Category Archives: transportation safety

New Report. Ride Share Increases Fatal Accidents. The Numbers.

The researchers:

  • John Barrios of the University of Chicago
  • Yael Hochberg and Livia Hanyi Yi of Rice University

The numbers:

  • When ride share beings operating in a city, fatal accidents increase by 2-3%

The method:

  • official statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  • overlaid with the dates Uber or Lyft began operating in a city
  •  compared to accident rates in those cities per vehicle miles traveled 

Business Insider | The meteoric rise of Uber and Lyft may have…

Campaign TREND. Texas Talk. Dedicating Severance Tax to the Permian Basin. 4 Key Points to the plan.

State Representative Landgraf proposes a change to transportation funding to help rural west Texas that includes:

  • Let oil producing areas retain a small percentage of severance taxes
    • The Rainy Day Fund has $11 Billion balance
    • $7-$8 billion is the standard for emergencies
  • Dedicate the severance tax revenue “to the region where it’s generated”
  • The dedicated revenue would pay for: 
    • adequate infrastructure
    • first responders
  • “save lives and allow commerce to travel more freely”

 

Odessa…

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

 

Lege TREND. Legislators Opposing Rural DPS Office Closures. 5 Reasons Why.

Reasons the rural Texas legislators oppose the Texas Susnet Commission’s recommednation to close 87 rural DPS offices:

  •  places an unfair burden on rural communities
  • many counties have only 1 office, and that office would no longer exist
  • long-standing tendency to shift resources away from rural areas
  • No demonstrated success is shifting funding away from rural areas
  • “The approach the Sunset staff has taken is penny wise and pound foolish. Reducing the services, security, and emergency…

Local TREND. Dockless Bike Ordinance Proposal Greater DFW

Local government: Rowlett

Proposed dockless bike ordinance:

  • pilot policy program
  •  evaluate the magnitude of bike share systems before enacting strict enforcement
    • why? strict enforcement uses a lot of city man hours
  • foster a cooperative relationship with dockless bike vendors
  • partner with deveopment areas to build relationships with the dockless bike companies
  • 6-9 months of data, as it is predicted that dockless bike use will peak in fall winter and spring

Rowlett Lakeshore Times…

3 POINTS WORLDS LARGEST AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TESTING TRACK. How is it funded?

Where is the world’s largest autonomous vehicle testing track? Ohio’s Transportation Research Center is building it in Central Ohio

What will the facility and track include?

  • 540-acre and $45 million SMART Center
  • 4,500-acre campus total area
  • 1.2-mile-long, six-lane-wide connected roadway, a network of movable intersections, roundabouts and oblique intersection scenarios

Funding by:

  •  State of Ohio
  • The Ohio State University
  • JobsOhio, a private nonprofit economic-development group

State…

2 Policy Reasons for Passing Data Security Bills for Smart Vehicles

Bills that criminalize hacking smart vehicles would:

  • protect health and safety if the hack was to harm people
  • protect economic well being if the hack was intended to obtain credit card information stored in the car’s systems, financial data or hold the vehicle for ransom

Freight Waves | Cybercrime regulations over ‘smart’ connected vehicles and its impact on civil liability 

 

3 Things that Happened when a State Barred Local Traffic Cameras

State: Ohio Legislature banned local governmental entities form using speed and other traffic enforcement cameras

The legislation: HB 64 (2015 | OH). & HB 410 (2018 | OH)

The aftermath of HB 64 (2015 | OH) & HB 410 (2018 | OH):

  • lawsuits. 
    • A lower court issued a permanent injunction
    • The State Supreme Court said, the injunction interfered with the Legislatures ability to pass laws
  • state penalized cities that garnered revenue from the traffic enforcement cameras
    • Toledo budgeted…