During the latter days of the Obama Administration, the FRA proposed a new two-man crew mandate. It would have required all trains — including passenger trains — to have both a train driver and conductor. The effort was widely seen as a gift to railroad unions. The Trump Administration quickly cancelled the rule-making effort — […]
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FRA once again proposing two-man crew mandate
Posted in transit, tagged FRA on November 18, 2022| 4 Comments »
Telecoms are big winners of infrastructure law
Posted in planning on November 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »
$65 billion. That is how much the telecom giants will get from the Infrastructure bill Biden just signed into law. Supposedly, this money was for expanding broadband service to rural areas. Past history predicts the telecoms will instead use the money in metropolitan areas, where they can earn higher ROI. The law has no restrictions […]
FRA withdraws plan for Washington Union Station expansion
Posted in planning, transit, tagged FRA on March 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The FRA has indefinitely postponed plans for a major expansion of Washington DC Union Station. The $7 billion project ran into a firestorm of criticism for its single-minded focus on car parking. There was no planning for improved bike/ped access, and only limited accommodation for intercity buses. Congresswoman Eleanor Norton sent a scathing letter which […]
How the FRA nearly derailed Denver’s rail system
Posted in transit, tagged FRA on September 6, 2020| 3 Comments »
Denver’s RTD A-line operates between downtown Denver and the Denver International Airport. The line was built as an FRA-compliant service, which was predictably a huge mistake. In this case, the problem wasn’t so much with unreliable tank-like trains but rather FRA shenanigans over the grade-crossings. Grade-crossings are a simple technology. The gate must come down […]
The most amazing Tour de France cyclist you probably never heard of
Posted in bicycling on April 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Today marks the anniversary of Italy’s liberation from Nazi occupation. There were many heroes in the resistance. One you may not have heard of is Gino Bartali, two-time winner of the Tour de France: Twice winner of the Tour de France and three times champion of the Giro d’Italia, the Italian cyclist’s greatest achievement was […]
France adopts mandatory helmet law for children
Posted in bicycling, tagged helmets on January 18, 2017| 2 Comments »
France has taken a u-turn in its efforts to promote safe and convenient cycling. Thanks to a new law, kids aged 12 and under will be required to wear bike helmet. Failure to do so risks a whopping 135 euro fine. The rule applies even to kids riding in a bike trailer. The new law […]
In San Francisco, the driver is never at fault
Posted in highways, tagged San Francisco on December 1, 2016| 3 Comments »
Just another day of vehicular carnage in San Francisco: Three pedestrians are recovering Thursday, after they were struck by motorists on San Francisco streets yesterday. In the first such case from Wednesday, two pedestrians were rushed to San Francisco General Hospital at 11:02 a.m. after a driver hit them. According to the San Francisco Police […]
Tour de France is much more exciting with obstacle courses
Posted in Uncategorized on July 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »
FRA two-person crew mandate would have major impact on passenger rail
Posted in transit, tagged FRA on March 15, 2016| 2 Comments »
The FRA has just published its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a two-person crew requirement. The original motivation for the rule was to ensure the safety of crude-oil trains; however, the FRA intends to apply the rule to all train types, including passenger trains. The FRA apparently is unaware that train conductors have become an […]
Systemic Failure 