At Thursday’s TribLive conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, talked about whether Texans are having “toll road fatigue” and the impact that toll roads are having on traffic congestion.
Transportation
Reporting on roads, transit, infrastructure, and policy shaping travel and mobility across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Transportation
Citing Sequester, Perry Taps TxDOT Cash for Airports
Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Department of Transportation are arranging to temporarily fund air traffic control towers slated to close next month at 13 Texas airports due to federal budget cuts related to the sequester.
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Transportation
Speed Incentives, Toll Lanes Get Senate Attention
The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on two bills addressing criticisms stemming from the proliferation of toll roads and toll lane projects around the state.
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Economy
GOP Senator Challenging His Party on Debt, Taxes
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state’s bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution.
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Politics
Lawmakers Back New Mechanism to Fund Port Improvements
Republicans and Democrats from Texas’ congressional delegation have come together to file legislation that would allow for public-private partnerships to fund port infrastructure improvements and staff increases.
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Transportation
Texas Lawmaker Files Bill to Regulate Self-Driving Cars
Under a bill filed by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, self-driving cars like the one Google drove around Texas last month would have to have a licensed driver behind the wheel and meet minimum insurance requirements.
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Transportation
Republican Senator Proposes Tax Hike for Transportation
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, wants Texas voters to approve a constitutional amendment to temporarily increase the state sales tax to pay off the Texas Department of Transportation’s debt.
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Transportation
In Hunt for Roads Funds, Texas Won’t Model Va.
Texas lawmakers hope to follow in Virginia’s footsteps this session and revamp the way they fund transportation. While Virginia opted to cut gas taxes and raise sales taxes, Texas is looking at other options.
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Criminal Justice
Lawmakers Debate Texting-While-Driving Ban
Lawmakers on Tuesday took their first crack at a bill designed to ban texting while driving, including reviewing statistics suggesting that bans in other states have not reduced accidents and are difficult to enforce.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Grissom begins a gripping series on mental health and criminal justice, Hamilton and White on the Senate’s defense of UT-Austin, Murphy’s interactive look at public school test scores, Ramshaw finds the governor digging in on the Medicaid expansion, Rocha and Dehn visit a weapons maker with Ted Cruz, M. Smith explores another angle on unpopular standardized testing, Batheja on a car that drives right past state laws, Aguilar reports on the other immigration problem, Aaronson on a break in the race for a cancer cure: The best of our best for the week of February 18-22, 2012.