InfoHive – Transportation

What is happening? Virginia is addressing the privacy concerns related to pay as you drive tax programs by:

• prohibiting the sale of data collected under that state’s pilot fee-per-mile program
• prohibiting access to the data through a public records request
• Prohibiting the data to be used for any purpose other than to collect unpaid fees
• making the program opt-in for Virginians

Why does this matter? A vocal criticism of pay as you drive tax systems is privacy- can information related to your driving be released publicly, who holds the information, and for how long.

Route Fifty | As Electric Vehicles Shrink Gas Tax Revenue, More States May Tax Mileage

What is happening? In 2022, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington all considered programs, or pilot programs, to establish a pay as you drive tax system for vehicles. The technicalities may differ (self reporting, annual odometer readings, or device attached to vehicle) but all programs were voluntary.

Why does this matter? Let’s look at Utah’s miles driven tax program. In 2023, it starts at 1cent per mile. IN 2024 it will get adjusted for inflation. Then the tax will rise as follows:

• 1.25 cents a mile in 2026
• 1.5 cents in 2032

Route Fifty | As Electric Vehicles Shrink Gas Tax Revenue, More States May Tax Mileage

What is happening? The City of Hoboken, NJ has the goal of placing a EV charger within. 5 minute walk of every household. Like San Antonio, TX, Hoboken is patterning with a private company to make this goal happen. Hoboken’s partner is Volta that uses video advertising to support the EV infrastructure. Volta will handle the installation and operation of the new sites, and it will pay the city to do so.

Why does this matter? In a city where street parking can outnumber residential driveways and the number of EVs is set to triple by 2025, building out an EV charger network is crucial.

Route Fifty | How Cities are Deciding Where Electric Vehicle Chargers Should Go

What is happening? NYC has cleared $200 million in taxi medallion debt for 3,000 medallion holders. The taxi industry was hit hard by COVID. . 7,156 of the city’s 13,500 yellow taxis were on the streets in July. That’s down from 13, 320 in 2012.

Why does this matter? The restructuring of this taxi medallion debt provides a frame work for the raining 1000 medallion holders taxi debt.

Governing | New York City Wipes Out $200M Debt for Taxi Owners

What is happening? Some say that a switch to EVs will make gas stations extinct. Gas Stations by nature are in busy locations, low cost, high volume. Where as EV charging requires time. Since the 1980s the number of gas stations has been in decline.

Why does this matter? the California Fuels & Convenience Alliance say it takes a pivot. Gas Station owners don’t understand how to charge for EV and are also expanding their offerings to include car washes & higher quality foods.

Governing | As EVs Gain Popularity, What Will Happen to Gas Stations?

What is happening? Washington D.C. is considering banning right turns on red. This warms my heart. Turning right on red is nerve wracking- is there a pedestrian coming? Is there a scooter on the sidewalk that’s going to barrel through the intersection? It is impossible to see around the construction zone at 10th and Guadalupe, how many people will honk at me because I haven’t turned right on red.

Why does this matter? Turning right on red is dangerous. New York City banned rights on red in 1937. D.C. would become the 2nd major city to do it. Studies show not turning right on red reduces vehicle-pedestrian accidents by 92%. Opponents say it will delay city buses, increase fuel consumption and result in more air pollution.

Route Fifty | A Major City Moves to Ban Right Turns on Red

What is happening? Kids are riding their bike to school in mass on a specific day each week supported by watchful parents, community members. A teacher rides with the kids blasting upbeat music.

Why does this matter? The idea is a brain child of a physical education teacher in Oregon who wanted to encourage kids to ride their bikes to school once a week. As an added bonus, the bike buses reduce the stress of parent drop offs and pick ups at school.

Route Fifty | How a School’s ‘Bike Bus’ Won Over Students and Charmed the Internet

What is happening? The Asphalt Art Initiative provides grants to create art to modify dangerous streets.

Why is this important? At one asphalt art initiative site, pedestrian/car dangerous situations decreased by 30 % and the percentage of people who felt unsafe crossing fell from 85% to 6%

How will this be important? Cars are slowing down, cars are yielding to pedestrians- let’s go find more artists to paint.

GoodGoodGood | Artists Are Painting Streets To Make Them Safer… And It’s Working

What is happening? Mexico City has been working to improve traffic. To that end, it has been rethinking how it uses right of ways to “remove space for cars, incentivized other transport modes and enabled more productive land use. “

Why is this important? Right of ways are used for transit platforms and pay stations; park-lets, small parks that can host restaurant seating among other things; hosting car free events; and abolished minimum parking requirements.

How will this be important? To translate to the U.S. stakeholders including the car lobby must be included.

Governing | Fighting Road Congestion, Mexico City Rethinks Its Rights of Way

What is happening? A new report from Urban Institute warns that policies surrounding self driving cars shouldn’t leave out historically disadvantaged communities.

Why is this important? The report discusses the benefits of self driving cars like, reducing emissions, improved traffic safety, increase transportation options for older people or people with disabilities,

How will this be important? A laundry list of solutions from the report:

• Offering owners credits if they can prove they powered their vehicles with renewable energy.
• Taxing the “empty” miles AVs drive without passengers, a policy that could be expanded to non-autonomous vehicles, too.
• Adjust fees on ride-hailing trips to encourage shared rides, rather than individual ones.
• Impose guarantees that autonomous vehicles would service all sections of a community.
• Encourage ride-hailing operators with autonomous vehicles to offer ways of summoning them that don’t depend on a smartphone or bank account, through the use of phone calls, kiosks or other methods.
• Add subsidies for rides linked to transit trips.

Route Fifty | As Self-Driving Cars Hit the Streets, New Equity Concerns Emerge