Bill Filing: Adios High Speed Rail. No taking Private Lands for Private Enterprise.

An earnest supporter of property rights, Representative Will Metcalf filed HB 1889 that requires municipal or county approval before construction of the railway. Representative Metcalf is strongly opposed to taking private lands for private enterprise. 

Metcalf’s opposition to high speed rail is noted at NoTexasHighSpeedRail & Texas Turf.

Poll: 2/3 of Texans Support Increased Transportation Funding

The results of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Transportation Policy Research Center transportation poll:

  • Nearly 2/3 support increased funding for transportation statewide.
  • A majority also support increased funding for public transportation.
  • “Of the options offered, respondents favored dedicating the motor vehicle sales tax to transportation needs; they least supported raising the vehicle registration fee from $65 to $115.”
  • From a list of 15 different ways to improve transportation in the state, better traffic signal timing and clearing accidents more quickly were the most popular ideas.
    • Building more toll roads was the least-supported option.

Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Legal Trend: Declaring Property part of a Transportation Corridor is Effectively Eminent Domain

North Carolina Department of Transportation has the authority to determine what land is in a transportation corridor. Sounds innocuous. But, by classifying land as in a transportation corridor, it can also trigger land use restrictions. The land use restrictions tend to make the land cheaper for the state to buy later. Good for the state to keep transportation project costs down, not good for landowners who think their land is more valuable. 

As we’ve seen in Texas, restricting how land can be used is controversial. People sue. People change the law. Think of the landowners who sue when fracking bans are placed on their land,  because they are unable to make the highest and fullest use of their land. Land is valuable to the people who own it and they want to make decisions about their land.

NC Courts looked at lands designated as within transportation corridor plus the land use restrictions, and said that’s effectively the state using eminent domain. This means compensation for eminent domain dates to designating the property within a transportation corridor, not when eminent domain discussions begin. It matters to the value of the property to landowners and how much a governmental entity will have to pay to acquire it. 

NewsObserver

4 Transportation Reform Ideas via Empower Texas

Empower Texas has a litany of transportation reform ideas:

  • Before more funds, restrict the impact of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) to undermine sound policy
    • The problems with MPOs:
      • MPOs are federally mandated
      • Federal government is allowed to indirectly control transportation
      • They are composed of “bureaucrats from transit agencies, toll authorities and TxDOT”
      • MPOs “can hold TxDOT funds hostage”
  • Restrict TXDOT projects that include partnerships with MPOs
  • Statutorily remove the authority the state grants to MPOs and COGs
  • Stop COGs and MPOs from expanding their reach to include economic development

Empower Texas

Texas Transportation Reinvestment Zones Working? Texas A&M Transportation Institute on the Case

Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is examining transportation reinvestment zones. TTI  Senior Research Scientist Rafael Aldrete is leading the project & is asking for information from counties and cities. The goals of the study:

  • identify the advantages
  • identify disadvantages and
  • identify lessons learned by local governments and other agencies that have considered or may be utilizing TRZ financing.

TTI 

TX Central High Speed Rail Path Coalesces. Japan Financing the $10 Billion.

New information emerges about the path of Texas first high speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. The route will:

  • Follow utility corridors
  • “Alignment through commercial areas around U.S. 290 and Loop 610 in Houston”
  • Elevated tracks along I-10 to access downtown Houston.

The goals:

  • follow existing utilities and railroad tracks 
  • minimize impact on residential areas

Administrative Process and Timeline:

  • Late 2015 a draft environmental analysis will be made public
  • Federal Railroad Administration will have to approve the line
  • Funding will be private through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation

Houston Chronicle

Lege Trend: Vehicle User Fees from California to Texas

SB 579 (Watson) & HB 1432 (Howard) would permit a $10 Travis County registration fee to fund Travis County transportation funding, or permit a $20 fee with voter approval.

The added transportation funds would go to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, would be utilized for transportation bond packages, which may include tollroads.    

Other counties have been granted the similar registration fee surcharges, including Cameron, Hidalgo, Webb, El Paso and Bexar.   Statesman 

Refreshing Recollection: Vehicle User fees are proposed as a state wide solution in California, in combination with local sales tax increases dedicated for transportation.  Information Intelligence