Transportation

Car seat laws, like Arizon’a usually require children younger than 8 years old or less than 4 feet 9 inches tall to sit in a proper child safety seat.

So, you get into a ride share with a child that requires a safety seat, but you don’t bring a safety seat- what’s the law?

• clear statutory responsiblity in ride share statutes or ordinances 
• ride share platforms can include car seat options
• requirements that divers cancel/refuse riders when there is no child safety seat

ABC 15 Arizona | No car seat? ‘No problem’

KTVB Idaho | Whether it’s Uber, Lyft or a taxi, child car seats are still required

The CFO: Hertz CFO 

The regulatory challenges of connected cars:

• Who owns the information conencted cars gather?
  • The Manufacturer? The OEM?
  • The tech company?
  • The vehicle owner?
  • the transportation agencies that want to communicate with the conencted cars?
• How long does ownership of the information continue? 
  • The life of the car?
  • Do manufacturers want to be in change of the information for the life of the car?
  • Do tech companies want to be incharge of the information for the life of the car?

Tulsa World | Mobility habits changing, Hertz CFO tells Friends of Finance 

West Virginia is considering SB 255 (2018) that places the following limitations on ride share drivers:

• no soliciting rides 
• no occuppying “cab stands”

The bill also sets up permissible county registration of ride share drivers.

Who will be responsible for pay as you drive taxes in Minnesota for ride sharing? Ride share companies

What is the reason for taxing the companies? More people will not own vehicles as ride share becomes more popular as do EV, and autonomous vehicles

Governing | With Gas Taxes in Peril, More States Study Alternatives

Where: El Dorado County, CA (Sacramento area)

The Partnership: With Lyft & Uber

The partnership benefits:

• The El Dorado County D.A.’s goal was to increase the number of safe rides to reduce the number of intoxicated drivers
• Lyft and Uber offered $10 discount to any new rider with a ride origin or destination in El Dorado, Sacramento, Yolo or Placer counties
• The partnership grew from the DA’s outreach campaign to reduce the number of drunk drivers

Tahoe Daily Tribune | Lyft and Uber partner with El Dorado County DA to offer discounts on rides

Colorado Department of Transportation released the results of a pay as you drive pilot study & here’s the results:

• There will be credit for any payment of the gas tax
• Participants reported that the pay as you drive system is fair
• CDOT remains unsure about the future of the pay as you drive program

The parameters for the pilot:

• 4 months
• Participants from 27 Colorado counties
• Participants reported how much they drove by:
  • using GPS tracker
  • photographing their odometer
  • other technology that tracked distance using travel time and wind speed
  • CDOT then calculated what would be paid if the fee was 1.2 cents per mile

Coloradoan | CDOT weighs new road funding options, including charging by the mile

A Florida appeals court ruled that information collected by the County for ride share companies operating at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is subject to open records.

How did we get here? Taxi companies requested  the ride share data from the county under open records laws. The county said the data isn’t subject to open reocords. The taxi companies sued. The lower court said aggregate number of pickups and the fees paid were not trade secrets.

2 Reasons the appellate court said the information is subject to open records and isn’t a trade secret:

• Nothing indicates the fees or total pickups provide an advantage to Yellow Cab
• Nothing indicates that Uber derives independent economic value from keeping that information secret

Sun Sentinel | Uber must give up some secrets, Florida court rules 

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has requested an Attorney General opinion as to whether a dealer that performs manufacturer warranty repair violates the Occupations Code.

Why? A manufacturer or distributor cannot act like a dealer under Texas law.

Again, why? Texas Automobile Dealer Association filed a complaint with TX DMV claiming Cummins South Plains LLC violated this separation by performing manufacturer warranty repair work on diesel engines

Where is the legislative clean up likely?  Clear up what the agency sees as a conflict between Occupations Code Chapter 2301that  lays out numerous sections where dealers’ “warranty work” rights are protected (primarily in Subchapters A- “General Provisions”, F – “License Requirements”, and I – “Warranties: Reimbursement of Dealer”)  & Subchampter M that says manufacturers are obligated by the same statute to ensure that their warranty is honored.

TX Attorney General Opinion Request 0206-KP

The chairman of the board of Texas Central Partners lists 5 reasons Texans should be excited about high speed rail:

• it’ll set Texas apart
• it’ll be the largest privately funded project in the nation
• It won’t be disruptive, the noise is a “swish” from the electric train
• it won’t have any crossings, because of the speed, the train will be elevated 25-35 feet
• jobs. there will be 10,000 jobs for 5-6 years

KWTX | Temple: McLane says high speed rail is something to get excited about

Where: Minnesota

The reasons that the Minnesota Department of Transportation was stopped from completing a high sped rail study:

• Republicans denied the study federal funds for completion
• Republicans said the study was a waste of taxpayer dollars
• Republicans say Minnesotoans opposes high speed rail
• A Republican said its not an economically viable project

Governing | High-Speed Rail Study Shut Down in the Midwest

State Legislature looking to expand electric vehicle manufacturer sales: New York

What does the 2018 bill look like?

• Limits current manufacturer sales of EV vehicles to 20 locations in New York
  • Requiring geographically diverse locations in upstate New York
• Requires that the manufacturer-seller also have repair services
• Applies only to manufacturers that were licensed to sell in March 2014

What’s current law on electric vehcile manufacturer sales in NY? 5 Tesla sales locations are permitted in New York City

Who is authoring the legislation? The House majority leader

AB 8248 (New York 2018)

City newspaper | Legislation would open Upstate to Tesla stores 

The business trend: Turo, a car sharing platform that describes itself as Airbnb for cars

The policy issues: liability and insurance

The platform offers insurance coverage, how are policy affected: Coverage levels and addressing the platform in statute

Business Insider via Register Citizen  | We tried the ‘Airbnb for cars,’ and it could upend the car-rental industry

As of January 1, 2018, ride share drivers in California cannot drive with a blood alcohol level above 0.04 if there is a passenger in the vehicle.

Desert Sun News | Happy New Year, here are your new California traffic laws

The new Port of Corpus Christi is Sean Strawbridge, who:

• Formerly was  Long Beach Port’s managing director of operations and trade development
• Since 2016 has served as Corpus Christi Port’s COO 
• The former Corpus Christi Port CEO John LawRue will stay on until he retires in June 2019

JOC | Strawbridge to succeed CEO LaRue at Corpus Christi Port

The Bills,  HB535  and SB 1200, would:

• Create the Statewide Alternative Transportation Authority
• Repurpose an existing $60 million in rail funds to fund alternative transportation projects
• The “alternative” projects would include:
  •  “Bus Rapid Transit”
  • Autonomous vehicles
  • Focus on urban areas like Tampa Bay area & Miami
• For local governments to get to the satte alternative transportation dollars, counties and cities would have to match funds

WUSF Public Media | New Legislation Would Create Statewide Alternative Transportation Authority

A recent feasibility study found that high speed rail could work in Washington State. So, what entities were backing the study?

• Microsoft
• Washington Building Trades
• Washington Roundtable
• Association of Washington Business
• Business Council of British Columbia
• Portland Business Alliance

How was the study funded? A $300,000 legislative appropriation and donations from Microsoft and Washington Building Trades

Is the Washington State proposal for high speed rail looking for private investors? Yes, it is a funding option being explored

Lens | Ultra high-speed rail could work, study finds

• Caliornia’s pilot pay as your drive program is called the  California Road Charge Pilot Program
• The state policy support arguments for pay as your drive: fairness as pay as you drive accounts for EVs, hybrid and feul efficient vehicles
• The opposition to taking the pay as your drive statewide: the privacy issues of mileage trackers.
  • will mileage trackers be placed in cars? will they track GPS locations?
  • will mileage trackers be installed at gas pumps and charging stations?
  • will mileage trackers be linked to mobile phones?

CBS San Francisco | California Considers Placing A Mileage Tax On Drivers

Houston Business Journal included the station land deal between Texas Central and the City of Houston on its list of deals of the year for 2017.

Why did it make the list? Because the City of Houston-Texas Central deal was the first of its kind for the high speed rail project.

Houston Business Journal | HBJ’s 2017 Deals of the Year: Economic Development

The Port of Galveston named Rodger Rees, the new director. 

What you need to know about Rodger Rees:

• Before Galveston,  Rees was deputy executive director and chief financial officer at Port Canaveral, Florida
• Top Priorities for Mr. Rees: Increasing revenue & improving bond ratings to finance future projects
• The Port’s Future capital investment plan includes building a third cruise terminal
  • The prot receives 80% of its revenues from cruise ships

Houston Chronicle | Port of Galveston names new director

The 7 states: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming

The MOU: Regional Electric Vehicle Plan for the West 

The 7 Interstate Corridors: 

• Interstates 25, 70 and 76 in Colorado;
•  Interstates 15, 84, 86, and 90 in Idaho;
•  Interstates 15, 90 and 94 in Montana;
•  Interstates 15 and 80 in Nevada;
•  Interstates 10, 25 and 40 in New Mexico;
• Interstates 15, 70, 80 and 84 in Utah; and
•  Interstates 25, 80 and 90 in Wyoming. 

The goal of the states: to ease “range anxiety”

Marketplace | The number of electrical car charging stations is rising, but does that mean wider adoption of electrical cars will follow?

The business: Startup Circulation

Business model: offering non-emergency transportation to medical appointments utilizing existing ride share companies

Regulatory/Legislative: Transportation services for state managed health care plans / insurance regulation

What other ride share/health care partnerships are there:  Lyft partners with CareMore Health Systems

Is there data to support it? Data shows it reduces wait times by 30% and transportation costs by 1/3

BostInno | Circulation Now Works with Both Uber and Lyft to Provide Rides to the Doctor

Legislative Gusto:  Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee & vice-chair of the 21st Century Missouri Transportation System Task Force filed SB 734  to raise the gas tax

Support for the gas tax increase:  

• Likely to come from a recommendation of the 21st Century Missouri Transportation System Task Force, 23-member task force of state officials and private citizens.
• the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association calls it the most equitable funding approach
• Mayors in 27 cities support more trasnportation funding via the fuel pump

What does SB 734 do? Increases the gas tax by 10cents, if voters approve

LandLine Mag | Missouri bill would increase fuel tax 10 cents

The City: San Francisco

The ordinances: Address “cargobots” on city sidewalks and place these 5 limitations:

• Companies can have 3 robots a piece
• 9 total robots for the entire city
• bots will be relegated to low population industrial areas
• constant human monitoring
• Speed limit of 3 miles an hour

States that have passed statewide robot delivery laws: Idaho & Virginia

The legislation:  No constant human monitoring required. Idaho has a weight limit of 80lbs & Virginia has a limit of 50lbs. 

The business behind the legislation in Idaho & Virginia : Starship Technologies, a delivery-robot company based in Estonia that was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, two of the co-founders of Skype

Re-Code | A robot-delivery startup helped write state laws that are locking out competition

Background: The Missouri Department of Revenue granted Tesla the ability to sell directly without using the dealership process. As a result, the Missouri Automobile Association brought a lawsuit in 2015.

The Appellate Court Ruling:

• The Court said the Autodealers did not have standing to bring suit against the Department of Revenue and that the “association’s challenge sounded more like a competitor seeking to avoid competition than an attempt to defend a larger public interest”
• Tesla’s argument stressed that prohibiting direct sales is an “attempt to decrease competition and limit consumer choice”
• Autodealers argument against direct sales is there must be a way by which to challenge the direct sales.

Washington Post | Tesla wins legal battle over Missouri licenses to sell cars

Wisconsin state representative Lisa Subeck has filed LRB-0964 to move ride share driver licensing back to the local level.

The impetus? Ride Share drivers accused of sexual assault 

When did WI pass statewide ride share law? 2015

Wisconsin State Representative Lisa Subeck | Recent Sexual Assault Report Prompts Proposal to Allow Local Licensing of Transportation Network Company Drivers

WKOW | State lawmaker wants cities to license Uber and Lyft drivers

Polling of US and UK consumers by  Thales’ E-Security IoT Survey shows that consumers expect connected cars to:

• necessitate data security policies for consumers for safety
  • 60% say connected cars ” pose security concerns with integrity and malfunctions”
• necessitate malware and ransomeware protections
  • 46% of US and 52% of UK participants have security concerns on viruses or malware
• 40% say data security is the most improtant question when purchasing a connected car

ITS International | US and UK Respondents call for stricter data security regulations for Connected Cars

San Francisco City Council is working to adopt ride share loading zone pilot program in 8 neighborhoods.

3 Policy Reasons for/against ride share loading zones:

• ease congestion
• passenger and traffic safety
• against: whether loading zones will remove existing sgtreet parking

ABC 7 News | San Francisco considers Uber, Lyft pickup zones in some spots 

The State Road using Flex Routes: Michigan’s U.S. 23

What’s a FlexRoute? inside median shoulder can be used by drivers during rush hours

2 Policy reasons regulators support the Flex Route:

•  more economical way to manage peak-hour congestion
• increases safety along the corridor

Equipment World | Mich.’s new Flex Route can cut travel time in half, MDOT says

Taxi Cab companies in Philadelphia are joining forces to:

• have a unified front against ride share companies
• revamped smartphone app
• upgraded technology in cars
• updated fleet interiors
• shared services for drivers
• taxi partitions have been removed, cameras installed & taxis are offering an experience more in line with rideshare

Philadelphia Business Journal | Three local cab companies form strategic partnership to challenge Uber, Lyft. 

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

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

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

Where is this happening? Arizona

The issue: How to get to dead-beat parents who don’t have child support, but have income that is not subject to automatic wage garnishments as an indepdent contractor.

12 News AZ | Parents frustrated by ‘deadbeat’ ride-share drivers not paying child support

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

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

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.

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 

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.

Oklahoma has instituted a new $200 fine for drivers that drive too slow in the left lane.

The new fine comes with an outreach message of ” Camp at the Lake Not in the Left Lane.”

Supports of the left lane fee say that slow drivers in the left lane is as dangerous as speeding.

Equipment World | Left-lane hogs face fines in Okla. under new law

Alabama in 2016 Began collecting a fee of  $1 per $1,000 in project value on nonresidential building permits.

Genesis: The consruction fee was supported and pushed by the Alabama Associated General Contractors.

The funding for construction work skills is distributed by Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Board.

Equipment World | New fee funds construction worker training in Ala.

Tesla, the city of Barrie, in Canada, and a local chamber of commerce are putting together a chargins station deal for all EV owners. 

The details of the EV charging station deal:

• Tesla is offering to install 12 Tesla superchargers + 4 generic universal chargers at no cost to the city
• The local chamber of commerce is offering to foot operational costs of the charging station
• The city wants to be seen as progressive and open for business

Barrie Today | Downtown Barrie BIA offers to help pay for EV stations

Maryland has a two step background check for ride share drivers that does not include fingerprinting. Here’s how it works:

• The ride share comapny runs a background check
•  “paired with rigorous oversight by regulators”
  • no new screening
  • its like a meticulous audit to make certain the ride share company complied

This Maryland model is being considered in other states, because Maryland results include:

• 15% of drivers are booted by the regulators
• 95% of the booted drivers are Uber drivers
• 460 applicants with disqualifying criminal histories
• 900 applicants were flagged by regulators for issues with their driving records

Washington Post | Maryland boots nearly 15 percent of new ride-hail drivers for failing screening

A Utah task force recommended transportation funding solutions that include a tax for alternative fuel cars.

State Representative Schultz (R-Hooper). said “”I think it’s important that those that drive on the roads pay for it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair that alternative-fuel vehicles get away scot-free without paying their fair share.”

Fox 13 Now | Your alternative fuel car is costing Utah money for roads

Proposals to fund mass transit in New York City include:

• Congestion pricing
• Creating a “transit-maintenance district”
•  Adding a $1.50 charge to the core business district’s $60- to $70-per-square-foot rents since high rise buildings benefit the most from mass transit

Crain’s New York | Former MTA executive pitches real estate fee to fund mass transit

The District of Columbia Department of Transportation  (DDOT)is testing a pilot program to handle night life traffic.

The pilot program will include:

• converting parking spaces to late night loading zones for taxis and ride share for pickups
• the department of transportation partnered with the business district, Golden Triangle BID, to solve the late night traffic congestion
• ride share companies share anonymized rider data with DDOT to help refine the location of the pilot

City Lab | D.C. Gives Uber and Lyft a Better Spot in Nightlife

• Oklahoma Legislature passed Motor Fuels Tax Fee (HB 1449) to tax/impose a fee on EV ($100) and hybrid cars ($30)
• The OK Supreme Court declared HB 1449 unconstitutional because:
  • HB 1449 was a revenue bill passed in the last five days of session
  • As such, HB 1449 needed three-fourths of the legislature’s support.

Oklahoma House Bill 1449 (2017 Regular Session)

News On 6 | Another OK Legislature ‘Fee’ Deemed Unconstitutional 

• Tesla is set to unviel its electric self driving truck in Novmeber 2017
• The economics of truck driving has shown the greatest efficiency with a platoon of trucks
  • 7-8 trucks driving in close proximity
  • effectively reduces diesel costs for regular trucks and can reduce battery use
• Long range (900 mile) EV trucks are thought to be cost prohibitive unless robotic battery changing (not charging) stations are available
• Self driving electric trucks will focus on short range trips

MIT Technology Review | An Electric Semi Definitely Won’t Work—But Seven in a Row Might

Where: Prince George’s County

The opposition arguments of the local officials: 

• the high speed rail cuts through neighborhoods 
• the high speed rail runs too close to schools
• vow no taxpayer supported funding for the project
• “eliminate any chance the project can seize land from private citizens” by changing eminent domain laws

WTOP | Prince George’s Co. leaders vow to derail plans for high-speed train

City: Chicago

The proposed ride share tax: 48 cent increase on all trips, making the frride share fee $1 per trip

The reason for the ride share tax: Ride share has cost the area $40 million in revenue

Chicago Tribune | Emanuel may opt to raise 911, Uber taxes, setting aside council ideas 

Voters in Lousianna approved a dedication of funds to transportation from an increased gas tax.

The gas tax has not been increased in 28 years and has not yet been increased.

The dedication of gas tax increase funds to transportation projects was seen as the major hurdle for approval of a gas tax increase.

Governing | Louisiana Voters OK Measure to Tighten Transportation Spending

The opinion requestor: Liberty County Attorney

The issue that the Liberty County Attorney wants the Attorney General to answer: Whether an elected constable and his deputies may simultaneously serve under the sheriff, specifically to perform tasks related to the duties of a weight enforcement officer. 

Why Liberty County Attorney thinks an elected constable can also serve as a weight enforcement officer?  Article XVI, Section 40 oft he Texas Constitution does not prohibit an elected constable from simultaneously serving as a deputy sheriff to be a weight enforcement officer

RQ-0187-KP. 

• ​ Will regulators/legislators allow utilities to rate-base infrastructure costs?
• Will regulators/legislators permit a shift in costs from private installers and owners onto the general rate base?
• Can investments be recovered through performance-based regulations?
• How to incentivize investments by rewarding social benefits without exposing ratepayers to undue risk?
• Will regulators and utilities adopt the free and open-source Open Charge Point Protocol to support interoperable information exchange for transactions and charger operations?

Forbes | Five Ways Utilities Can Gain From Building Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

TXDOT proposes billboards rules that permit billboards to 85 feet high.

A Sunset bill author, TX Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville says:

•  Intent was to only grandfather in existing signs above the 42.5 foot limit. 
• New billboards would have to comply with current 42.5 foot limit according to Sunset 
• Existing signs below 42.5 cannot exceed 42.5 feet

What’s the property right issue at play? Existing billboards that were built under 1986 rules that had no height limitations

The opposition: Scenic Texas

The complication: The 2017 Texas Legislature also attempted to create new billboard regulations to correct for the Texas Supreme Court Ruling in The State of Texas v. Clear Channel Communication.

Houston Chronicle | Activists fear Texas law will allow 85-foot-tall billboards

Scenic Ft. Worth | Ft. Worth Star Telegram | Everything’s bigger in Texas, but 85-foot billboards?

What’s missing from most state and federal self driving car regulations and legislation?  Big Trucks.

Self driving truck economuy is growing and the regulations and legislation are not keeping pace, or so say lawyer sin this field in California, the first state to implement self-driving car regulations.

The Recorder | We Asked California Lawyers for Views on the New Driverless Rules. Here’s What They Said.

These cities regularly get ride share tip information:

• New York City
• Chicago
• Portland, Oregon

2 Methods Cities are Getting Additional TNC data:

• From data produced through secure servers
• Some cities have negotiated various confidentiality agreements

The Recorder | Uber and Lyft Resist Regulators’ Appeal for Data Sharing

New York Governor Cuomo is has called for a study to look at congestion pricing in New York City.

How would congestion pricing work?  Two ways to phrase it:

• Creates a toll system to enter congested portions of a city.
• Creates a user fee for access to a central business district

What would NYC’s congestion pricing fund? mass transit

Do other cities have congestion pricing? Yes, Stockholm Sweden

Could a city in your state impose its own congestion pricing?…

CBS New York | Cuomo Creates Panel To Study NYC Congestion Pricing

The City: Columbus OH

What’s a connected transportation data exchange? The Smart Columbus Operating System is a system to share near-real-time data on traffic 

How does it work? it will collect data from cars that  transmit metrics like time, speed and location with road-side units. The data will be overlayed to create a regional transportation outlook

But, how does the city get the car data? 

• From volunteers who volunteer their vehicles. Columbus is looking for 3000 volunteers
• school buses
• public transit buses
• government fleet vehicles

GCN | Columbus lays groundwork for connected transportation data exchange

The new study: Framework for Assessing the ROI for High-Speed and Intercity Rail Projects by the American Public Transportation Association

3 economic impacts considered beyond travel time & cost efficiency:

• cost-benefit
• economic impact
• social impact analysis 

What does this new analysis include?

• regional connectivity
• global competitiveness effects
• broader consideration of the public’s desire to meet and exceed longer term environmental, economic and mobility goals for future generations 

Why is this new analysis important?

• Current cost benefit analysis can be subjective

• “Public policy recognizes the multi-faceted nature of benefitts – including transformative and distributional effects – that occur at different spatial scales (national, regional and local), affect various subgroups of the population, and occur at different times.”

Mass Transit | New Study Provides Framework for Determining ROI in High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Corridors

Texas State Representatives Minajarez, Pickett, Dale, Oliverson & Goldman

are requesting the following interim charges:

• Study how toll road operators, or authorities calculate toll rates in Texas, and ensure there is transparency in the process.
• Study the Minajarez amendment to S.B. 312 85(R) to see if it applies to all toll roads in the state, or to just the TxDOT operated toll roads and toll lanes.
• Study the possibility of the consolidation of Texas Toll Pay by Mail into a single back office provider usinfg an open source software platform that is controlled by Texas.
• Study if the Reconnect Austin plan to cap IH35 through Austin takes away additional dollars from non-tolled projects in the state.
• Study what precautions toll road operators in Texas have in place to prevent cyber security threats, both internal and external.

The Minajarez, Pickett, Dale, Oliverson & Goldman letter to Speaker Straus dated 10.2.2017

• he wants TXDOT to confirm whether they review the Trasnportation Code 707.003 study
• review all the red light cameras to see if they comply with transportation Code Section 707.003 and 707.004
• give him the details of all cities operating red light cmaeras on state highways
• send cease & desist letters to cities operating red light cameras on state highways
• Consider this ruling, Cause No. DC- 15-00289, 134th District Court in Dallas, that found that a person was not liable for red light camera fines
• decide whether non-compliant cities must refund red light camera fines
• give him existing recourse that TXDOT has for non-compliant cities
• take any and all enforcement actions against non-compliant cities

KXAN | Senator vowing to kill red light cameras wants answers from TxDOT

Missouri seeks hyperloop for long term relationship and connection between Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.  Yes, Missouri want s ahyperloop for a threesome.

What entities are members of Missouri’s hyperloop coalition? The Missouri Hyperloop Coalition consists of the following members: Missouri Department of Transportation, St. Louis Regional Chamber, KC Tech Council, University of Missouri System, and Missouri Innovation Center in Columbia.

Was Missouri chosen as 1 of the 10 hyerloop locations in the world wide search? No.

What game plan does the Missouri hyperloop coalition have? To work for forma. partnerhsip with Hyperloop One, the company behind th ehyperloop push.

Equipment World | Mo. coalition forms to lure high-speed Hyperloop route for I-70

California’s proposed high speed rail line is exceeding its cost estimates by 27%. Here’s why:

• higher  land acquisition costs
• cost of moving utilities underground
• cost of logistics with freight rail companies

How far behind is the project? 7 years

Los Angeles Times | California bullet train costs up $1.7 billion for Central Valley segment

In Mississippi a September 2017 poll conducted by Millsaps College and Mississippi-based Chism Strategies had 72% rejecting a gas tax increase.

Notes:

• The polling question tied the gas tax increase to education
• Othe rpolling questions indicate a gas tax increase tied to road & bridge repair, and touted as a user fee, has stronger support.

Daily Journal | Gas tax might not be unpopular for roads, bridges

By 2040, I-5 between Seattle and Vancouver is expected to be dedicated 100% to self driving cars. It’ll take 3 steps to get there:

• 1st, selfin driving cars will be able to share HOV lanes
• 2nd, dedicating 1 lane entirely to AVs (self dirving or autonomous vehicles)
• 3rd, convert all lanes ot autonomous driving vehicles only 

GeekWire | Major stretch of I-5 will be devoted exclusively to self-driving cars by 2040, new study predicts

The Business: TURO, a car sharing app, whereby you rent out your vehicle by day

How does insurance work? TURO insures you against damage that may be caused by a renter

How has TURO filled a gap after Hurriance Harvey?  If the type of vehicle you need to rent is not avialbale in traditional car rental, TURO can fill that gap.

KPRC | New car rental trend that made one man $25,000

Business Trend: Volvo says by 2019 it will stop making gas combustion engine cars

Regulatory Trend: California’s chief air-pollution regulator says he’s talking to the California Governor about phasing out combustion engines sometime 10 years in the future. 

Can States phase out combustion engines? States can their own air pollution standards, but they need EPA approval

International Trend: 

• China has called for combusion engine ban at some myster date in the future.
• the UK and France set the end of the combustion engine at 2040.

Sacramento Bee | No more gas or diesel cars in California? State considers ban

San Antonio City Council rejected a proposal to remove cap on taxi permits and allow an unlimited number of taxi drivers to operate independently of companies and co-ops.

Houston and Dallas have adopted these proposals to remove taxi permit caps & allow unlimited taxi drivers independent of companies and coops.

The supporting rational for not removing caps?

• The cities that removed the caos and restrictions were said to have had periods of regulatory chaos.
• It dilutes the opportunities for each of the taxi cab operators to make a living wage

Rivard Report | City Council Puts Brakes on Looser Taxi Regulations

Quebec has a requirement that requires taxi drivers and ride share drivers to complete driver safety courses. 

In addition to 35 hours of driver safety training, ride share would also be required to:

• annual car inspections
• background checks done by police officials

Wall Street Journal | Uber Threatens to Leave Quebec Over Driver Rules

San Francisco Police Department says that 2/3 of its traffic citations are issued to ride share drivers. 

How can you speed through the Streets of San Francisco? Tickets include:

• Illegal U-turns
• blocking traffic (remember loyal informed:intel subscribers SF city ordiance sought dsignated ride share drop offs on side streets)
• blocking bike lanes

What do the traffic citstion numbers look like?

• April 1 to June 30 accounted for 2,656 traffic violations
• 1,723 — or nearly 65 percent— ride share drivers

Washington Post | San Francisco police say most traffic tickets go to Uber and Lyft drivers

How is DFW handling self driving vehicles in North Texas? With an automated vehicles department within theNorth Central Texas Council of Governments. It’s a department of 1 man.

What has this Department of 1 employee accomplished for self driving car policy?

• established an “automated vehicle program,” approved by the Regional Transportation Council
• secured funding for low-speed automated vehicle pilot programs
• secured funding to support the use of Interstate 30 between Dallas and Fort Worth as a test corridor for transportation technology.
• pilot programs will include encouraging “local cities to make their traffic signal data accessible to the developer community to support connected vehicle applications”
• reserved funding to research or reinvent “people mover systems using automated vehicles,”

GovTech | Dallas-Fort Worth Region Plots Practical Course for Autonomous Vehicles

Wyoming Department of Trasnsportation is providing the public with access to a map of alternative vehcile fueling station.

Equipment World | Wyoming maps out sites for alternative vehicle fueling

• 2.3 miles of roadway
• 18 intersections will have advanced technology
• Goal is to reduce by 25% stop and wait times  without increasing travel speeds
•  $3 million project came from $150 million in bonds Atlanta voters approved in 2015

Atlanta’s Smart Transportation Corridor will be a partnership with Georgia Tech.

Construction Equipment News | Atlanta creates Smart Corridor to improve traffic, prepare for driverless vehicles

Columbus, Ohio and Las Vegas, Nevada are both toying with smart technology to improve traffic.

Three things to know about the traffic technology testers:

• Each city had to bolster its tech infrastructure to allow for the massive amount of data needed to handle common traffic issues with technology.
• After infrastructure comes connectivity. Connected vehicles, autonomous cars, traffic monitoring devices all need to communicate with one another, & the communication must be safe and free of interference.
• City fleets become tech testers. City fleets are adapted to relay information and to see how helpful traffic management can be rolled out in the city.

State Tech Magazine | Smart Technology Makes Managing Traffic a Breeze for Transportation Departments

Hyperloop does not have the policy foundation of other types of transportation system. This leaves 3 areas of policy wide open:

• There is no policy framework for implementation
• There is no policy framework for safty standards
• There are no policy stnadards for regulation, operation and maintenance of hyperloops
• Does hyperloop qualify for eminent domain authority?

Dallas Morning News | Meet the Dallas urban planner behind Texas’ pursuit of the hyperloop

• Texas hyperloop proposal would connect, Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Laredo.
• Its 1 of 10 bids approved worldwide
• AECOM, who placed the Texas bid, had 5 of 10 winning bids.
• AECOM has also been involved with One Wolrd Trade Center, London’s Olympic Park and Etihad Rail
• Texas geography, strong economy, and population growth are key components to hyperloop’s success in Texas
• Hopes to supplement  Texas Central Railway

Dallas Morning News | Meet the Dallas urban planner behind Texas’ pursuit of the hyperloop

The proposed rules: 

• Concern 16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 95, §§95.1, 95.2, 95.10, 95.20 – 95.23, 95.30, 95.31, 95.40, 95.50, 95.51, 95.70 – 95.72, 95.80, 95.90, 95.91 and 95.100, regarding the Transportation Network Companies program.
• Reflect stakeholder meetings from July 6, 2017
• Follow HB 100

The publication date: Stpember 15, 2017 Texas Register

Earliest Possible Adoption of Rules:  October 15, 2017

Fiscal Implications Contained in Rules: None to local governments. TDLR will need a new FTE and computer equipment for operation for a total of  $104,458 during the first year 

Comments on the proposed rules: submitted by mail to Pauline Easley, Legal Assistant, General Counsel’s Office, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, P.O. Box 12157, Austin, Texas 78711; or by facsimile to (512) 475-3032, or electronically to erule.comments@tdlr.texas.gov. The deadline for comments is 30 days after publication in the Texas Register.

Texas Register | September 15, 2017 | TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING AND REGULATION

California Assembly Bill 544 would allow single occupancy EV cars to use HOV lanes through 2025 with a DMV decal.

Tax rebates, tax incentives, easy HOV access…oh, my!

Sacramento Bee | Would you buy an electric car if you could use the carpool lane alone?

A ballot proposition in California looks to prevent the Legislature from increasing the gas tax by requiring voter approval for fuel tax increases.

Group behind the initiative: Reform California

Sacramento Bee | Gax tax repeal would strip California lawmakers’ ability to pass increases

Chairman Joe Pickett wants the Texas Attorney General to clarify to what extent are the limitations of fee assessments placed upon TXDOT also placed upon private entities that operate tolls.

Pickett’s exact question: 

Utah Tranportation Authority is a thorn in the side of Utah elected officials. They’ve been studying the issue, and trying to craft a solutions to remove the obstacles they see in the agency.

For those of you in Texas, think of an agency that is a mix of 2017 TABC, 2013 HHSC and 2011 TXDOT when it lost a billion dollars.

3 solutions from Utah’s elected officials to reign in a rogue agency:

• Follow Maryland. Create a Transportation Secretary who oversees all transit, rail, ports  and transportation, thereby requiring the agency to report to the State Secretary of Transportation.
• Independent Agency with no control over finance or big projects. Leave the indepdent agency in place but move all finance decisions to the legislature. All agency assets get moved into a state umbrella account that the agency cannot access.
• Split the agency. Let the agency have its indpendent control over transportation outside of all major metro areas. The metro areas transportation issues are handled by the legislature/Governor.

Salt Lake Tribune | Task force considers closer state control of scandal-tainted UTA

The headline from Denison, Texas reads : Denison changes taxi ordinance following state legislation.

Did Denison change a taxi ordinance after Texas enacted HB 100, statewide ride-share law? Technically, Yes. But, this is a technicality for loophole lovers.

Was the change in the ordiance related to taxis? No. It was related to ride share and changed the Denison ride share sgtandards on par with state law.

Why the confusion over ordinances and headlines? Denison has no formal taxi service. It, like many cities, only have ride share.

Denison changes taxi ordinance following state legislation | Herald Democrat

The Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution Act, or “SELF DRIVE” Act is on its way to the U.S. Senate for action.

What woud the bill do?

•  The Self Drive Act would increase that cap for exemptions to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) federal motor vehicle safety standards to 25,000 per year initially
• The cap would be expanded it up to 100,000 annually in 3 years
• Allows all 50 states to innovate on self-driving technology
• Prohibits states from making self driving car testing too restrictive, like New Yorks’ requirement that a test car have a police escort

Supports, like the The Self Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, a lobbying group that includes Google, Ford, Uber, Lyft, Volvo, and more, say:

• very good news for the auto industry
• opportunity to do significant testing
• will allow  all the research that’s required to make sure that this is truly a step forward in road safety

The Verge | The US is speeding toward its first national law for self-driving cars

Looking to limit the number of bike and vehicle accidents, Tome Software & Trek Bicycle are teaming up.

What’s the transportation policy goal: To identify if there are certain areas on roads that are more prone to bike/vehicle accidents.

Just when you thought legislating autonomous vehicles was all the rage, now we’re moving toward AI in bikes.

Tech Crunch | Tome Software and Trek Bicycle are looking to AI to make biking safer

California legislators are pushing for $1B in funding for clean trucks and buses before the September 15th legislative deadline.

The funding source and economic benefits legislators are touting:

The funding source for clean trucks and bus $1 billion: California’s GHG cap-and-trade system

Is there a simultaneous economic benefit to the state? Yes, the state has seen an influx of companies building clean trucks and buses because of the market growth in California

Natural Gas Intelligence | California Lawmakers Push for $1B in Clean Truck, Bus Funding

A 5 day special legislative session in Hawaii produced a rail deal that will:

• 5 top legislative leaders got on the same page.
  • Senate President
  • House Speaker
  • Senate Ways and Means Committee chair
  •  House Transportation Committee Chair
  • House Finance Committee Chair
• Agreed to:
  • use specific numbers on the project and in the revenue generating plan:
    • use only the numbers of Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance and not lobbyist provided numbers
    • total revenue generated for the project: $2.4 billion over 13 years
    • $1.046 billion from a 0.5%t general excise tax charged on Oahu taxpayers
    • $1.3 billion from hotel guests statewide via a 1% increase in the hotel room tax
    • Extends by 3 years the 0.5% general excise tax & increases the hotel room tax to 10.25 percent from 9.25 percent for 13 years.
  • require certain levels of transparency
  • require a timeline & sunset provisions on the taxes, which if not adhered to kills the project

Honolulu News  | How the Legislature’s ‘Big Five’ Crafted A Deal To Rescue Honolulu Rail

California legislators pushing AB 1184 abandonded the $3 billion in EV incentives to pursue a study. So what happened?

• Drafting issues. Opposition focused on a lack fo a plan for funding source
• More information Needed.  The bill now calls for a report that:
  • suggests funding levels necessary to meet state emissions goals
  • the report should recommend changes to the existing rebate program to increase market penetration of such cars and trucks.
• Procurement Opportunity. The bill calls for a contractor to study the issue and offer the recommendations.

LA Times | Plan to boost electric-vehicle rebates to $3 billion is scrapped in favor of state study

Does ride share usage reduce car ownership? That’s what this news report says, relying on studies from Texas A&M, University of Michigan, and the City of Austin.

Does this make new allies of taxis and auto manufacturers? Are taxis and parking lot owners gong to bond over the reduced use of parking lots?

Portland KGW.com | Uber and Lyft Could Kill Car Ownership in Big Cities

Prove the viability of this technology and private sector built infrastructure approach

Create a new high-tech industry where it never existed before. Texas will be like a domestic manufacturer of high-speed projects.

Market Driven approach will have fewer difficulties than government projects.

The Hill | Contributor : Texas Central Partners | Texas high-speed rail illustrates private sector’s role in America’s infrastructure future

Chicago City Council, like other cities, is looking to reign in ride share price surging. Here’s the policy plan in Chicago:

• surge pricing cap implementation to offset companies that use predatory pricing
• surge price cap would be 150% of a regular fare during the 7 days before the unforeseen emergency
• unforeseen emergency would be defined as “any actual or threatened terrorist attack, mass shooting, major disruption in public transportation, failure or shortage or electric power and inclement weather.”

Chicago Sun Times | City Council takes aim at rideshare ‘surge pricing,’ safety concerns

• Volkswagen Group of America
• Mercedes Benz
• Waymo
• Delphi Automotive
• Tesla Motors
• Bosch
• Nissan
• GM Cruise LLC
• BMW
• Honda
• Ford
• Zoox, Inc.
• Drive.ai, Inc.
• Faraday & Future Inc.
• Baidu USA LLC
• Wheego Electric Cars Inc.
• Valeo North America, Inc.
• NextEV USA, Inc.
• Telenav, Inc.
• NVIDIA Corporation
• AutoX Technologies Inc
• Subaru
• Udacity, Inc
• Navya Inc.
• Renovo.auto
• UATC LLC (Uber)
• PlusAi Inc
• Nuro, Inc
• CarOne LLC
• Apple Inc.
• Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation
• Pony.AI
• TuSimple
• Jingchi Corp
• SAIC Innovation Center, LLC
• Almotive Inc
• Aurora Innovation
• Nullmax
• Samsung Electronics

Tech Crunch | Samsung secures self-driving car testing permit for California roads

Philadelphia is convening a task force to guide integration of electric vehicles into the quagmire of parking and charging in the City of Brotherly Love.

The policy issues:

• Whether and how to permit curb side charging in residential neighborhoods
• how EVs relate to transit, walking, and cycling

Philly Voice | Newly assembled task force will guide policy on Philly’s electric cars

Detroit. Motor City. An editorial board at the Detroit News isn’t keen on rapidly legislating self driving cars because:

• Market Drivers.to develop the right policies we need clear signals from the market about what aspects of self driving cars will win the day
• Infrastructure Needs. need to ensure that the legislature creates the infrastructure to maintain Dedicated Short Range Communications radios that communicate between self driving cars and the infrastructure
• Public Private Partnerships. state should seek first to encourage partnerships that would speed development so legislators can see how the market adapts to this new wave of smart vehicles

The Detroit News | Our editorial: Put brakes on driverless auto taxes

The State: Virginia

The goal of the public-private partnership:  “optimizing opportunities for innovative collaboration and investment in Virginia’s transportation system”

The data shared with the private sector: 22 different data sets, with initial data sets including traffic volumes, speed limits, travel advisories, lane closures, crashes, truck restrictions, traffic sensors, incidents, sign messages and locations, paving schedules, short- and long-term weather events, the Six-Year Improvement Plan, major road construction and Signal Phase and Timing data.

Equipment World | Virginia DOT launches SmarterRoads data portal for transportation app development

The Business: Integrated Roadways

What are integrated roadways? Roads with sensors, phone, and internet connectivity, telecommunications, fiber-optic cable, and high-speed Internet, as well as other hardware, inside road surfaces.

What do local pilot projects look like? Kansas City has a pilot project to use integrated roads in construction of a combined 1.5 miles of pavement in the spring of 2018 with expected completion by August.

Would these integrated roads collect data for the benefit of the city? Yes.

Equipment World | Smart pavement pilot projects stuffing roads with sensors and internet connectivity

Michigan’s direct sales ban is being tested in Michigan federal court as a violation of the Commerce Clause.

What does that mean in normal people terms? The direct sales ban isn’t just a question of is direct sales a Michigan law and constitution problem, but does direct sales bans run counter to the US Constitution. Also, the Supremes can get involved- as in Ruth Bader Ginsburg et. al, not Diana Ross et. al.

What documents is the court requiring be disclosed?

• 2 lawmakers must turn over communications about the ban with car dealers and lobbyists.
  • One of these lawmakers authored the direct sales ban amendment and happens to be married to the auto dealer lobbyist.
• Internal lobbyist communications for the dealer associations is next on the discovery  disclosure list

Electrek| Tesla vs State of Michigan: federal judge orders lawmakers to disclose their communications over sale ban

Lt. Gov. Patrick made the following appointments to the Port Authority  Advisory Committee:

•  Michael J. Plank
  • From Houston
  • Chairman & CEO of The Plank Companies, Inc., a diversified holding company
  • Serves on the boards of Greater Houston Partnership, YMCA of Greater Houston & President’s Leadership Council at Methodist Hospital
  • 1983 Texas A&M grad in Mechanical Engineering

LT. GOVERNOR DAN PATRICK ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT TO THE PORT AUTHORITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE