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, May 02, 2012
Study: Motorists Are Primary Contributors to Federal and State Tax Revenue
Motorists are pulling more than their own weight when it comes to paying for the nation’s roads. Public transit advocates frequently claim that various user fees do not capture the amount of money invested into the highway system and that taxpayers subsidize roads. A report released last month by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) shows that the opposite is true, that the automobile contributes more than any other manufacturing sector to the US economy.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Kentucky Supreme Court Strikes Down City Sticker Roadblock
Liberty may not set up roadblocks for the purpose of issuing tickets for failure to display a city sticker on an automobile, the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously ruled last Wednesday. The city had required all 1850 residents and anyone working within the city limits to purchase a sticker for $10 and display it on their automobile.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Opinion: When a Yellow Light is Too Long
Opponents of red light cameras argue that the primary reason vehicles run red lights is that yellow signal times are too short. By this, they mean drivers who come upon a light that has just changed from green to yellow do not have enough time either to comfortably come to a stop or proceed through to the other side of the intersection before the signal begins displaying a steady red. Some have taken the concept of “longer yellows” as a remedy for the problem to the extreme.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
DC, New Mexico, France: Speed Cameras Marked, Attacked
Another speed camera van in New Mexico has come under attack not long after a man in a nightgown shot at an automated ticketing machine with a handgun. On Monday, a vigilante in Rio Rancho hurled rocks at a photo radar SUV and rammed it with the edge of a ladder, KOAT-TV reported. The vehicles are owned and operated wholly by Redflex Traffic Systems, an Australian company.
Friday, April 27, 2012
California: Federal Court Takes on Photo Enforcement Hearsay Issue
California courts are split on the issue of whether US Supreme Court precedent invalidates evidence typically provided by red light cameras. The Court of Appeal, number-two in state’s the judicial hierarchy, issued a pair of rulings within a few weeks coming to contradictory conclusions on this question (view case). On Wednesday, US District Judge Josephine Staton Tucker issued the standard order laying down the rules for an upcoming court battle on this issue between motorist Michael Curran and the city of Victorville along with Redflex Traffic Systems (RTS).
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Election Day Politics Hold Up Federal Transportation Bill
US House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday appointed members to the conference committee that will attempt to work out differences between House and Senate versions of legislation funding federal transportation and transit programs. Agreement is unlikely. The US Senate on Tuesday appointed its members while unanimously replacing the entire text of the House transportation measure with the Senate’s language. “I am pleased that Senator Reid and Senator McConnell have once again shown the bipartisan approach that the Senate has demonstrated with our surface transportation bill, MAP-21,” Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-California) said in a statement.
