Transportist: August 2024
Welcome to the latest issue of The Transportist, especially to our new readers. As always you can follow on Mastodon or RSS.
This has been an exciting month in US Politics. Assassination attempts, conventions, a VP candidate named, candidate dropout, new Democratic nominee, a second VP named,1 change in momentum. Politics will be exciting for a few months as dread and doom turn to hope. There is also the Olympics (Aussie Gold!). Moreover TRB deadlines. As a result, a shorter than usual issue.
Research
I think this one is of interest to anyone interested in reforming conventional project evaluation.
Media
New South Wales Independent Toll Review
Interview on ABC Sydney
AFR Will changing Sydney’s tolls make them fairer? Depends who you ask.
What would make it simpler would be if the government bought Transurban because I think negotiating with them will be a pain.
— Professor David Levinson, University of Sydney
Transurban is reluctant to abandon the concession agreements it currently holds for each of its toll roads because each has its own specific toll fare structures and financing arrangements with banks and investors.
Shifting to a new uniform network system would be complicated and time-consuming, but Transurban has told the government it could renegotiate its existing concession deeds by the end of December if the state agrees to a “value neutral outcome”.
Professor David Levinson, who researches transport networks at the University of Sydney, says it is up to the government and public to decide what kind of toll road network they want – then pay Transurban to manage and maintain roads.
“It shouldn’t be up to them to set policy,” he says, arguing that some drivers are avoiding motorways because the toll fares are too high.
But Levinson warns that it could cost taxpayers billions of dollars in legal fees and compensation – paid to Transurban – if the government scraps existing arrangements.
“What would make it simpler would be if the government bought Transurban because I think negotiating with them will be a pain,” he says. “We’d be lucky if we get a settlement by Christmas. Transurban doesn’t have to give up anything under current contracts, so how does this not go to the lawyers unless the government just completely caves?”
Safety probe into train death of hero dad, daughter
University of Sydney transport professor David Levinson said platform screen doors - such as those used by Sydney Metro - could prevent these types of incidents.
However, such technology was not only expensive but difficult to implement.
Sydney Trains technology is not automated and getting cars to align with the screen doors could be tricky as not all trains have doors located at the same place, Prof Levinson told AAP.
"The fleet would need to be fixed for a given line, reducing flexibility and (is) difficult to do because many platforms are curved."
Posts
Opinions: Emergency Streets
What if we treated car crash sites like disaster zones - by Kevin Krizek
News
French HSR Network Paralysed by Attacks (And this more recent in Guardian, and this essay in Crikey)
Sydney Metro opening delayed, will not be August 4, awaiting approvals from safety regulator.
Gas taxes can’t pay for roads much longer, but Amazon deliveries might
San Francisco looking at New Tax on Uber and Waymo [proportional to revenue, rather than distance, so it’s badly formed, since dead-heading doesn’t generate much revenue.]
Tesla that hit and killed Seattle motorcyclist was in 'Full Self-Driving' mode, police say. [Human driver was looking at cell phone and arrested.]
Though I lived in Minnesota for nearly 18 years, and I was aware of the existence of Tim Walz once he got elected to Congress, I have had no encounters with him, and he was elected Governor after I departed. He does however follow the rule of having a short last name.