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Investigators at the scene of the June Metro crash in Washington D.C. (Charles Dharapak/AP)
Senator Charles Schumer supports the proposal, telling WBCS, "We have federal standards for highway safety, for airline safety, and having it for subway safety is a good thing." For balance, the news show also gets an insightful perspective from straphanger Mildred Chandler, who says, "I think too much is put on the federal government, that's my opinion." And the MTA issued a statement saying, "We look forward to working with (federal officials) and congress on practical and cost-effective ways to enhance safety."
The proposal was motivated in part by the fatal June 22nd crash on the DC Metro's Red Line. In an interview with the Washington Post, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, "After the [Metro] train crash, we were all sitting around here scratching our heads, saying, 'Hey, we've got to do something about this.' And we discovered that there's not much we could do, because the law wouldn't allow us to do it." And in recent months, the FBI has been riding the nation's rail and bus system with handheld radiological devices that detect nuclear and biological-weapons. One official tells the NY Post, "The nuclear, biological, chemical issue is now the most concerning and feared because of its mass-casualty possibilities."
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Sounds good.
Can't get much worse than the MTA.
More regulation and more oversight means more tax money poorly spent.
Let's launch millions of dollars into making subways safer. End result? Same shit, different day.
so there is nothing we can do but all go back to bed. bring my snuggie will ya?
We can hope that train operators will stop texting while driving, and go on with our lives. Cost? Zero.
No. We can try to remove all of the government largesse and break up the unions.
Is there anything Obama doesn't want complete control over?! Long 3 years ahead of us folks.
sounds good to me.
maybe he can start a WPA type program rehabilitating the elevated lines infrastructure and the neglected stations.
how hard is it to handle a paint roller?
You can throw all the government money and regulations you want at our subway stations. It will still take 10 years to rehab one station (Columbus Circle?) and they will still inevitably rebuild it the way it was: cramped and leaking.
but we're in a recession now, people need jobs.
bust those Unions reagan style I say. it's different now, people are willing to do anything for a well paying job.
I would think a complete overhaul and oversight would need to look at the Unions performance. and Management, too.
You realize that the WPA and TVA are generally considered failures/wastes of money, right?
Why repeat the same mistakes?
Not happening. OSHA wants respirators and contact irritation protection. EPA wants lead abatement and VOC capture.
"You know who else controlled an entire nation's transit system? Mussolini."
LOL, fan of "The Daily Show"?
I can see them saying that too!
If this fixes the walking disaster that is the MTA, I'm all for it.
This infringes upon my right to ride a dangerously unsafe subway train.
so instead of Albany and the state of NY determining how the MTA runs, we want states like Mississippi, Alaska, Montana to have a say as well?
You want wonks driving hummers from their mcmansion subdivs telling the MTA what to do.
Reading comprehension, people.
The proposal is simply that the federal government establish and enforce safety regulations on subway and light-rail systems.
It doesn't "give Obama complete control" of anything, it doesn't "give other states a say" in "how the MTA runs," it won't look at the performance of unions or management.
Just like there are federal regulations regarding air travel (even trips entirely within one state or even one city), there would be federal regulations regarding rail travel. That's all.
Are you familiar with politics?
There will be bills drafted with this in mind now and Schumer and so and so cutting deals so Chucky votes for a bill with money earmarked for so and so's state and Chucky gets what he wants.
Also, someone will have to oversee this, right? That person will be appointed and will have all of his buddies to help out.
Good luck. The NYC Subway is not a railroad.
Some light rails and have FRA oversight.
The PATH (former Pennsylvania RR) and LIRR are regulated by the FRA.
LIGHT RAIL! LIGHT RAIL! Idiots light rail is only a different version of trolley cars. Dedicated bus lanes will do the same thing. HOV lanes are suppose to do the same thing but with an individual approach.
The stuff they are talking about are safety issues. How many fools they already have looking over the situation?
Obama is clueless about everything around him. I just hope he lives out his term and lives long and happy just like Billie Carter.
Obama might be the only current major politician who could have taken the only free subway seat away from me, back in the day. It couldn't have been that long ago he was a regular rider on Chicago's CTA.
It might seem like a good idea, but the problem with federal standards is when they stop being the bottom floor to set minimum standards and become the ceiling. There is also a huge age difference in subway system like NYC (100+ years) and Denver (We have a subway system?).
I kind of agree with you. Can you put your same thoughts in a paragraph that I can understand?
OK.
Obama is the only current politician who could have been in the same subway car with me, when he was a Columbia University student.
To avoid local and state regulations special interest groups could find it easier to lobby for lower national standards.
Federal standards may not be applicable to mass transit systems due to the great differences in age and size.
You're Welcome.
clearly you have not ridden the mass transit systems in many large american cities.
(whoops.. was supposed to be a reply to inoyourider, post #1)
I clearly have.
The present-day MTA is garbage.
The only reason the subway is still working is because of work done decades ago.
As far as I'm concerned the Fed's should take the whole thing, and anyone currently employed by the MTA should be forced to find a more fitting line of work, like cleaning public bathrooms.
I blame Denzel Washington and John Travolta
I hope you aren't forgiving John Travolta's mustache.
i'm shocked...shocked i say. he truly is the best in the world at everything. there is not a single thing anyone can do that obama can't do better.