Please read this blog and let us know what you think by commenting below! Check out the NMA’s War on Cars Watch Facebook Page where we feature a story a day!

Regular comments after articles comes from NMA Communications Director Shelia Dunn and the italicized comments throughout the Watch comes from NMA Member Michael Jabbra (marked with an MJ).

• Streets for All Coalition unveiled to advocate for safe, clean mobility (Vision Zero Watch) – the coalition was announced at last week’s SXSW.
• New Report Uncovers a Shift from Car Culture to Mobility Culture – Wishful thinking perhaps?
• Why Bicycling Has Flatlined – the writer says it is due to not enough inclusion.
• Inside 100 million police traffic stops: New evidence of racial bias –a second study in a year, but do we need new studies—perhaps we need real solutions with real actions in communities across the country.
• Editorial: Abolish Parking Minimums (War on Cars Watch) –Yep…pretty soon they will get us out of our cars because we can’t park them.
• Why Lyft Would Prefer You Take a Scooter –much cheaper and easier to manage than ridesharing cars with and without drivers.
• Editorial: New York has a bold plan to ease traffic. Other cities should follow its lead. —this is from the Washington Post supporting congestion pricing.

International

• New safety rules enable connected and automated mobility on EU roads (Vision Zero Watch) – what happens in Europe could possibly happen across the pond someday…
• Edmonton, Canada Editorial: I want more than speed traps; new cultural approach needed for residential speeding –interesting take on the speeding issue
• Montreal to reduce speed limits to improve pedestrian and cyclist’s safety (Vision Zero Watch)
• Saudi women’s driving-rights activists stand trial – this just makes us angry and sad!

California

• California DMV Warns of ‘Summer Surge’ as People Seek REAL IDs
• Bill (AB516) proposed in California State Assembly would eliminate tow-practices that harm low-income people
• More Protected Bike Lanes Coming Soon to Los Angeles County (Vision Zero Watch)
• On-Street Drop Zones for Dockless Vehicles Established in Downtown Los Angeles
• Berkeley, CA: Community looks for answers amid increased concerns about traffic safety (Vision Zero Watch)
• Los Angeles: Mid City West Community Council asks for study of Fairfax Asterisk
• Los Angeles wants to track your scooter trips. Is it a dangerous precedent?
• Mill Valley, CA to keep one-lane stretch on Miller Avenue despite fire concerns (War on Cars Watch)
• San Francisco: So Far, 2019 Vision Zero Deaths Outpace 2018 (Vision Zero Watch)
• Safety Advocates Rip San Francisco’s Vision Zero Strategy (Vision Zero Watch)
• San Francisco: Parking along Howard Street removed where cyclist died
• San Francisco: Protected bike lane in SoMa completed in record time
• San Francisco wants to add tax to Uber and Lyft rides

Colorado

• Boulder County, Colorado to present staff suggestions for Transportation Master Plan updates: Meeting on Wednesday

Delaware

• Delaware: Wilmington City Council wants evaluation of city’s downtown parking lots

District of Columbia

• Five Takeaways From Washington Vision Zero Traffic Safety Summit (Vision Zero Watch)
• New bus lanes coming this summer to downtown DC traffic

Florida

• I’ll give up booze, Netflix, even sex to avoid traffic jams, South Florida drivers tell new train service survey

Georgia

• Legislation would impose tougher fines for motorists who park, drive in bike lanes in Atlanta

Illinois

• Chicago: Next mayor should pick mobility chief to handle issues like electric scooters, self-driving cars: report
• New Chicago Task Force Report Has Guidelines for Shared Mobility and AV Policy

Louisiana

• Louisiana Editorial: Small-town speed traps aren’t solutions to town’s problems —The New Orleans based newspaper got this right!

Massachusetts

• Disjointed Traffic Signals Frustrate Boston Drivers
• Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition Takes on Vehicle Data in New Bill

Nevada

• $25M downtown Las Vegas street upgrades start Monday (Complete Streets Watch)

New York

• NY Senate, Assembly take shots at Governor Cuomo’s congestion pricing plan for NYC
• NYC DOT Commissioner: Bike Lane Delays are not About the Money but about the buy-in from the community (War on Cars Watch)
• New York City Neighborhood Group Calls for Amsterdaming Most of Lower Manhattan (War on Cars Watch)
• Flushing Queens, NY: CB 7 members raise concerns of new city’s bicycle lane network announced by DOT officials
• Why the NYPD Will Stop Responding to Minor Accidents on Staten Island

Oregon

• Protesters want Oregon DOT to adopt Vision Zero plan (Vision Zero Watch)

Pennsylvania

• Bike lanes, speed cameras, and traffic enforcement: Philadelphia City Council moves ahead on safe streets issues (War on Cars Watch)

South Carolina

• Myrtle’s Beach, South Carolina: Fewer lanes and slower speeds being proposed for Kings Highway (War on Cars Watch)

Texas

• Once again, Texas lawmakers target fees for driving offenses (HB1145)

Virginia

• Virginia: I-66 toll lane bike path structure comes into focus
• Data Show Disproportionate Contacts between Richmond, Virginia Police and African-Americans

The “Mobility” movement completely ignores the fact that a large majority of commuters in most cities value the shortest door-to-door travel time inside a quiet vehicle with minimal exposure to hot, cold, rainy, windy, or snowy weather. A 20-something single may be happy riding a scooter to work in the rain – the same will not be true for most older adult middle class workers.