SAFETY * USA - Study: Mass. transit passenger put in peril
"Maintaining the fleet is a Herculean and expensive task, particularly since it is aging and many vehicles are due for overhauls or replacement"
Boston,MASS,USA -AP, by GLEN JOHNSON -5 Nov 2009: -- A sweeping review of MBTA finances found the largest transportation provider in Massachusetts has relied on an overly optimistic and unsustainable financing model that now is compromising safety because it cannot fund critical maintenance and equipment replacements... The scathing 36-page review classified 51 projects as "a danger to life or limb of passengers and/or employees" and suggested prioritizing those subway, bus and commuter rail repairs... On the subject of safety, the report noted that MBTA trains, subway cars and buses provide 1.2 million rider trips each weekday... The T has identified over $3 billion worth of projects that need attention under its "state-of-good-repair" program, but it has funded only 15 of those 201 projects_ worth just $203 million. The other 94 percent of projects went unfunded... "It stands to reason that an aging, complex and underfunded transportation system will have to confront unpleasant surprises that can result in safety hazards and service delays," the report adds... (Photo from policy.rutgers.edu: Boston SL street)* Missouri - Move faster on bus safety
Kansas,Missouri,USA -The Kansas City -5 Nov 2009: -- It’s not often you find one federal agency criticizing another, but that’s what happened after the investigation of a 2008 motor coach crash in which 17 people from Texas died en route to a southwest Missouri music festival... The National Transportation Safety Board, which looks into crashes and recommends safety improvements, recently admonished the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for doing too little on motor coach safety... The well-placed criticism must lead to changes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, whose job is to issue manufacturing safety standards for highway vehicles, should move quickly to implement improvements... The only response has been a statement from the traffic safety administration that soon it will propose a requirement for motor-coach seatbelt installation, and it will do more to reduce driver fatigue and inattention... Unfortunately, not mentioned was the issue of roof strength standards, which safety officials say should be improved to provide more passenger protection in rollovers. Certainly, new vehicle manufacturers should incorporate safer roofs... (Photo from metrojacksonville: Kansas City MAX Bus Rapid Transit -BRT-)* Illinois - Unsafe school buses still on road
Chicago,ILL,USA -Chicago Breaking News Center -November 5, 2009: -- As many as 2,000 school buses with potentially serious safety problems are still transporting students even though a bus manufacturer and government safety regulators have known about some of the recalled parts for as many as eight years, the Tribune has found... It has taken that long for officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to track down the company responsible for the recalls and force it to fix the problems, which are found in smaller buses around the country often used to transport disabled children... The federal recall process can be lengthy, but this delay is especially troubling because the safety problems seem so clear and the recalls took so long, experts in traffic safety said... For example, seat backs on some buses do not meet strength requirements, which could lead to more serious injuries in a crash; seat belt anchors also aren't strong enough and can become detached from the floor or wall; and wheelchair lifts in some of the buses are defective, according to records from NHTSA...
Labels: buses' safety, safety on buses
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