Lege TREND. Anatomy of statewide scooter regulation bill.

Tennessee is considering statewide regulation of scooters that would:

  • treat scooters like bikes
  • reduce confusion about the rules of riding e-scooters
  • promote sustainable forms of transportation
  • No scooter can be used by more people that it was designed for.
  • Scooters should be ridden as close as practical to the right-hand curb or edge of the road, unless passing another vehicle traveling in the same direction, making a left-hand turn or when needing to avoid an object, vehicle or pedestrian.
  • Scooters should not travel faster than 15 mph.
  • A person shouldn’t carry an item while riding a scooter if it prevents them from keeping at least one hand on the handlebars.
  • Riders should be old enough to operate a vehicle.

SB 1107 (2019 | TN ) 

Tennesean | Bill would set electric scooter rules in Tennessee, hampering cities looking to set own regulations

+1 High Speed Rail Project in Texas. Existing Infrastructure. New Kid on the Block.

Virgin Trains USA looks to conenct Dallas, San Antonio  & Austin by high speed rail.

An SEC filing also lists a Dallas Houston high spped rail route.

From the SEC filing: “by using existing infrastructure, we believe we can plan, permit and build new rail service significantly faster and cheaper than alternative express passenger rail projects in these areas.”

KVUE | Virgin Trains USA targets Austin for high-speed rail 

Regulatory TREND. Autonomous Vehicle Task Force. 4 Goals in Texas.

Goal of Texas Department of Transportation Autonomous Vehicle Task Force:

  • one-stop resource for information & coordination
  • oversee all ongoing CAV projects, investments and initiatives in Texas
  • document public & private entity efforts
  • facilitate partnerships

Task Force Membership details being worked out.

Refreshing our recollection: the Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership is a collaboration among:

  • the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)
  • The University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Transportation Research (CTR)
  • Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
  • TxDOT
  • 32 municipal and regional partners

 

TXDOT | Texas To Form Connected And Automated Vehicle Task Force

Insurance Journal | Texas DOT Creating Connected, Autonomous Vehicle Task Force

 

Lege TREND. Car Sharing = Sharing Taxes, Fees. Adieu Rental Cars.

Competing Bills in Arizona want to address how to regulate car sharing apps that treat vehicles like AirbNB treats real property.

  • For car rental companies it is SB 1305 (AZ | 2019) which will:
    • treat peer to peer car sharing just like can rentals
  • For the peer to peer companies,a bill that mirrors ride share v. taxi statewide regulation HB 2559 (AZ | 2019)

Elements of both bills:

  • safety of the cars
  • notificaiton of any recalls on cars
  • insurance requirements

Arizona Capitol Times | Competing bills address new era in car rentals

State Funded EV programs. 3 Agencies. $2.46 Billion.

Multiple state agencies in California have committed, in total, $2.46 billion* in public funds to EV programs including:

  • California Utility Commission
    •  $1.048 billion
    • Focus on constructing charging stations
    • Funding from ratepayer fees collected by the three investor-owned utilities CPUC oversees
    •  2015’s Senate Bill 350
  • California air resources board
    • $1.087 billion
    • More than half goes to the EV rebate program
    •  $423 million to zero-emission trucks, buses and other vehicles
  • California Energy Commission
    • Funded by the Department of Motor Vehicles registration fees,
    •  $230 million through January 2024 to build refueling stations for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
    •  $95 millionin 2019 on charging stations and other EV programs

* Excludes $800 M  from VW settlement

Transport Topics | California Commits Billions to Advance EV Programs

New Report. 4 Recommendations for High Speed Rial in the Golden State.

The State Auditor made the following recommendations about high speed rail project:

  • establish formal prerequisites for beginning construction
  • Prioritize contract management
  • more clearly differentiate between the construction and operation phases of the high-speed rail system
  • review of its compliance with its existing quality controls related to ensuring the validity and completeness of contractor-reported data.

State Auditor of California | Caliofrnia High Speed Rail Auhtority