The latest transportation news from The Texas Tribune.
Property taxes clearly have the attention of Texas voters, and not in a positive way, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And they are not particularly happy with business taxes, either. Full Story
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The day before Texas lawmakers begin considering a major transportation bill, state leaders made a concerted push for the measure as part of a larger effort to boost much-needed highway funding. Full Story
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A group of state lawmakers have filed legislation that would allow Tesla to sell its luxury electric cars at as many as 12 stores in Texas, renewing the California-based company’s challenge to a state law protecting franchised auto dealers. Full Story
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The firm hoping to build a privately financed high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston announced its preferred route Tuesday. Texas Central Railway hopes to be transporting Texans between the two cities by 2021. Full Story
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Former state Rep. Tryon Lewis and San Antonio banker J. Bruce Bugg Jr. will replace Chairman Ted Houghton and Commissioner Fred Underwood on the Texas Transportation Commission. Full Story
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Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and Xerox surprised senators Wednesday by reporting that 30,000 drivers with valid TxTag accounts were erroneously mailed bills for using the state’s toll roads. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Transportation Chairman Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, unveiled a plan Wednesday to boost transportation funding by dedicating some of the sales tax already collected on car sales to road work. Full Story
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More than 30 families who have lost someone to distracted driving gathered Tuesday at the state Capitol to rally support for legislation that would ban texting while driving in Texas. Full Story
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Texas's tendency to privatize state services has led to contracting scandals erupting regularly. But a history of cost overruns or bad performance hardly bars a company from winning future jobs. Full Story
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Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and Xerox, the company handling the state's tolling operations, said Thursday that fixes to customer service and billing issues were in the works. Full Story
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Monopolies are bad for consumers, both sides fighting over whether Tesla Motors should be allowed to sell its cars directly to Texans agreed Wednesday. But monopoly is in the eye of the beholder. Full Story
Full video of my 1/27 conversation with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who talked about the change in Senate rules, vouchers, tax relief, transportation funding, open carry and more. Full Story
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More than a thousand Texas bikers descended on the Capitol on Monday to present lawmakers with their legislative agenda for this session. Not surprisingly, they want looser traffic laws for motorcyclists. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Transportation has spent about $10.6 million in education costs since 2002, nearly half what state agencies have spent in total on tuition reimbursements and other educational programs. Check out our breakdown. Full Story
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Only one private company in the state has the power to condemn and take land for a toll road. Following public backlash over its proposed road near Dallas, state Rep. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale, wants to take that power away. Full Story
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Entrepreneur Elon Musk said Thursday that Texas is in the driver's seat for a test track for a transportation system known as the Hyperloop. He also said that a SpaceX facility wouldn't have been built in Texas without economic incentives. Full Story
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Here's video of Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith's Thursday interview of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the 10th annual Texas Transportation Forum. Full Story
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If fans of Dr Pepper and the Fort Worth Zoo don't get it in gear, their chance to buy specialty license plates might soon be gone. The Houston Rockets are hanging by a thread. Full Story
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For this week's playlist of the news, we’re using our reporters' own predictions for 2015. Kicking things off: “The Best Is Yet To Come,” by Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, backed up by the Count Basie Orchestra. Full Story
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There's no doubt that Gov. Rick Perry has left his mark on the state’s approach to funding roads. Aman Batheja writes that under Perry's leadership, Texas has been the country’s most aggressive supporter of tolling and private-sector investment in transportation. Full Story
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