Transportation Funding Trend. Set Asides for Smart Vehicles in the West

State: Nevada

The Transportation Funding Set Aside Proposal: 5% of transportation funding for smart vehicles

How will the 5% be divided within the state? 80% to large and midsize cities & 20% to  Rural areas and regional partnerships

Proponents: Bipartisan: Democratic State Senator Catherine Cortez Masto 7 Republican Governor Sandoval

Las Vegas Review Journal | Nevada senator calls for tax money for ‘smart’ vehicle projects

New Kid on the Texas Block. Transportation Group to Ease Traffic Jams & Fight Tea Party. 3 Bits Informed Intel

The new group: Texans for Traffic Relief

Who is in the new group: Business groups, local elected officials & highway industry interests

3 key points to know about :

  • The group is focused on the 4  largest metro areas
  • The group formed in response to frustration from anti-toll activists
  • Transportation funding is inadequate and Texas needs “Common-sense solutions that add to available road money and embrace innovation are crucial to easing congestion”

Texas State Senator Hall response to Texans for Traffic Relief:  the new group “will be representing the money boys.”

Dallas Morning News |New Texas transportation group vows to fight tea party on how to ease traffic jams

+1 Local Government Creating its Own Ride Share Service. Create Your Procurement Opportunity.

The local governmental entity: Central Contra Costa Transit Authority

The local ride share proposal: To save costs of running a standard 40 foot bus in difficult to navigate residential areas, the Transit Authority is implementing a “on-demand option for commuters heading to BART”

How will the new local government ride share work in the East Bay? 6 month pilot program with TransLoc, a transportation company

San Jose Mercury News | East Bay bus agency to launch Uber-like ‘on-demand’ service

New TX Report. EV. CNG. Hybrid. Vehicles. The Numbers. Which class won?

What does the Texas alternative fuel vehicle landscape look like?

  • 233,985 increase in alternative fuel vehicle registrations from 2016 to 2017
  • 10.15% increase in registrations from 2016 to 2017
  • 0.48% in all Texas vehicle registrations from 2016-2017 
  • Altnerative vehicles represent 1% of all regisgtered vehicles in Texas

How did the alternative vehicles break down in this year over year increase?

  • EV had the largest increase of registrations at 39.62%
  • Flex fuel vehicles increased by 4.15%
  • Hybrids increased by 9.03%
  • CNG increased by 0.31%

 

 

 

TXDMV | 2017 Alternatively Fueled Vehicle Report

Lege Trend. HSR Bill. Read the Bill. 4 Points from the Bill. 2 Responses from HSR.

Florida Legislature is moving a high speed rail bill that will:

  • require HSR rail companies operating trains at speeds in excess of 80 mph to install safety features

  • require HSR to pay the cost of maintaining rail crossings

  • require HSR to pay for fencing along sections of its tracks where pedestrians could be at risk

  • require HSR to help train first responders in the event of an accident involving passenger trains or hazardous materials

2 Repsonses from HSR:

  • The bill has little do to with safety
  • The bill is centered on derailing the private rail project

Florida HB 572 (2017)

Mass Transit FL | HSR Bill Opposed by Brightline Clears First Hurdle

TX Attorney General Opinion Request. Toll Roads+ Constitutional Propositions + Comingling Funds

Texas Attorney General Opinion request RQ-0192-KP asks whether Propositions 1 and 2, that prohibited the use of dedicated funds for toll projects, can provide funding for toll road projects.

Update:

Texas Tribune | TxDOT eyeing accounting trick to get around toll road prohibition

TXDOT’s point of view:

  • fund the tolled lanes with federal loans backed by toll revenues
  • fund added non-tolled main lanes with tax dollars
  • win-win: TxDOT has more building capacity with limited funds.

Local Trend. Ride Share to Supplement Public Transit. The city. The partnership. The goal.

City: West Sacramento

The company West Sacremento is partnering with: Via

How ride share will fit into the city’s public transit system: 

  • rider will be able to use an app to set pickup and dropoff locations
  • van will pick up several riders and make multiple stops
  • rider may be asked to walk a block or two

The city’s policy goals:

  • cut down on the time it takes riders to get from one place to another
  • limit the amount of effort necessary to navigate the public transit system

Government Technology | California City Tests Ride-Share-Style Public Transit Pilot 

Business Trend. Fighting Traffic Tickets from your Smart Phone. From the U.K. to the Sunshine State. Regulatory Quagmire Ensues.

A U.K. business has allowed drivers to fight parking tickets from their smart phones, and now that business trend is stateside in Florida. 

Here’s the regulatory quagmire:

  • The Florida State Bar is none to pleased of mobile phones practising law

The fight moved to federal court when The Ticket Clinic sued the Coral Gables tech start up.

The company, TIKD, is expanding nationally.

Miami Herald | Florida drivers can now fight traffic tickets from their phones. But that may not last.