(Michael Grabell, ProPublica) Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the homeland security committee, plans to introduce a bill in the coming days that would require a new health study of the X-ray body scanners used to screen airline passengers nationwide. The Transportation Security Administration began using the machines for routine screening in 2009 and…
(by Michael Grabell, ProPublica) Even if X-ray body scanners would prevent terrorists from smuggling explosives onto planes, nearly half of Americans still oppose using them because they could cause a few people to eventually develop cancer, according to a new Harris Interactive poll conducted online for ProPublica. Slightly more than third of Americans supported using…
(Washington, DC — Jim Hilgen, WAMU) In the days after the 9/11 attacks, one of the more eerie aspects of life across the country was the lack of airplanes roaring overhead. Most airports were shut down for two days. But Reagan National Airport, serving Washington, D.C. was closed for more than three weeks. Where were…
Air traffic controllers receiving reports about hijacked planes 30 minutes before the first plane struck the World Trade Center were one of the first groups of people who realized what was happening on 9/11.
Following a controversial decision to disable cell phone service, BART directors began mulling over when — if ever — to repeat that action in the future. But while members acknowledge the importance of free speech, one says: “it’s a post-9/11 world.”
The mayor of Boston says bike share program means “the car is no longer king.” A new report casts doubt upon rider and revenue projections for California’s high-speed rail system. Police in Manhattan started a “don’t text and walk” campaign. And has a bullet train crash in China spurred a microblogging revolution?
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said NYC DOT head Janette Sadik-Khan told him the Prospect Park West bike lane was temporary; she said that’s untrue. Chinese airlines are benefiting from high-speed rail delays. Automakers are complaining that the president’s fuel efficiency standards are too high. And: DC’s Metro wants to do more with social media.
Florida’s governor warns Sunshine State residents that they’ll be on the hook if a planned commuter rail project fails. Elevators in the NY MTA system are plagued by false alarms. São Paulo’s planned monorail might not be done in time for the 2014 World Cup. And: Boston will promote the expansion of its quiet car program with mimes. Shhh!
Metro’s board of directors is scheduled to cast its final vote on the transit system’s budget this morning, and that may include a cut for its Police Department – the first such reduction in at least six years. But while Metro’s crime fighting resources might be going down, its budget for terrorism prevention is going up.
DC Metro drivers say management isn’t responding to their safety concerns. Atlanta’s MARTA raised fares — big. Lawmakers agree that rail travel will never be as safe as air. And: Swedish automaker Saab, beset by financial problems, may not last much longer.
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Transportation Nation is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, whose Transportation Initiative is promoting
equitable and sustainable development in communities across the country. More at rockfound.org.
