Dear Highway User,

As the price of gas keeps getting higher and higher, people are looking for ways to save money at the pump. One way to do this is by purchasing vehicles that are more fuel efficient. Nationwide, new hybrid vehicle registrations rose to over 350,000 in 2007. That’s up 38% from 2006.

Just in the last week, Ford has announced that it is going to “greatly increase the use of more fuel-efficient six-speed automatic transmissions, doubling their number by the end of next year and putting them in 98 percent of its North American vehicles by 2012.” A change like this could increase fuel efficiency by 4 or 5%.

To read more, click here.

Other increasingly popular vehicles are hybrids that can run both on fuel and an electrical battery. While hybrids have been around for a few years, new developments are taking place that will increase their efficiency. Recent reports detail how a Boston based company, A123 Systems, is actually developing a “plug” conversion for the Toyota Prius that “will allow a Prius driver to substitute electricity, at about 3 cents a mile, for gasoline at three or four times that price.”

To read more, click here.

Alternative fuel vehicles are proving attractive as well and are even being embraced by local governments. Last month, the City of Reno showcased several alternative fuel cars that are part of its fleet.

To read more, click here.

While everyone agrees that it is great to be able to reduce our reliance on oil both for environmental and national security reasons, what does a shift to less oil mean for roads? Under the current system of road funding, both at the federal level and in Nevada, buying less gas, means less money for roads.

How will we make up the shortfall? That is the question that lawmakers will have to grapple with – hopefully sooner rather than later.

Sincerely,
Nevada Highway Users Coalition

The NDOT Board of Directors will be considering the recommendation from the P3 Advisory Committee regarding a demonstration project in Las Vegas and legislation for the 2009 session enabling the project to be undertaken.

State of Nevada Department of Transportation
Board of Directors Meeting

May 15, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.

Nevada Department of Transportation Building
1263 South Stewart Street
Third Floor Conference Room
Carson City, Nevada

For more information,
please click here.

The Washoe RTC Blue Ribbon Committee will be making its final recommendations to the RTC Board regarding a 2009 ballot question regarding a road funding package.

Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County
Blue Ribbon Committee Meeting (BRC)

May 15, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Regional Transportation Center
2050 Villanova Drive, Reno

For more information,
please click here.

The Washoe RTC will be acting on the recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Committee (see meeting notice above).

Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County
Board Meeting

May 16, 2008
8:00 am

Regional Transportation Center
2050 Villanova Drive, Reno

For more information,
please click here.

South Carolina House Approves Bill to Fund Road, Bridge Work
Struggling to come up with solutions to help pay for needed road and bridge work throughout the state, legislators in South Carolina have been discussing several bills that would take different paths to solve the state’s funding crisis.

One bill cleared the House by a 90-10 vote would use sales taxes paid on vehicles to help pay for building and repairing the state’s roadways as opposed to going into the general fund as it does currently. Over time the redirected funds would help pay debt of an anticipated future bond issue.

However, its future in the Senate is uncertain due to concerns over revenue declines.

Those same revenue concerns led to the demise of another effort that would have sent 2% of general funds to a new transportation fund. Additionally, a bill authorizing more tolling failed to move forward.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/May08/051208/051208-06.htm

Kaine Seeks Tax Increases For Roads
Following up on a story we first mentioned in our last newsletter, Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine is asking legislators to boost state taxes by about $1 billion a year to improve roads. Kaine released his plan on Monday and included increasing the sales tax on cars from 3 percent to 4 percent and boosting the yearly registration fee from $39 to $49. He also proposes an increase in the tax assessed on home sellers statewide.
For the state's congested and traffic strangled economic engines of northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, Kaine proposes boosting the sales tax from 5 cents on the dollar to 6 cents except for food and medicine. But House Republican leaders were unequivocal in rejecting the package. House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith of Salem said he sees nothing in the plan to make it worth considering.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0508/518902.html

Louisiana lawmakers advance bills to rein in bridge deals
Concern in the Louisiana Legislature about the possible sale or lease of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway has spurred the advancement of two bills intended to rein in any potential deals.
The House unanimously approved a bill that would require legislative approval of any deals to sell bridges more than five miles long. Senate lawmakers unanimously approved a similar bill that also would include restrictions on lease deals. The bills also would require lawmakers to approve deals that transfer management, control or operation of bridges to public or private groups. All of these actions illustrate that while there is room for P3s to play a role with infrastructure financing, there are also major hurdles that must be overcome.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/May08/050508/050608-02.htm

Sluggish economy hinders turnpike-leasing plan
Turbulent financial markets have hampered prospective bidders for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, prompting the Rendell administration to extend the bidding period for several weeks. The field of potential bidders for the turnpike has shrunk from 14 teams to about five and so far, none has submitted a bid. The administration wants to lease the turnpike for 75 years to a private operator to raise billions of dollars to repair the state's crumbling bridges and highways. It's unclear how much the turnpike might bring; the administration's financial adviser, Morgan Stanley, last year predicted a lease could garner $12 billion to $18 billion.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/
20080502_Sluggish_economy_hinders_turnpike-leasing_plan.html

Corzine aggressive tolling plan ‘politically dead’
Gov. Jon Corzine plans to revise his aggressive proposal to increase tolls on some of the nation’s busiest toll roads. Corzine has reportedly declared his proposed 15-year, 800% toll increase “politically dead.” Advisers to the governor are currently working on a revised plan, according to numerous media reports.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/Apr08/042808/050208-03.htm

States Get In on Calls for a Gas Tax Holiday
In the wake of Presidential politics, many states are looking at the potential for their own “gas tax holidays.” For example, Florida’s Gov. Charlie Crist has been fighting to cut 10 cents from the state’s gasoline tax for two weeks in July. Also, lawmakers in Missouri, New York and Texas have also proposed a summer break from state gas taxes, while candidates for governor in Indiana and North Carolina are sparring over relief ideas of their own.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/us/06gas.html

Missouri measure would create fuel tax holiday
With the end of the legislative session in Missouri fast approaching, a bill nearing passage in the House would temporarily discontinue the state’s fuel tax this summer.
House lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill after adding a provision that would offer consumers a 3 month price break on gas and diesel purchases. The provision was added to a bill that would phase out the state corporate income tax by 2013. However, time is running out for the bill to go through the full Senate given that the legislative session is due to expire on May 16.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/Apr08/042808/
050108-03.htm

Governments Change Road Priorities
Joining numerous other cities (including Seattle, San Diego, Denver, Portland and Phoenix in the West) around the country in an effort to save money, Reno, Sparks and Washoe County elected officials Monday approved a reduction in the trigger points for when roads must be widened or otherwise improved to deal with traffic congestion.

The lowering of the standards for the regional road network will result in an average delay of 1½ minutes a day for drivers in the next 30 years while saving almost $500,000 in road-building costs, said Derek Morse, RTC assistant director. These standards were approved in December by the Regional Transportation Commission.
http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/NEWS18/80512045

Commuting contributes heavily to peak-period congestion. Eighty-five million workers – two-thirds of all commuters in the United States – usually leave for work between 6:00 and 9:00 am, and over 88 percent of these workers commute in private vehicles.

Source: http://www.transportationfortomorrow.org/global/did_you_know.aspx

If you would like to learn more about NHUC's educational efforts or to arrange for a representative to speak to your group or organization, please email us: contact@fixnvroads.com