NTSB Chairman Takes Journalists To Task Over Less-Than Savvy Questions

Tejinder Singh – AHN Correspondent Washington, DC (AHN) – Some members of the media got flak from National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman for the way they cover the aviation and transportation accidents at a Luncheon on Nov. 16 at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. Hersman was critical of the “reporters at the accident sites who don’t routinely cover transportation,” pointing to some of the less-than-savvy questions NTSB officials have received while on scene, including, “Who makes 747s besides Boeing?” “What kinds of planes make those white lines in the sky?” and “Who was steering the train?” “We understand the need to solve the puzzle in the early hours of an accident, and we know your editors and producers want you to be the first to get the ’cause’ of the accident, but what is the cost to your credibility if you are the first to get the cause wrong? We have learned from experience that first impressions can be wrong,” she said. She said she understands that in today’s tough journalistic climate, “we don’t have the luxury of having only transportation experts cover our work. These reporters are very good surrogates for the public who, although they rely on our transportation system every day, often have a limited understanding of how it operates and how safe it is.” The question, Hersman asked, is how do we provide important accident information responsibly? “As you know, the NTSB has been investigating major transportation accidents for more than 42 years, and in that time we’ve held thousands of press briefings near the accident scenes,” said Hersman, “I appreciate this opportunity to meet with journalists outside the atmosphere of a major transportation accident Â… I am often asked about how I feel about working with the press. I have to say, in the beginning, it was quite intimidating to stand in front of a bank of 20 microphones in a room full of cameras with reporters firing questions at me. ” She said that after accompanying NTSB teams to 17 major accidents in the last 5 years – ranging from the collision of two Washington Metro trains at Woodley Park Station in September, the mid-air collision involving a sightseeing helicopter and single engine plane over the Hudson River that killed 9 people in August -  she said she had the opportunity to see her staff and the press corps in action. Hersman called the present times as “an interesting time for journalism,” explaining that it is “not because tomorrow is the 275th anniversary of the arrest of John Peter Zenger for liable, a case that is still celebrated as a hallmark freedom of speech. And not because we can now get our local TV news in high definition, and not even because Rush Limbaugh wanted to buy an NFL franchise,” adding, “No, these are interesting times in a proverbial sense because just as many American businesses are restructuring, so too are our nation’s news media.” “Even in this changing environment, when you are being asked to re-invent yourselves on a regular basis, I hope you continue to achieve the professional satisfaction you sought when you became a reporter,” Hersman noted. Earlier Hersman, who joined NTSB in June 2004 and took over as its chairman in July 2009, was introduced to a select audience of journalists and others by Donna Leinwand, President of the National Press Club, as one who leads an independent federal agency, the NTSB, charged with finding out why planes crash and trains collide. “She is a frequent presence on TV where she outlines the facts of crashes, explains technical details in laymen’s terms and lays out the next steps in investigations,” Leinwand added.  Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Rail Worker Killed On Day 3 Of Philadelphia Transit Strike

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Philadelphia, PA (AHN) – A Philadelphia rail worker died after being hit by a train on Thursday, the third day of a strike by the biggest union of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). According to the transit agency, service was suspended on the Warminster (R2), West Trenton (R3) and Lansdale/Doylestown(R5) lines midmorning because of the death, which occurred near Melrose Park. The three lines began operating between Center City and Fern Rock just before noon, and resumed running in both directions about an hour later. SEPTA has not released details of the death, but KYW radio cites an agency spokesman as saying the incident happened while the victim was walking southbound with a fellow worker on the tracks, and a train that had been forced to operate on the northbound track because of a glitch. The death comes a day after three SEPTA crew members were brought to a hospital for observation because a fire in a train running the Paoli/Thorndale line. A fire broke out during Wednesday’s morning rush hour in the lead car of a four-car train about a mile east of Overbrook Station. About 1,000 passengers were evacuated from the train, but none, including the three transit workers, were injured. An investigation is still underway, but SEPTA’s Assistant General Manager for Public and Operational Safety, James Jordan, says the fire was “accidental.” Wednesday’s commute was also marked by the opening of schools after a a day-long teacher seminar. Included in the day’s difficult commute were students, teachers and administrators of the School District of Philadelphia, who were returning after a “professional development day” for staff. The Transport Workers Union Local 234 began their strike early morning on Tuesday, only hours after Philadelphia hosted the World Series. The walkout has disrupted trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34 and 36, and all lettered city transit bus routes as well as 1 through 89. Owl service and Frontier Bus routes 90 through 99 have also been affected. But regional rail is operating, as well as bus, trolley and high speed lines in suburban areas, except route 116. The green and gold loop service from 30th Street Station into University City is also still running. TWU’s contract expired on March 15, without any new agreement despite talks with SEPTA since December last year. The contract covers 4,700 bus, subway and trolley workers in the city. The union wants a 4 percent annual pay raise and a $25-per-month increase in pension payments for each year of service. It originally sought a 6 percent annual wage hike. But transit officials had proposed no pay raises for the next five years, and then offered a 2 percent increase for the third and fourth years of service. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell had intervened over weekend and successfully convinced both sides to continue negotiations. He said on Tuesday that TWU leaders had rejected a “sensational” contract offer. “It was an excellent contract, but union leadership walked out on a big victory for their members,” Rendell said. “They are not in touch with the economic conditions affecting all of us.” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s office had activated the city’s emergency operations center but on Thursday deactivated the EOC and said it would not activate it for the remainder of the strike. However, parking restrictions in selected locations ares still suspended, and so are the temporary rules increasing the number of vehicles that offer taxicab service. Nutter has also partnered with the Bicycle Coalition, which is urging commuters to use their bikes, and is offering parking corrals, fee coffee and bike maps at a “Bike the Strike” station in Dillworth Plaza at City Hall. SEPTA serves 3.9 million riders in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia. Rising unemployment and the recession nationwide has prompted many transit agencies to lay off and implement cost cutting measures. SEPTA suffered declining commuter traffic as well but posted a 1 percent increase in ridership in the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. The additional trips translated to $12 million, or 3 percent more in revenues. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Train Fire, School Reopening Aggravate Philadelphia Transit Strike

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Philadephia, PA (AHN) – A fire in the train traveling the Paoli-Thorndale route during the morning rush gave Philadelphia commuters more reason to worry on Wednesday, the second day of a strike by transit workers. Public schools in the city also opened after closing for a day for a pre-scheduled teacher seminar. A fire near Overbrook Station halted service on the R5 and R6 lines, according to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Service was restored two hours later. SEPTA’s train view service showed delays on nearly all trains. The agency announcing midmorning that all its lines were “experiencing significant delays due to high passenger volume.” Unlike the previous day, Wednesday’s commute included students, teachers and administrators of the School District of Philadelphia, who were returning after a “professional development day” for staff. The District had sent parents letters and issued memos to employees last week that schools and offices would be open during a SEPTA strike, and all after-school programs would continue as scheduled. “Parents, who have children that usually take SEPTA to school, should make alternate transportation arrangements for children to attend school,” the District said. “If a student cannot attend school due to the SEPTA service interruption, parents should contact the child’s teacher for assignments.” The District has set up a Website for staff, who had been warned that they would be coded if they are absent, to sign up for car pools. The work stoppage by the Transport Workers Union Local 234 began at 3:00 am ET on Tuesday, only hours after Philadelphia hosted the World Series. Affected by the walkout are trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34 and 36, and all lettered city transit bus routes as well as 1 through 89. Owl service and Frontier Bus routes 90 through 99 have also been affected. Regional rail is operating, as well as bus, trolley and high speed lines in suburban areas, except route 116. The green and gold loop service from 30th Street Station into University City is also still running. Mayor Michael Nutter has activated the city’s emergency operations center in response to the strike, suspending parking restrictions in selected locations and increasing the number of vehicles providing taxicab service. The mayor’s office has also partnered with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia to urge commuters to use bikes during the walkout, citing health benefits and the fact that Philadelphia has the highest number of commuters who use bikes to go to work in the nation’s 10 largest cities. The Bicycle Coalition is offering parking corrals, fee coffee and bike maps at a “Bike the Strike” station in Dillworth Plaza at City Hall. TWU’s contract expired on March 15, without any new agreement despite talks with SEPTA since December last year. The contract covers 4,700 bus, subway and trolley workers in the city. The union wants a 4 percent annual pay raise and a $25-per-month increase in pension payments for each year of service. It originally sought a 6 percent annual wage hike. But transit officials had proposed no pay raises for the next five years, and then offered a 2 percent increase for the third and fourth years of service. According to the Philadelphia Daily News , SEPTA was proposing a 2.5 percent increase in the second year and 3 percent hikes for every year thereafter, when negotiations broke down. The transit agency had prepared a service interruption plan for commuters last Wednesday, but over the weekend said the intervention of Nutter and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell had pushed both sides to continue negotiations “until a tentative contract agreement is reached.” Rendell said in a statement on Tuesday said TWU leaders had rejected a “sensational” contract offer. “It was an excellent contract, but union leadership walked out on a big victory for their members,” Rendell said. “They are not in touch with the economic conditions affecting all of us.” SEPTA serves 3.9 million riders in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia. Rising unemployment and the recession nationwide has prompted many transit agencies to lay off and implement cost cutting measures. SEPTA suffered declining commuter traffic as well but posted a 1 percent increase in ridership in the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. The additional trips translated to $12 million, or 3 percent more in revenues. The last TWU strike in the city was during a seven-day walkout in 2005. The union has held 11 strikes so far in the past three decades. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved