Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Study: Road Debris Responsible For 500 Deaths
More people die in accidents caused by unsecured loads on commercial vehicles than from accidents involving right hand turns against a red light. According to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report released last week, highway debris was responsible for 200,000 automobile crashes and 500 deaths in four years. The foundation gathered data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration road accident databases and counted the number of incidents that were caused by objects falling into the roadway between 2011 and 2014.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
New York: Court Declares Toll Diversion Illegal
Motorists will no longer be forced to pay road tolls to fund New York’s 525-mile network of barge canals thanks to a federal court ruling handed down last week. The American Trucking Associations sued the state, arguing that road users have paid over a billion dollars in tolls that enriched the New York State Canal System without any tangible benefits for the highway system. US District Court Judge Colleen McMahon agreed that the diversion of tolls for non-motoring purposes was unconstitutional.
Monday, August 15, 2016
France, Italy: Speed Cameras Sabotaged
In Veggiano, Italy, vigilantes took out a set of five speed cameras with black spraypaint last week Sunday. According to Il Gazzettino, the orange “Velo OK” brand photo radar columns had just been placed a month ago on the Via Pedagni, Via San Martino, Via San Zeno and two on the Via Sant’Antonio.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Report Examines Equity In Toll Road Deals
States have increasingly turned to tolling as a solution to heir funding and infrastructure problems. Private tolling companies end up with very little skin of their own in the game when making deals to take over roads, according to a report released Wednesday by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. The group reviewed the US Department of Transportation’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) federal loan program and found that the two dozen toll road projects it financed with taxpayer dollars had an average value of $1.3 billion but the average equity investment was just $183 million, or 14 percent.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Ohio Lawyers Push For Restitution In Illegal Camera Case
An Ohio judge last month refused to garnish the profit from speed camera tickets, so lawyers in the case against the town of New Miami have upped their demands. Attorney Charles H. Rittgers last week formally insisted that the judge order New Miami to pay back every cent that was unlawfully collected from motorists — $3,066,523.55. That represents a significant increase from the $1.8 million previously sought.
