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2012 SESSION

12103849D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 185
Offered January 16, 2012
Memorializing the Congress of the United States to support a federal funding grant for development of new technology, hybrid systems of combined highway and monorail transportation methods and an amendment to 23 U.S.C. § 111(a), Agreements Relating to Use of and Access to Rights-of-Way – Interstate System.
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Patron-- Albo
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the country’s roadways are overwhelmed in many localities by the volume of vehicles traveling from place to place and it may be reasonably expected that complete gridlock may occur in some areas in the near future; and

WHEREAS, in the United States, rail use is marginalized by the burden of transferring from personal cars to trains, then arriving at a rail destination only to require an additional form of transit in order to reach a final destination, resulting in greatly diminished personal use of current rail systems; and

WHEREAS, the future of personal transportation could be greatly enhanced with the development of emerging technologies that combine today’s ordinary road vehicles with a “monorail” style, high-speed aerial guide way, such system being fully automated and powered entirely by electricity; and

WHEREAS, development of a system of hybrid transit holds the promise of benefitting all citizens of the United States by (i) providing an incentive for attracting private financing for future personal transportation construction and maintenance; (ii) allowing for unlimited, fully electric operation of personal vehicles with no carbon emissions or other pollutants with no dependence on foreign oil; (iii) significantly increasing average vehicle speeds; (iv) preventing traumatic injuries and saving thousands of lives each year; (v) reducing personal driving costs, per vehicle mile, by 25 percent; (vi) reducing federal and state, per vehicle mile, construction costs by 50 percent; (vii) eliminating dependence on foreign oil for personal vehicles when operating on the Hybrid Personal Transportation System; (viii) significantly increasing the number of personal vehicles operating within existing highway rights-of-way; (ix) vastly reducing the amount of new property necessary for additional highway capacity, thereby reducing environmental impact associated with additional highway development; (x) creating a new export technology; (xi) creating a substantial number of new jobs in the United States; and (xii) improving the overall quality of life for all who use such a hybrid system; and

WHEREAS, Virginia seeks to be the leader in new technologies and industries; and

WHEREAS, this hybrid personal vehicle system technology may be the “future” of transportation and therefore offers an initial innovator to become the world’s leader in this technology, thus creating thousands of jobs and millions in revenue for the people of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia proclaims its strong support for federal government funding for research and development of hybrid personal vehicle systems and supports incorporation of the following language as an amendment to 23 U.S.C. § 111(a), Agreements Relating to Use of and Access to Rights-of-Way – Interstate System:

“To the extent that no previously authorized structure above, below or within the rights-of-way of the Interstate System would be adversely affected by development within such rights-of-way, and to the extent that ordinary traffic operating upon the Interstate System would not be materially disrupted by development of such system, each state shall be granted discretionary authority to grant construction and tolling rights to operators of transportation systems consisting of a hybrid system of combined highway and monorail transportation methods.”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Congress of the United States be urged to support a federal funding grant for development of new technology, hybrid systems of combined highway and monorail transportation methods and an amendment to 23 U.S.C. § 111(a), Agreements Relating to Use of and Access to Rights-of-Way – Interstate System; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, and the members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.