The Effort to Dictate How We Live: NMA E-Newsletter #655
While we have warned about the Vision Zero and Complete Streets mission to force people out of their cars in many previous writings, that goal has not been stated in starker terms than those used by the Shared Mobility Principles For Livable Cities. Its mission, published by an international coalition of over 150 agencies, organizations, […]
Equity and Sustainability
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in March 2021 as NMA E-Newsletter #637. If you would like to receive the NMA’s weekly one-topic newsletter, subscribe HERE. Those are the buzzwords used frequently by city transportation officials as they seek to achieve “complete streets” nirvana. Before we attempt to define the overused terms, it is essential […]
Equity and Sustainability: NMA E-Newsletter #637
Those are the buzzwords used frequently by city transportation officials as they seek to achieve “complete streets” nirvana. Before we attempt to define the overused terms, it is essential to know why they are more in vogue now in transportation and urban planning circles than ever before. In December, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed […]
The Orwellian Era of Transportation Planning: NMA E-Newsletter #629
By Christopher M. DiPrima, NMA Board Member George Orwell’s seminal 1984 has defined political discourse for over 70 years. Among the book’s most prescient concepts is doublethink, the practice of using contradictory terminology to obscure the government’s actions. In 1984, the Ministry of Peace propagates war; the Ministry of Plenty rations goods; the Ministry of […]
So This is What Complete Streets Comes Down To?: NMA E-Newsletter #573
The Complete Streets Act of 2019, U.S. House Bill 3663, is creating a lot of rhetorical questions on our part. In NMA E-Newsletter #552, the title question was “An Appropriate Balance for Whom?” in response to the bill’s declaration that the needs of walkers and bike riders must be accommodated before those of drivers on […]
The Problem with Road Diets
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared in the NMA Driving in America Blog in February 2018. Over 80 percent of adult Americans drive and driving is the number one way most Americans travel today. Five out of the top 10 most congested cities in the world are from the U.S. and that is why cities […]
What about Speed Limits?
Editor’s Note: This blog post first appeared on NMA’s Driving in America blog in February 2018. Have you ever noticed while driving that generally the experience is fairly civil? Not too much chaos…not too many drivers overdoing it. We all drive along because in reality we just want to go where we need to go […]
War on Cars Watch for November 6, 2019
The War on Cars Watch is a weekly feature of the NMA blog. The War on Cars Watch focuses on road diets, traffic calming and programs such as Vision Zero and Complete Streets as well as studies, court cases, and other news that affect motorists. Special commentary from NMA California Member Michael Jabbra is […]
Transportation Engineers Debate Vision Zero, Part 2: NMA E-Newsletter #564
Last week in Part 1, we shared some posts made on the Institute of Transportation Engineers Member Forum that started a debate about the efficacy of the Vision Zero goals. The discussion in that thread — “A ‘War on Cars’? Let there be Peace!” — was too varied and interesting to fit into the contents […]
Transportation Engineers Debate Vision Zero, Part 1: NMA E-Newsletter #563
Buckle up and get comfortable. This will be a bit of a journey. We recently became aware of a fascinating thread on the ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers) Member Forum titled, “A ‘War on Cars’? Let there be Peace!” Access to the Forum is restricted, but we were able to capture much of the debate […]