War on Parking Just Got Real
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as NMA weekly E-Newsletter #717 in October 2022. Back in the 1960s: Joni Mitchell once sang: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” But city planners who once were blamed for creating space for cars are now reversing direction. The new […]
Taking the Politics Out of Speed Limit Setting: NMA E-Newsletter #724
All traffic is local, and nothing gets people riled up more than speed limits. The 85th percentile has been the standard for measuring speed limits for years. Due to pressure from groups such as Vision Zero and Complete Streets, this standard of measuring speed is losing ground in states such as California, Oregon, and Massachusetts, […]
Motorists Vote 2022: An Overview of US Motorist-Related Ballot Initiatives from the November 8th Vote: NMA E-Newsletter #723
Here is how Americans voted on ballot initiatives that the NMA outlined in Newsletter #719. The following election results came from Ballotpedia unless listed otherwise. Here are some articles from the national perspective on motorist and transportation issues: Voters Across the Country Support Public Transportation at the Ballot Box (APTA Center for Transportation Excellence) It’s […]
Will Gas Stations Survive the Evolution Towards Electric Vehicles? NMA E-Newsletter #722
We still need gas stations as long as we drive internal combustion engines (ICE). That’s obviously a given. According to Kelley Blue Book, though, automakers sold 576,000 EVs in the last nine months–a whopping 70-percent increase during the previous year. If we continue buying electric vehicles (EVs) at this pace, we will need electric […]
Motorists Vote 2022: An Overview of Ballot Initiatives around the US: NMA E-Newsletter #719
Mid-term elections on November 8th draw near. Here is a list of ballot initiatives that directly affect motorists around the country. No matter your political stance, the National Motorist Association encourages all motorists to vote in every local election. Remember–all traffic is local and your vote can make a difference in how streets and roads […]
War on Parking Just Got Real: NMA E-Newsletter #717
Back in the 1960s: Joni Mitchell once sang: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” But city planners who once were blamed for creating space for cars are now reversing direction. The new strategy is to “save paradise and take away a parking lot.” How did we get here? The only way to […]
California Looks to Cripple Supply Chains and Economy by Banning Diesel
By Lauren Fix, The Car Coach California Governor Gavin Newsom recently stated, “It’s a ‘Moral Obligation’ for California to ban diesel-powered trucks to rectify ‘Decades of Racist’ practices.” How does that make any sense? It doesn’t! The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering new regulations to ban the sale of all diesel semi-trucks by […]
Is the Car Bubble about to Burst?
By Lauren Fix, The Car Coach Car buying is not what it used to be, as shoppers find bare lots and inflated prices. The auto market is still short on supply and high on demand. Beyond the chip shortage there are shortages in tires, wiring harnesses, and plastic components. Government regulations are not helpful either. […]
New California Bill Will Pay Residents $1,000 for Not Owning a Car – This makes NO Cents
By Lauren Fix, The Car Coach A new California bill will pay residents $1,000 for NOT owning a car. SB457 has been proposed as a way to reduce traffic congestion and save the state money. While the bill may sound like a great idea on the surface, there are some serious concerns about it. For […]
The end of rush hour
Demand inevitably exceeds capacity, we’ve been told. That was never true and it’s especially not true now. Traffic volume is down 40% recently as people have nowhere to go. And rush hour is gone. UC Davis reported on changes in California traffic. With so many people staying home volume is down 40% and crashes and […]