Link to Texas Tribune article here.
GOP takes aim at Biden Infra Bill and Green Energy attacks on drivers
By Terri Hall
June 23, 2022
TheTexas GOP State Convention has made plenty of news since it wrapped up over the weekend, and one of the new planks we worked hard to get regarding freedom to travel took center stage,at least according to the press coverage.
As tolls have largely been put on hold by Abbott for now, attention has turned to other major impediments to our freedom to get around by car.
The push for social justice and equity in Texas road policy was very visible last legislative session, enough that all of our time and resources went to stopping a slew of BAD bills(scroll down to 'Anti-car Initiatives' under 'Grassroots Action Center' tab, under 'Session Resources'), rather than getting our last two BIG pieces of toll reform passed.
Platform successes
First, we submitted proposed changes to our strong anti-toll plank, seeking to streamline and shorten it a bit, since length has become an issue across the board with the GOP platform. The subcommittee on Business, Commerce, and Transportation accepted our changes and then we moved on to seeking to add our new plank regarding freedom to travel that also takes aim against the Biden federal mileage tax scheme (which is effectively a toll charged for every mile you drive). Can you imagine the cost to drive paying these gas prices PLUS a charge for every mile driven?
A huge shout out to Subcommittee Chair Tom Glass for his help in defending our planks before his committee once the public comment period had expired. Thank you, Tom! You made all the difference!
Link to article here.
This is the new frontier in road policy -- putting drivers on a 'road diet' as they do in leftist states like California and New York, to force people out of their cars and into mass transit. It must be stopped in every form. Tolls are just one way they use to restrict travel and try to change drivers' behavior to fit their social justice agenda. Currently, tolls aren't an available option, but that doesn't stop them from implementing other forms of driver misery to enact their anti-car agenda.
Houston to Unveil Vision Zero Plan for Zero Traffic Fatalities by 2030
Mayor Turner says the city is close to releasing specifics of transportation planning that may include narrowing streets to slow traffic and increasing sidewalks, bike lanes, and access to public transit.
By Holly Hansen
The Texan
November 9, 2020
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that Texas’ largest city would soon be unveiling specifics of an initiative to attain zero roadway deaths by the year 2030.
Joined in a Friday afternoon press conference by Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan, Turner said that the city had been collecting information and would soon be publicizing new plans crafted in collaboration with city departments, Harris County, METRO, and social justice advocates.
Turner and Ryan noted that as of November 7, Texas had not gone a day without at least one traffic death in 20 years, and both expressed support for instituting changes that would eventually eliminate all traffic deaths.
“No loss of life is acceptable,” said Turner. “That’s why Houston joined the Vision Zero network, an international movement for safe streets and our commitment to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on Houston streets by 2030.”
Developed in the 1990s by Swedish activists, “Vision Zero” refers to efforts to craft transportation policies based on the socio-political ethic: “Life and health can never be exchanged for other benefits within the society.”
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