War on Cars Watch for November 13, 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 […]

An Appropriate Balance for Whom? – NMA Readers Respond: NMA E-Newsletter #553

In “An Appropriate Balance for Whom?” (NMA E-Newsletter #552), we discussed HB 3663, a recently introduced bill to Congress that would require each state to fund its own program to prioritize walking and bicycle riding over vehicular traffic when designing new or upgrading existing roads. Data from the 2016 U.S. Census showed that more than […]

An Appropriate Balance for Whom?: NMA E-Newsletter #552

Eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced House Bill 3663 in mid-July. The proposed piece of legislation is titled, “Complete Streets Act of 2019.” It is no less than a mandate that all states implement policies to address “critical gaps in pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit infrastructure.” The Complete Streets protocol would prioritize […]

Officer Frank: NMA E-Newsletter #538

Editor’s Note: Over the years, the NMA has received occasional contact from law enforcement officers who have complained about department policies, sometimes crafted to avoid direct violation of state anti-ticket-quota laws, which force officers to write a predetermined number of citations during each work shift. The following commentary recently submitted to us by “Officer Frank” […]

A Forum About Modifying Speed Limits and Driver Behavior: NMA E-Newsletter #537

The April 15-16, 2019 conference in Ruckersville, Virginia was billed as a “national forum [seeking] to address the neglected problem of speeding.” The sponsoring organizations, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), are leading proponents of lowering speed limits with the goal of reducing highway fatalities to near […]

NMA Lobbying in DC, Part 1 – Reeling in Traffic Enforcement: NMA E-Newsletter #464

Enabled by contributors to our Spring 2017 Campaign, the NMA is pursuing its 2017-18 National Legislative Agenda in Washington. More precisely the current focus is on two of the agenda items – eliminating federally funded ticket blitzes and restricting the bounds of civil asset forfeiture. Part 2 of this newsletter in coming weeks will describe […]

Gotcha Speed Enforcement – Feds Are Complicit: NMA E-Newsletter #460

With great thanks to advocate Joe Bahen, the NMA played an active role in the development of the 2012-2016 Virginia Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). With the SHSP for the next five years now moving into the implementation phase, Joe continues to work with state officials to craft a safety roadmap that is effective and […]