The latest transportation news from The Texas Tribune.
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who is leading opposition to a company's efforts to build a high-speed rail line, was once part of a group that supported private sector development of high-speed rail. An aide says she is not uniformly opposed to high-speed rail. Full Story
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Another round of sparring between Texas cities and car service companies Lyft and Uber played out on Tuesday, when a panel of Texas lawmakers considered letting cities regulate Lyft and Uber the same way they regulate cab companies. Full Story
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On 4/10, I talked about the future of transportation policy in Texas with Deirdre Delisi, former chair of the Texas Transportation Commission; Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins; former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk; and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman. Full Story
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At a packed committee hearing Monday evening, advocates for Tesla Motors told a panel of Texas House members that it was time to bring state laws into the 21st century and let the company sell its luxury electric cars in Texas. Full Story
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One week after an Uber driver in Houston was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger, a panel of Texas lawmakers on Thursday considered a bill critics say will open the door for more criminals to slip past driver background checks. Full Story
Full video of my 4/9 conversation with state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, the chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. Full Story
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On a 5-4 vote, the Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill Wednesday that would hobble a private company’s plan to build a $12 billion high-speed rail line from Dallas to Houston. Full Story
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At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — took a dim view of the prospects for high-speed rail. Full Story
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At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — talked about their preferred methods of transportation funding. Full Story
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At our 4/7 conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees — discussed the state's reliance on toll roads. Full Story
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Full video of my 4/7 conversation with state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Transportation Committees. Full Story
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A bill that would enact a statewide texting-while-driving ban is advancing in the Texas Legislature, and it could affect some local ordinances already in place. Here's a look at which municipalities currently have restrictions. Full Story
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Planning to follow the House's budget debate today? Better clear your schedule. The chamber is set to debate 354 amendments, which are likely to stir debate on issues like abortion, border security, school vouchers and more. Full Story
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The Texas House on Wednesday tentatively approved a statewide ban on texting while driving, a measure that made it all the way to Gov. Rick Perry's desk in 2011 before getting vetoed. Full Story
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Supporters at a Texas Capitol rally on Monday voiced support for a variety of bills filed aimed at either stopping new toll road projects or undoing the state’s current tolling system entirely. Full Story
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Anti-toll sentiment at the Capitol is at its highest level in at least a decade as both Republicans and Democrats have proposed measures that would either tap the brakes on new toll road projects, or undo the state’s current tolling system entirely. Full Story
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Three lawmakers have filed bills aimed at encouraging the use of self-driving technology in Texas while allowing for some government oversight. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott has tapped former state Rep. Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa, to be the chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. The five-member panel oversees the Texas Department of Transportation. Full Story
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Billing problems on state toll roads are bigger than TxDOT previously announced, and customers who have been overcharged will be getting about $1.7 million back. Full Story
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Texas House budget writers put the final touches Thursday on a two-year budget that offers a different approach to boosting funding for transportation from the Senate. Full Story
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