California lawmaker wants to give the state its own high-speed Autobahn
LA TimesTraffic on the German motorway A95 near Munich, Germany last month. “Regardless of the merits of Senator Moorlach’s proposal, it would appear extremely difficult to justify the use of cap-and-trade funds for the project he proposes.” Moorlach said the use of the funds is justified, noting that having cars sitting in idle traffic on freeways increases greenhouse gas emissions. The maximum speed limit in California is 70 miles per hour, but Moorlach said the federal government has allowed other states to post higher speed limits. Anticipating concerns about traffic safety on freeways without speed limits, Moorlach cited a World Health Organization study that estimated road traffic deaths per 100,000 people is 4.1 in Germany, but 12.4 in the United States. Newsom said California has the ability to finish the first leg in the Central Valley, but that extending the rail line to Southern California and the Bay Area would “cost too much and, respectfully, take too long.” The project, approved by California voters in 2008, promised to speed riders from Los Angeles to San Francisco in less than three hours.
History of this topic
Newsom and state leaders stress high-speed rail progress amid new challenges
LA Times
High-speed rail is coming to the Central Valley. Residents see a new life in the fast lane
LA Times
California Lawmaker Wants Carmakers to Limit How Fast You Can Drive
Bloomberg
A bid to stop freeway expansions in California hits a roadblock: Organized labor
LA TimesCalifornia Politics: The $4-billion bullet train impasse
LA Times
California bullet train's latest woe: Will it be high speed?
The Independent
California bullet train’s latest woe: Will it be high speed?
Associated Press
Column: Bullet trains? Monorails? An end to speed limits? California’s transportation future is going to be a wild ride
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