Free Republic

Labor Day weekend is usually one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, but who can tell anymore? Our roads are so overcrowded that a hectic holiday weekend is indistinguishable from an average weekday. Washington, D.C. is already the fourth most congested city in the U.S., behind only San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. Commute times during peak traffic hours are 51 percent longer than during off-peak times, meaning a trip that is supposed to take you 30 minutes takes over 45.

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2006-- Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc. announces today that its BIS-WDS(TM) Prime has been installed for live, passenger screening operation at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) Exchange Place PATH transit system station in Jersey City, New Jersey as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Rail Security Pilot Project's two week field demonstration of promising advanced technologies that detect explosives and other large weapons used to injure passengers or damage facilities and equipment, and that pose serious potential threats to the nation's rail systems. Brijot's product -- which provides full-motion,...

Despite revelations of unlocked gates, unmonitored security cameras, lack of security manuals and untrained personnel, officials for Valley Metro (the government agency running the transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan region) said they felt the system is fundamentally secure. "Our 'ace-in-the-hole' is our extraordinarily low ridership," said Bryan Jungwirth, Valley Metro deputy executive director. "We figure that no terrorist in his right mind would bother to attack our nearly empty vehicles when more attractive targets like sports stadiums, movie theaters, and public restrooms offer many more potential victims." Critics of Valley Metro's blasé attitude suggest that the concept "terrorist in...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Assembly Democrats, critical to the success of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $222 billion public works program, on Thursday questioned how the proposal's bond money would be repaid and said their spending priorities differed somewhat from the governor's. The issues were raised in a news conference after Democrats returned from their annual retreat and marked the start of serious closed-door negotiations over Schwarzenegger's so-called strategic growth plan, the centerpiece of his legislative agenda for the year. Democrats said they agree on the concept of a plan to rebuild California's public works, but offered only a sketchy outline of alternatives...

Let her ride without 'papers' We've never been keen on the idea of government officials demanding an ID from citizens going about their normal business. It reminds us of scenes from those old movies of World War II in which the hero, who has slipped onto a train in occupied Europe, finds himself confronted by some grim-faced official demanding to see his "papers

Rioting by Muslim youths over the last two weeks that has spread to 300 communities and resulted in the burning of thousands of motor vehicles was hailed by Earth First! as a positive step toward environmental protection. "Privately owned and operated automobiles are a prime source of the greenhouse gases that are leading to catastrophic global warming," said Joshua Greenpants, spokesman for the environmental activist group Earth First!. "The destruction of these vehicles will reduce these dangerous emissions." Greenpants said his organization is exploring options for extending the riots. "Most disturbances like this peter out after a short while," said...

Houston transit riders can carry guns 04:32 PM CST on Thursday, January 27, 2005 HOUSTON – Houston area residents licensed to carry concealed handguns can now take their weapons aboard buses and light rail trains. The board of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County on Thursday repealed its long-standing ban of concealed weapons. The transit authority, also known as Metro, had banned such weapons on its buses and trains since 1995, when the Legislature voted to allow licensed owners to carry concealed handguns in most public places. In 2003, the state amended the concealed handgun law to prevent Texas...

India's railway minister has come up with a novel excuse for the appalling safety record of the world's largest railway network - he blames it on Vishwakarma, the Hindu god of machines. Passengers travel on a crowded train in Calcutta "Indian Railways are the responsibility of Lord Vishwakarma," said Laloo Prasad Yadav. "So is the safety of passengers. It is his duty [to ensure safety], not mine." India's 67,000-mile rail network, on which 1.4 million people are employed, suffers from decades of chronic under-investment. Accidents - on average there are 300 every year - are a permanent hazard for the...

[snip]Gov. George Pataki announced yesterday that he and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg favor a plan to build a new rail tunnel under the East River to provide direct access to lower Manhattan from Kennedy Airport and Long Island, according to a story in Newsday.[snip]

Police reports for the first 25 vehicle accidents involving the Metro light rail reveal only one fact for certain: Aries are the safest drivers. The collisions began Nov. 19 although the light-rail system didn't open to the public until Jan. 1. The list keeps growing -- it hit 31 Monday -- but this roundup focuses on the 25 pioneers, a diverse group. Officers don't ask for drivers' horoscope signs, but a check of birth dates reveals no Aries among the crashers. But it seems Geminis like to drive on the wild side. There are two Marys and a Maria in...

Unless a judge intervenes, the only exit ramp ferrying traffic from the Southwest Freeway into Midtown and downtown will close this week for a three-year reconstruction, leaving drivers across the Houston region scrambling to find alternate routes. U.S. District Judge David Hittner is expected to rule as early as today on a request by area residents to force the Texas Department of Transportation to delay tearing down the inbound lanes of Spur 527. The West Alabama Quality of Life Coalition argues that the neighborhoods surrounding the spur and freeway will suffer "irreparable harm" from the flood of traffic looking to...

[beginning of article]The state will shut down the light rail line south of Camden Yards for about seven months, severing the city's rail link with Baltimore-Washington International Airport and forcing some Orioles and Ravens fans to find different routes to the stadiums. The shutdown from Feb. 28 until October will allow the Maryland Transit Administration to add a second track to portions of the line that have a single track. Single tracking has limited the frequency of trains and contributed to persistent low ridership.[snip]

The Arizona Republic, like virtually every big-city newspaper across the country, covers public transit on its news pages in a highly misleading way. Why is this? Is it due to a pro-transit bias, an ignorance of the facts, an adherence to a tired journalism formula, a reliance on the opinions of special-interest groups that have something to gain from public transit, or a combination of all of these reasons? Let's look at a couple of examples that may help to answer the question. The July 14, 2003, Scottsdale edition of the Arizona Republic carried a full-page story titled, "Bus riders...

<p>Santa Clara County leaders are considering a proposal to place a 1 percent payroll tax on the ballot as a way to bail out the financially strapped Valley Transportation Authority.</p> <p>The tax -- which could be on the ballot late this year or in 2004 -- would raise an estimated $600 million a year, more than enough to keep the buses running, expand light rail and bring BART to San Jose.</p>

DECEMBER 07, 22:18 ET NY Transit Union OKs Possible Strike NEW YORK (AP) — New York City transit workers have authorized union leaders to call a strike if contract talks with the city fail, union officials said Saturday. The union's executive board could make the decision Dec. 15, when the current contract expires, said union president Roger Toussaint. ``Our members moved a resolution to authorize the executive board of Local 100 to call a strike if all else fails,'' he said. Thousands of the 34,000 union members attended a meeting to vote on the resolution. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a...

Tampa streetcars running again A restored streetcar line opened Saturday, October 19 in Tampa, Fla., 50 years after the city scrapped its streetcar system. The yellow TECO streetcars link downtown with the Ybor City entertainment district. The $53 million project includes a 2.3-mile route with 10 stations. The line’s seven cars run every 7 to 15 minutes between the Marriott Waterside Hotel in downtown Tampa and 8th Avenue/20th Street in Ybor City. The line is initially expected to carry 950 riders daily; a mile of track remains to be completed.

If, like Willie Green, you are interested in public transit, I recommend visiting two great exhibits on the history of said topic. One is at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, a place I didn't know existed 6 months ago :-/ (natch, it's at a Metro stop), the other at the headquarters of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Center City Philadelphia. They are great exhibits and the book/gift stores aren't bad either. I bought books at both museums.