- USDOT Nominee Sean Duffy Faces Confirmation Hearing Today
- MTC, Golden Gate Bridge District And Other Agencies Sign Equity In Infrastructure Contracting Pledge
- Philippine Drivers Without An AET Account Will Be Penalized Starting In March
- South Korea Incentivizes Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sales With Subsidies And Toll Discounts
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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USDOT Nominee Sean Duffy Faces Confirmation Hearing Today
The New York Times reports, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead USDOT reportedly would prioritize aviation and railroad safety while overseeing the department’s 100-billion-dollar-plus annual budget. Sean Duffy also has said he would “work to reduce the red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects, ensuring funds are spent efficiently,” if confirmed. He will be questioned today before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
“Mr. Duffy, 53, has a varied background, having been a Fox News host, a lawmaker from Wisconsin, a lobbyist in Washington, a district attorney and, when younger, a reality television personality. But he has little experience in transportation or managing large organizations.” The article details some of his former lobbying clients’ involvement with the transportation sector.
Appointments-Promotions-Retirements US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US Highway Trust Fund US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesMTC, Golden Gate Bridge District And Other Agencies Sign Equity In Infrastructure Contracting Pledge
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) announced it joined 17 other Bay Area agencies in signing an Equity In Infrastructure Project (EIP) pledge on Monday. Some of the other signatories were the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, the Valley Transportation Authority, and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
“The pledge is a voluntary commitment to create more opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) in public infrastructure contracting. HUBs are businesses in which at least 51 percent ownership of the business is by a woman, minority and/or service-disabled veteran.” DeNise Blake, an MTC executive and current president of the Northern California Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, commented that the pledge “is not just a promise; it’s a vital step and a call to action to ensure that underrepresented businesses and individuals are included on shaping our communities through transformative projects.”
To date, 74 other entities — public infrastructure agencies as well as engineering, financial, and construction firms — have signed the pledge. (Participants include the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Illinois Tollway Authority, and LA Metro.)
California Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway) Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) San Francisco Bay Area (CA) San Francisco County Transportation Authority Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Transportation and Infrastructure Leadership And Workforce Diversity Transportation And Infrastructure Workforce IssuesPhilippine Drivers Without An AET Account Will Be Penalized Starting In March
BusinessWorld reports, the executive director of the Philippine Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) says motorists who enter an expressway without an electronic toll collection device will be fined starting in March. Penalties were originally scheduled to be implemented last summer, but the government postponed the effective date to “give tollway operators and concerned agencies time to fine-tune their operations.” At a later, unspecified date, the government will start imposing a penalty on motorists who use a toll road without having a sufficient toll account balance.
The country’s principal tollway operators, San Miguel Corporation Infrastructure and Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, have been preparing for years to transition to cashless toll collection. The penalty measure is a condition precedent to the companies’ initiation of all-electronic tolling and the government’s delayed imposition of a toll interoperability mandate.
The article notes that the penalty policy is subject to criticism based on claims that the companies’ electronic collection systems are not sufficiently reliable and a belief that interoperability should proceed cashless conversion.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) ETC Systems Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation San Miguel Corporation (South Luzon Tollway) ScofflawsSouth Korea Incentivizes Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sales With Subsidies And Toll Discounts
The South Korean government today announced it is offering several financial incentives to boost sales of electric vehicles (EVs), expand infrastructure to accommodate commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and generally shore up its place in the global EV and hydrogen vehicle markets, Korea JoongAng Daily reports.
“Under the policies, all buyers aged between 19 and 34 who select an EV for their first car will be given up to 20 percent additional subsidy on top of the maximum 5.8 million won ($3,973) of existing subsidy that goes to all EVs that cost less than 53 million won [$36,416].” In addition, “All EV owners will be exempt from individual consumption tax and acquisition tax until 2026 and get a discount on highway toll fees until 2027.” Through a 720 billion won ($495 million) investment, the government also plans to expand its fleet of hydrogen-fueled buses and more than double the number of commercial hydrogen fuel stations. Other measures are detailed in the article.
“‘EVs and batteries are the future of the mobility industry; the government will spare no expense for Korea to actively respond to the current slowing down trend and regain its leadership in the rapidly changing global markets,’ said Ahn Duk-geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy.”
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles South Korea Toll Exemption, Discount And Equity ProgramsThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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