Posts about Transit
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WMATA Board not at fault for crash, but needs to step up
The NTSB’s meeting on the 2009 Red Line Crash continued this afternoon with even more troubling revelations. They also criticized the Board’s lack of safety oversight, which seems unfair for before the crash, but the Board does need to step up now that they know there are problems. WMATA top management seems to have tragically ignored safety warnings and potential… Keep reading…
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NTSB blames track circuits, safety culture for Red Line crash
The National Transportation Safety Board is issuing their official findings from the June 2009 Red Line crash today. In this morning’s session, they criticized WMATA officials, the agency’s safety culture, and even the Board and Congress in the strongest terms. They identify track circuit failures as the cause of the crash, and furthermore, these “parasitic… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Transcend the mediocre
Buy now; Midcity?; Truck driver in Swanson incident arrested; Barry the blocker; Changing behavior in Paris without government; And…; Fair use and prior restraint. Keep reading…
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DDOT FOIA officer wasting time stonewalling basic request
Councilmember Mary Cheh’s investigation into the DC government’s FOIA practices turned up countless examples where the Fenty administration seems to fight FOIA requests just for the sake of keeping information away from people. I’ve been caught in my own “Kafkaesque” FOIA experience after trying to request information about bus stop placement… Keep reading…
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Leggett doesn’t agree with his own DOT?
Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett doesn’t agree with his own administration’s policies, or at least that’s what he said in his responses to a questionnaire by the Action Committee for Transit. ACT asked, Do you approve or disapprove of County traffic engineers’ current policy of giving equal priority on the road to autos that carry a few… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Wet and muddled
What a storm; No IZ units yet; Communication train wreck continues in slow motion; Will Latino museum be interesting?; Living close to transit is cheaper; Photography legal despite what guards say; And…. Keep reading…
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Weekend reading: Hauling freight
While American passenger rail often leaves much to be desired, our freight rail network is second to none. This privately owned and operated network often finds itself at odds with desires for increased passenger service and high speed operations. Hauling the Freight: Freight rail companies have been reluctant to embrace the recent enthusiasm for high speed rail. … Keep reading…
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Photo of the week: Yes, it is
Jeff Speck sent along this button from Sustainable Urbanism‘s Doug Farr. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: DC’s contentious processes
Solar panels not historic; Rezoning the bear; The VA debate continues; Bike sharing stations not dense enough?; LaRecap of LaHood; Working around broken escalators; New York safety; Red card for driving. Keep reading…
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7000 series designs sacrifice capacity for vague safety
The team working on the 7000 series, the next generation of Metrorail railcars, has chosen to keep the current “transverse” seating instead of switching to a “longitudinal” arrangement based on unquantifiable safety benefits. In doing so, they’ve given up the opportunity to substantially increase Metro’s capacity as overcrowding gets… Keep reading…