How to Fight Speed Bumps, Humps, and Cushions Part 2
By California NMA Member Stacey Charlton In Part 1, we learned the difference between speed bumps, humps, and cushions. Overseas they are called “sleeping policemen.” There are many disadvantages to these so-called road hazards/control devices …I mean speed calming devices that are not clearly disclosed through a city’s public work’s engineering department. This series of […]
Traffic Safety is the Responsibility of All – Not Just Motorists: NMA E-Newsletter #674
In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB122, a bill that would have enabled bicyclists to utilize the Idaho Stop (using stop signs as yield signs if no cars or pedestrians are present). Newsom cited safety as the primary reason for the veto: “While I share the author’s intent to increase bicyclist safety, I am […]
How to Fight Speed Bumps, Humps and Cushions Part 1
By California NMA Member Stacey Charlton Speed bumps, humps, and cushions are the common names for traffic calming/control devices that lie in the street in both a vertical and horizontal plane to make drivers slow down. The many disadvantages to these road hazards are not always clearly disclosed through a city’s public works, traffic engineering, […]
A Data-Driven Approach to Transportation Safety Part 1: NMA E-Newsletter #670
By Randal O’Toole, The Antiplanner Editor’s Note: The NMA has received permission to post this report on recent findings on traffic safety in the US. Parts 2 and 3 will be featured in subsequent weeks. About 20,160 people died in traffic accidents in the first half of 2021, according to an early estimate released last week by the […]
Over Engineering Speed Limits
By an Anonymous NMA Member from Arizona The government recently lowered the speed limit on my main street from 45 to 40. I calculated that if I lived to the same age as my mother, the reduced speed limit would cost me five days of productive life. Not enough to worry about, but it’s the […]
Overland Park, KS: Future of US Highway 69 and the Proposed Express Toll Lanes: NMA E-Newsletter #647
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director On a recent Saturday evening, I spoke at a concerned-citizen Zoom meeting on the planned express toll lanes for US Highway 69 in Overland Park, Kansas. In researching the topic and listening to local residents and commuters, I thought it would be appropriate to write about the difficulty in […]
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 […]
Big Bike and Common Sense
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This piece first appeared as NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #578, which was emailed to NMA members on February 9, 2020. If you would like to receive the weekly E-Newsletter, a one-topic dive into an important aspect of motorists’ rights, become an NMA member today! When did traffic safety become […]
Pushback on Vision Zero in Los Angeles
By John Russo, Co-Founder, and Director of KeepLAMoving and KeepTheUSMoving Last week the Los Angeles Times ran an article about the failure of the city’s Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic deaths over the last four years. Since Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the initiative in August 2015, pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are up substantially, with […]
Do Vision Zero Programs equal more Traffic Accidents?
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This post first appeared as Newsletter #559 on September 29, 2019. This post includes a few updates. Many cities and states around the country have adopted a Vision Zero program which strives for zero traffic deaths, usually by a specific year. Some of the oldest programs, though, […]