now your trains will be late everyday and you will pay twice as much

[TheSovereign]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 59_pf.html

The Obama administration will propose that the federal government take over safety regulation of the nation's subway and light-rail systems, responding to what it says is haphazard and ineffective oversight by state agencies.

Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Transportation would do for transit what it does for airlines and Amtrak: set and enforce federal regulations to ensure that millions of passengers get to their destinations safely. Administration officials said the plan will be presented in coming weeks to Congress, which must approve a change in the law.

The proposal would affect every subway and light-rail system in the country, including large systems in Washington, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Administration officials said they are responding to a growing number of collisions, derailments and worker fatalities on subways -- and in particular to the fatal June 22 crash on Metro's Red Line and failures in oversight that have surfaced in its wake. Those failures have been the subject of an ongoing investigative series in The Washington Post.

[FlyingPenguin]

Actually I am shocked to learn that this isn't already the case.

[Lmandrake]

Actually, I work for a federal safety agency inside the Department of Transportation and put in a 12 hour day friday and a 12 hour day today working on an issue involving power steering failures on some big ass vehicles. If you would rather share the road with something that big that could suffer a power steering failure due to a manufacturing defect I will just stay home and let you take your chances.

Your insinuation that regulation would ruin public transit is typical but not well thought out. Moreover, just because your state DMV is a pain in the a** does not translate into the conclusion that all government workers are lazy, all regulation is bad and government can only screw things up.

Finally, you should consider that nothing gets regulated unless Congress appropriates the money to fund the regulators. Even if Obama wants DOT to regulate transit systems, Congress will have to participate. If you don't like it, write to your Congressional representatives. They do listen to constituents, especially since so few of them actually bother to write or email.

[EvilHorace]

IMO, anything that helps save lives is a good thing and I wish that more states, like mine had vehicle safety inspections for cars. I know that many accidents are caused by unmaintained junkers falling apart on the roads here or sliding out of control on wet, icy, snowy roads in winter due to bad tires.

[normalicy]

Actually I am shocked to learn that this isn't already the case.

Ditto. Especially since they are mostly all state funded.

[TheSovereign]

Ditto. Especially since they are mostly all state funded.

i think you guys missed it, LIGHT RAIL
as in the new york city subway, chicago subway, etc etc.

[normalicy]

Well, in St. Louis, our light rail (Metrolink) is heavily funded by the state. Not completely sure about other states.

[FlyingPenguin]

Again, what's wrong with uniform safety regulations at the federal level? Most forms of transportation are already (you don't have different standards of safety for oil tanker trucks in each state). As I said before, I'm amazed this isn't already regulated by the Fed.

[Pugsley]

Again, what's wrong with uniform safety regulations at the federal level? Most forms of transportation are already (you don't have different standards of safety for oil tanker trucks in each state). As I said before, I'm amazed this isn't already regulated by the Fed.

Actually you do. Not on oil trucks, but i know some states do not require a plate on your trailer. and other little things. If I lived in Michigan I would need a windshield wiper on my sand rail.

[FlyingPenguin]

True, there is some variety for personal vehicles (and California excels at exceptional rules for vehicles) but there are still uniform safety standards for their operation and construction. A fuel tanker needs to meet certain minimum safety standards to drive on US roads, irregardless of whatever additional laws pertain in individual states.