Commuters Angry At False MTA Safety Reports

October 4, 2010

Commuters are furious after learning that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released a report revealing incomplete safety checks on the subway.

The MTA report said this week there had been a rush to get crucial safety checks done on the subway, but investigators said the reports were either made up, delayed or skipped altogether.

…report found that inspectors had falsified thousands of subway signal inspections…

The report found that inspectors had falsified thousands of subway signal inspections, which are critical safety checks designed to protect straphangers from train derailments and collisions.

“That’s not right. That’s cheating and putting our safety at risk,” one commuter said Derricke Dennis.

The falsification of the reports had apparently been going on for years, investigators said.

“You pay good money expected to be safe. That’s messed up,” another commuter said.

The report said a dramatic increase in safety checks following the 2009 rear-end train collision in the Washington, D.C. subway system simply overwhelmed the inspectors.

The D.C. collision killed nine people.

…in New York, equipment that was supposed to be inspected every 30 days was not being checked until days or even weeks later, if at all…

Here in New York, equipment that was supposed to be inspected every 30 days was not being checked until days or even weeks later, if at all. The line most was risk was the L line, whose trains are operated robotically with fewer fail-safes in place.

“It’s scary that no one is checking,” one commuter said.

The MTA said in a statement that it has “changed the leadership of the signals division and took swift action to ensure that none of these deficiencies undermined the signal systems’ safe operation or its underlying components.”

The swift action by the MTA included the demotion of signal department supervisor Tracy Bowdwin and the questioning of others, sources said.

Falsifying an MTA report is a felony offense, but no one has been charged yet as the MTA is still investigating.

Meanwhile, inspectors are now scrambling to conduct new safety checks.

Source: CBS


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SPONSOR US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles