Transit safety finally in motion
The Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration and Transporation Secretary Ray LaHood sent to congress and president Obama the administration's Public Safety Act over six months ago. Occassional reminders were sent about the Act's importance.
Accidents that result in employee's deaths, major crashes and a less that favorable review of our nation's capital's transit system was the reason the bill was authored. Peter Rogogg, a Transit Administrator says that other systems in the United States suffered from the same types of problems and that federal oversight was essential.
Last month, the Senate Banking, House and Urban Affairs Committee unanimously voted to send it to the full Senate. LaHood said that this is the first time a transit specific safety bill was sent to Congress by any administration.
"Today's milestone is the first major step in untying the hands of the Federal Transit Administration and allowing us to implement national safety standars," said Rogoff. "While transit is a safe way to travel, we still see many preventable accidents, including fatal accidents. We need these tools to ensure that tansit remains safe as our systems age and experience employees retire in increasing numbers."
Members from cities across the country make up an advisory committee that will assist the FTA in developing new policies. The committee will assist the FTA with its new authority to promulgate new transit safety requirements if the bill becomes laws.
