Safety
Basics
House and Senate Split on Approach to Obama’s Transit Safety Plan
After a year marked by discord between the House and Senate over the timing of the next federal transportation bill, another split emerged yesterday over the timetable for taking up the Obama administration's plan for federal involvement in transit safety oversight.
March 16, 2010
Fact-Checking the Toyota Hearing: Lower Speeds Increase Safety
Megan McArdle at the Atlantic, writing on today's Toyota hearing in the House oversight committee, hears Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood claim that "lowering the speed limit to 30 mph would not save any lives, which is why we have minimum speeds on highways."
February 24, 2010
Senators Warn of Possible ‘Federal Intervention’ in D.C. Transit System
Four senior members of the Senate Banking Committee today warned Washington D.C.'s transit agency that "direct federal intervention" in the local Metrorail system could be the next step if officials did not move to remedy an "unacceptable" safety record that includes a series of recent crashes and near-misses, capped by a derailment 10 days ago.
February 22, 2010
U.S. DOT Offers Sample Distracted Driving Bill — With a Potential Loophole
The Obama administration today offered a one-page sample proposal to crack down on texting behind the wheel, aimed at helping guide states through the process of crafting their own distracted driving legislation.
February 22, 2010
On the Pitfalls and Benefits of National Transit Safety Standards
The second hearing in three days on the Obama administration's proposal for national transit safety rules made headlines mostly for its affect on the Washington D.C. area, where Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D-MD) blistering critique of the local Metro rail system prompted high-level management switches.
December 15, 2009
White House Unveils Transit Safety Bill to Cautious Praise on the Hill
Lawmakers on the House transportation committee today greeted details of the Obama administration's transit safety plan with approval, but some sounded skeptical notes about the costs of state compliance with new federal rules even as transit agencies cope with billions of dollars in maintenance and repair backlogs.
December 8, 2009
Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Rules to Eventually Apply to Buses
The Obama administration's proposal for a new federal role in transit safety oversight would eventually apply to buses, although the first round of rules would be directed at subways and light rail, according to the U.S. DOT.
November 16, 2009
Hesitation and Praise Greet Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Plan
Details of the Obama administration's proposal to carve out a federal presence overseeing transit safety, first reported yesterday by the Washington Post, have yet to cross the desks of some top lawmakers and industry stakeholders. But reaction to the idea, both positive and hesitant, is plentiful this morning.
November 16, 2009
House to Tackle Transit Safety Gaps in December Hearing
The debate over setting national standards for transit safety -- which the federal government has yet to do -- will take center stage at a December 8 hearing of the House transportation committee's transit panel.
November 13, 2009
Report: After MN Collapse, Bridge Repair Got Just 11% of D.C. Earmarks
In the wake of the 2007 collapse of Minnesota's I-35 bridge, Washington policymakers vowed a renewed focus on repairing the nation's aging infrastructure. But weeks after the fatal collapse, Congress approved a transportation spending bill with 704 earmarked projects, at a total cost topping $570 million -- and just 11 percent of those earmarks went towards bridge repair, according to a new report released today.
November 12, 2009