Transportation in the River Valley dinner MEXICO — Region 9 truck driver instructor Eddy Naples and Ryan Kimball, culinary arts instructor, will host the second annual Transportation in the River Valley dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, at Region 9 Vocational School. Those involved in transportation in one fashion or another are invited. The last […]
transportation
Posted inMaine
Owners of hybrids, all-electric vehicles fume over proposed annual fee
Outraged vehicle owners piled into a public hearing Tuesday to denounce a bill from Gov. Paul LePage’s administration that would slap hefty annual fees on hybrid and all-electric vehicles. The Maine Department of Transportation has proposed annual fees of $150 for hybrid vehicles and $250 for electric cars because many owners pay lower gas taxes than drivers […]
advertisement
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston housing gets federal grant
Lewiston Housing Authority was awarded more than $200,000 in federal funding this week. U.S. Sen. Sen. Collins, chairwoman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, announced that the Lewiston agency received $213,539 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) grant program. Portland Housing Authority received $240,756. “Maine’s housing […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Senate rejects Nate Libby's pedestrian-safety bill
AUGUSTA — A bill to make more money available to municipalities for pedestrian-safety projects appeared dead after failing on an 18-17 party-line vote in the Senate Thursday. Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, sponsored the bill and said he is “increasingly disappointed” that lawmakers turned down the measure. The Maine Department of Transportation had said the new […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Nate Libby pushes for state funding of pedestrian safety projects
AUGUSTA — Hoping to reduce the number of pedestrians killed in Maine, state Sen. Nate Libby hopes to snag $5 million in transportation funds to help municipalities make safety improvements for those on foot. “Improvements to pedestrian safety have been consistently cut out of strained municipal budgets,” Libby said in a prepared statement Friday. A […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
What’s an autocycle? Maine lawmakers trying to figure it out
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers are pondering what to do with a proposal that would create a new class of on-the-road vehicle that amounts to a cross between a motorcycle and an automobile. There’s a push nationally to clarify the rules for so-called autocycles, which are basically enclosed, three-wheel vehicles that operate much like a car but […]
Posted inMaine
Bill could pave way for driverless buses in Maine
A bill before the Legislature would help set the stage for putting self-driving buses on the streets of Portland and other Maine communities within the next five years. The proposal, sparked by the Portland city manager’s interest in autonomous transit, is the first piece of Maine legislation to deal specifically with self-driving vehicles, according to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Treating Maine roads in winter makes them safer, but takes a toll on vehicles
Two or three dozen times each winter, plow trucks head out onto Maine’s highways and byways to remove snow from the pavement and throw down sand, salt and chemical mixes to try to make it safer and easier for drivers. The billion pounds of the stuff dumped on Maine roads each winter manage to melt […]
Posted inMaine
LePage’s plan to dissolve turnpike authority hits roadblock
AUGUSTA — Without dissent, a key committee urged the Legislature on Thursday to turn thumbs down on Gov. Paul LePage’s bid to fold the Maine Turnpike Authority into the Department of Transportation. With little time and not much evidence that the move would help, the Transportation Committee had no trouble recommending leaving the quasi-independent state […]
Posted inMaine
Legislators consider letting drivers make left turns on red
A bill being debated in the Legislature would allow drivers to make left turns at red lights when it’s safe to do so. AUGUSTA — Legislators are weighing a proposal to allow drivers to make left turns at red lights when it’s safe to do so. “I completely understand that this isn’t going to be […]