Legislation has been signed to revamp the roads in fast-growing Tennessee and spend more money on them.
The Transportation Modernization Act invests $3.3 billion to address traffic congestion in urban areas, and make upgrades in rural and suburban communities.
Mandy Spears Pellegrin, deputy director of the Sycamore Institute, said the measure will allow the state to either make changes itself or work with private companies to build so-called "paid choice" lanes.
She noted close to a dozen states already have separate lanes people pay to use.
"In Tennessee, what they're hoping is that this could address urban congestion problems, because 'paid choice' lines don't make sense to go everywhere; they only make sense where there's a whole lot of traffic," Spears Pellegrin explained. "That frees up our existing gas-tax dollars to address congestion issues and other needed road repairs."
Spears Pellegrin pointed out "paid choice" lane rates would vary based on time of day, how many cars are in the lane already, and distance traveled in the lane. The bill received bipartisan legislative support and was backed by dozens of organizations across the state, according to the governor's website.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said paid-choice lanes are not toll roads, so drivers do not have to use them if they do not want to pay the fee. Spears Pellegrin added the state will need another $42 billion for transportation projects in the next few years. The legislation is a one-time investment of $3 billion for the state, and $300 million to local governments for transportation projects.
She noted the bill includes other components as well, although drivers of electric vehicles might not be too pleased.
"One more mechanism is they increase the state's existing fee on electric vehicles, and they add a new fee on hybrid vehicles," Spears Pellegrin pointed out. "The hope there is that begins to backfill some of those gas-tax losses."
She added the bill was necessary because Tennessee is falling behind on projects related to roads and bridges, and it does not include expanding public transit into rural or suburban areas.
get more stories like this via email
Traffic deaths are trending higher in Minnesota this year after a decline the previous year.
Groups pushing for safer roads are convinced a small policy adjustment for older drivers could make a big difference. Current Minnesota law requires licensed drivers age 55 and older to take an eight-hour safety course to qualify for a 10% discount on their car insurance.
Cathy McLeer, state director of AARP Minnesota, which helps carry out the training, noted course participation has been waning. She is joining the call for state lawmakers to consider a bill to reduce the mandatory threshold to four hours.
"An independent study found that drivers were just as likely to improve their driving behaviors with a four-hour course as eight-hour courses," McLeer reported.
McLeer pointed out through a shorter schedule, it is important to convince more people to stay up to date with traffic laws and learn about new technology in cars. Nearly 20 other states allow a course length of four hours, and nine of them mandate insurance discounts for the training.
The Minnesota bill is bipartisan but faces a cutoff later this week to advance in the current session. It is uncertain if it will get enough hearings.
Cheryl Salo, driver safety program coordinator for AARP Minnesota, said older drivers tend to be more cautious but noted they are sharing the roads with plenty of bigger trucks and SUVs these days.
"Those drivers sometimes don't realize how limited their ability to see around them is," Salo emphasized. "We as drivers need to take the responsibility to give those large vehicle drivers that extra space that they need."
Large vehicles are among the topics covered in the training courses, along with information about the emergence of roundabouts in intersections across the state. Like other states, Minnesota saw a pandemic-era spike in traffic fatalities, before numbers stabilized. However, the percentage of crash fatalities rose for the 55+ age group, while overall totals declined.
Disclosure: AARP Minnesota contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Consumer Issues, Health Issues, and Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email
Kristopher Dahir, Ward 5 city councilor in Sparks, is one of more than 2,800 city leaders in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss city topics and issues.
The National League of Cities Congressional City Conference brought local leaders from Nevada and the country to meet with federal officials and learn of infrastructure, transportation, public safety, clean energy and digital equity federal funding opportunities.
Dahir said while cities in the Silver State are different sizes and have separate needs, the issues are the same.
"We get to do it in one voice for Nevada," Dahir explained. "It really is important we work together and it doesn't mean we don't meet with them separately; we do for City of Sparks needs and things that we are going through. But when it comes to landfills or it comes to some of the rail safety things that are right now being talked about, those are real crucial to all cities."
Dahir pointed out digital equity is another issue affecting rural and urban Nevada communities. About 28 million of the almost 123 million households in the U.S. do not have high-speed broadband, according to Education Superhighway, which is why many conference attendees want Congress to pass the bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, ensuring low-income households stay connected.
Dahir added the Congressional City Conference provides local leaders with the chance to network, exchange ideas, and learn about what other places are doing.
"We get to share ideas and we get to say 'how did that work for you?' from zoning policies to everything from HUB check stuff, workforce development," Dahir outlined. "We really get to see the ideas and then also the pathways to grant money, or the pathways to avoid."
Dahir wants Americans to have a sense of hope as local leaders work to bring awareness to issues affecting their communities and they are in search of solutions. He stressed many of the issues city leaders discussed are not what he considers partisan but things most federal officials support.
get more stories like this via email
A coalition of Utah stakeholders is launching the "Campaign for Public Transit in the 435," which will aim to bring better forms of transit to those who live in rural areas and engage legislators in the process.
Scott Mershon, Cache County resident and one of the organizers of the 435 Transit Campaign, said 435 is the phone area code for many who reside in the more rural parts of the state and are typically found outside the Wasatch Front. The 10 county coalition will be advocating for $47 million in new state funding to realize public transit projects of different kinds.
"It is looking to get either some sort of train extension on the FrontRunner or on existing railroad tracks or a bus to just be able to get out of the valley, and then there are other projects as well in Washington County, and expanding bus services and making them more reliable," Mershon said.
Mershon added lack of transportation can mean Utahns can experience challenges in securing a job because they can't get to work, to not being able to attend medical appointments as well as not seeing family and friends. A survey from Guiding our Growth found those in rural Utah strongly supported implementing public transportation, and investing in passenger rail came in a close second.
Carolyn Heaton, a researcher for the 435 Transit Action Campaign, said the current funding formulas don't equitably address rural parts of the state. She argues a bigger budget would lead to better planning. Heaton and others will be heading to the state Capitol tomorrow to educate decision makers about transportation challenges and invite them to also visit their respective communities to learn about barriers.
"Some communities do have bussing situations, but there are not enough buses, not enough people who are willing to drive the bus, and not enough funding to fund those departments to provide more buses and jobs for people to drive," she explained.
Heaton added for many Utahns who don't have a car, that means they're stuck. She added there are many people across the Beehive State with disabilities who can't drive but still need to get around. Others would prefer alternative, more green modes of transit to create less of a carbon footprint, and added that investing in better public transit would do just that.
Disclosure: United Today Stronger Tomorrow contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Environment, Livable Wages/Working Families. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email