Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates Spring 2021 Update
At the one-year anniversary of COVID-19’s official arrival in the United States, state governments face unprecedented budget shortfalls as they search for ways to raise revenues for transportation projects in the absence of the proper funds. The pandemic has kept people off of roads across the country, and transportation departments from Pennsylvania to Wyoming are […]
Can a Driver be too Courteous?
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as an NMA E-Newsletter #316 in February 2015. If you would like to receive the NMA E-Newsletter every Sunday in your inbox, subscribe HERE. Can a single driver influence the actions of an entire freeway full of cars? Maybe a better question is should a single driver exert such […]
The Zipper Merge—Coming to a Construction Zone near You
By guest writer Bob Morrow, NMA Montana Member Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in April 2018 as NMA E-Newsletter #499. If you would like to receive the weekly one-topic NMA Newsletter, subscribe today! The most controversial, or more accurately the least understood, highway driving maneuver sanctioned by transportation experts is the zipper merge. It […]
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 […]
Officials Pitch Wishful Thinking as Fact in Washington State Plan to Reduce Driving: NMA E-Newsletter #626
By guest writer Mariya Frost, Director, Coles Center for Transportation Washington Policy Center Editor’s note: This post first appeared on the Washington Policy Center Blog. The state Department of Commerce is very clear about its views on driving: officials must reduce or altogether eliminate people’s need to drive. In their latest draft of the state energy […]
Don’t Let Congestion Pricing Take Hold in the US
Before the pandemic, cities around the country were talking about implementing congestion pricing. Experts believe that charging a fee for parts of streets and highways used the most at the busiest times of day reduces demand. They believe that this tax incentivizes drivers to switch to other modes, other routes, or even travel at different […]
Are Tolls already a Done Deal when Officials ask for Public Comments?
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, funding new roads and bridges has been challenging. Inevitably, the idea of creating tolls to fund new builds or rebuilds comes up for discussion. Sometimes toll roads are ramrodded through with little public input as happened in Florida recently. Residents in San Clemente, California, have been organizing for years against […]
Rails-to-Trails and other Insights
By NMA Member Art Delagrange I retired at 55. Now approaching 80, I haven’t been able to cycle the last few years, but before that, I spent much time cycling, mostly on rail/canal trails. I have operated locomotives on rails that later became a trail and a shared rail & trail. I think rails to […]
The Selling of a Narrative
By Gary Biller, NMA President Editor’s Note: This post first appeared as a weekly E-Newsletter #591 from May 2020 and it was only sent to NMA members. If you would like to receive this weekly email, consider joining the NMA today. The media has never shied away from peddling stories that sell. Often in doing […]
Driving Across the Country in the Time of the COVID-19 Crisis and Civil Unrest
By Bob Morrow, Montana NMA Member In late May, I had to fly from Montana back to the Buffalo, New York area to pick up my dad’s car and drive it back to Montana. Dad is 84 and can’t drive anymore. I grew up near Buffalo, but I’ve been living in Montana for most of […]