Daily News Briefs, October 4, 2023

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LA Metro Is Betting (Federal) Money It Can Convince Some People Not To Drive

LA Metro and the City of Santa Monica, CA, are partnering to test whether a government payment can incentivize some adults to leave their cars at home and travel instead by transit, carpool, foot or bicycle. The  “One Car Challenge” pilot project, described in a recent LA Metro blog post, “will pay 200 [city] residents to give one of their household cars a staycation for 5 weeks. By taking the ‘one-car household’ lifestyle for a spin, they can make up to $599 for participating while also receiving free rides on various modes of transport to help with their transition.” Applications to join in the pilot, which is funded with federal grant money, are being accepted online through Friday, October 6. LA Metro thinks the concept can succeed in reducing auto traffic, and it may eventually expand the pilot to other parts of the metro area. The blog item notes that “research and practice from around the globe” show that incentive payments can reduce driving, improve the environment and reduce the personal expense of travel. “Other research has shown that lower car ownership reduces the amount of miles we’re traveling (and time spent sitting in traffic).” The authority notes that state lawmakers adopted legislation in 2022 to create a similar incentive program, but it was vetoed by the governor.

Alternative and Active Transportation California Carpooling Los Angeles (CA) Metro Region Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) Transportation and Infrastructure Research & Development US Department of Transportation (USDOT)

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2023 Beach Express Bridge Traffic Is Unlikely To Match Operator's Condition For Expansion

OBA, a coastal Alabama hyperlocal news site, reports on the latest traffic metrics released by the Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC), owner-operator of the Beach Express toll bridge. By the end of August, a total of 4.1 million tolled crossings had been recorded. If the trend set over the first eight months of 2023 continues through autumn, annual volume would surpass 2022’s level but still not fulfill a condition BCBC has set for adding a second span. The company increased toll rates on August 30, but until data on September crossings are released, the rate hike’s effect on volume won’t be known. BCBC president Neal Belitsky told OBA the toll increase was (as previously stated) a result of the circumstances underlying the company’s legal dispute with Alabama DOT and its director, John Cooper. He denied that raising tolls has anything to do with trying to slow volume to avoid crossing the threshold for an expansion project.

Alabama Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) American Roads LLC Baldwin County AL Beach Express (Baldwin County (AL) Bridge Co.) Issues of Law P3 & Privatization

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Turnpike Unit Captain Promoted To Deputy Commander Of Kansas Highway Patrol

The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) announced yesterday that its superintendent, Colonel Erik Smith, has promoted Captain John Lehnherr, formerly leader of Troop G, the Kansas Turnpike unit, to lieutenant colonel and named him KHP’s deputy commander. Lehnherr joined the patrol in 1999 and has served with the turnpike unit in various capacities since 2005. A Kansas native, Lehnherr also holds the elective office of mayor in Park City, a Wichita suburb.

Appointments-Promotions-Retirements Kansas Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA)

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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