Category: Transportation Issues
Texas Leaders Ask Trump to ‘Nix’ Tolls in His Infrastructure Plan
While some have called the Trump proposal DOA on Capitol Hill, Texans are taking nothing for granted and made the trip to D.C. to deliver it to the White House personally to ensure the President got the message from a … Continue reading
Virginia I-66 Tolls Out of Control: Commuters Clobbered with $44 One Way in Tolls
Despite managed lanes’ popularity with politicians driven by dollar signs and the ability to outsource this tax decision to unelected bureaucrats and even private, global corporations, tolls are not only becoming increasingly unpopular with the public, they’re financially unsustainable. The … Continue reading
TX Governor: “No More Tolls”
Sen. Bob Hall issued a scathing statement on TxDOT’s proposed toll plan that equates the typical $10/day toll to a $25 per gallon gasoline tax that, over a lifetime, would mushroom into an eye-popping $135,000 in toll taxes. “This is … Continue reading
Trump Pulls the Plug on Private Toll Roads, Centerpiece of Infrastructure Plan
Trump’s reversal on public-private partnerships (P3s) came suddenly to most folks, even inside the beltway, given that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was still pushing tax incentives to attract private investment as the core of the Trump infrastructure plan as of … Continue reading
Anti-toll Reforms Finally Pass Texas Legislature, But Not Without a Hitch
Taxpayers pushed for over a decade to get these reforms in place and finally got them in SB 312. While there’s still much work to be done to completely reform toll policy in Texas, the majority of the heavy lifting … Continue reading
Trump Floats Gas Tax Increase After Cold Reception to Privatized Toll Roads
Whether Trump will be successful in raising the federal gasoline tax may depend on his connection to his voters. Polls indicate his base of support remains strong despite the relentless attacks on Trump by the press. If Trump can demonstrate … Continue reading
Secret Agreement Handed Private Toll Firm Control of Texas Public Roads
While the politicians argued that eminent domain would only be used as a last resort, that’s just the club the Texas Turnpike Corporation’s CEO John Crew needs to beat landowners into submission to sign over their land in so-called negotiated … Continue reading
Texans Reject Editorial Stating, ‘Tolls are Necessary, Deal with It’
Taxpayers should not stand for targeted, discriminatory toll taxes to be imposed against their will. This problem certainly isn’t unique to Texas. With the installation of public-private partnership (P3) guru and former government affairs official for Macquarie Capital, David Gribbin, as … Continue reading
Will Texas Welcome Back Uber?
Local and state governments spar as Texas state lawmakers seek to tamp overreach By Terri Hall l February 1, 2017 One thing is clear — Texas state lawmakers are none too happy that cities like Austin have interfered with Texas … Continue reading
Former Clinton HUD Secretary Calls for More Tolls and Federal Gas Tax Index
Neither public-private partnerships (P3s) nor Interstate tolling must ever be imposed on American roads. The reason Eisenhower’s Interstate highways were an economic boon to America was the ease of connectivity and the natural economic development that occurred alongside them such … Continue reading
Montana’s Battle of the Titans: The Radical Environmentalists vs. the State’s Coal Future
Contrary to the charges made by these ideologically motivated environmentalists, coal exporting and transporting companies are going to great lengths to protect both their product as well as the environment. A good example of this is over the debate involving dust that blows off of coal being transported on trains. There is no incentive for coal companies to tolerate coal dust blowing off of their product, as it harms their profits. Therefore, these companies have begun to take new and effective measures to reduce the loss of dust. Continue reading
