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 […]
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 […]
The problem in the mirror
Here’s an actual incident from the Lincoln, Massachusetts police log: “Caller reported seeing a car driving down Goose Pond Road the previous night.” That is what it takes to have the police called on you in a well off town. Just being there. Harassing nonresidents is law enforcement’s raison d’être. That driver got away because […]
So this stripper walks into a bar…
I remember talking to a reporter in 2010. A late night accident in Worcester, Massachusetts left a young lady in the hospital. A decade later the legal dust has finally settled, leaving a lesson about why Massachusetts could be the best state to buy insurance in. I can tell it as an open-and-shut case. Late […]
Speed traps have an impact
Massachusetts continues its speeding ticket blitz and people are dying. Before the ticketing rampage fatal accidents were down in absolute numbers but up relative to the amount of traffic. Now they are up in absolute numbers too: 17 in the first three weeks of May compared to 14 in the same period last year. But […]
Open roads and speed traps
This week’s ignorance of the law award goes to the Massachusetts State Police, who said “Open roads are not a license to speed.” In fact open roads are a license to speed. Massachusetts has what is known as a prima facie speed law. Exceeding the speed limit is not against the law. Under ordinary conditions […]
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 […]
The lens of Damocles
The Massachusetts Senate is close to approving a bill allowing widespread use of ticket cameras. There were some preliminary votes a couple weeks ago. A slim majority seemed to support it, but perhaps in response to public comments a final vote was put off. Politicians hate it when voters find out what they’re up to. […]
Hide your phones
Massachusetts police won a victory over drivers recently with passage of a law banning touching electronic devices while sitting in the driver’s seat. Police had been frustrated by their inability to write tickets for disallowed types of phone use. They mostly caught drivers who were stopped and so oblivious they couldn’t see the police officer […]