered: whether the Texas Transportation Commission may use Proposition 1 and Proposition 7 funds on toll projects.

What complicated the question & answer: That roads in Texas are often mixed, partially free and partially tolled. 

Why do roads that have tolled and free lanes make the answer more complicated? There is no guidance in statute and no guidance in case law for whether a “toll road” and “toll project” are the same and thus the constitutional…