| One of Washington's dirty little secrets: How to avoid ...
You won't believe this. Or maybe you will if you run and hide when you hear, "Hi, we're from your government, and we're here to help you."
In this case, the chilling greeting comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), those wonderful folks who since 9/11 (under strict orders from the recently-resigned Secretary Norman Mineta) have been wanding little old ladies from Keokuk, Iowa, at America's airports all in the name of political correctness. DOT now has decided that it will apply the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in such a manner as to make it theoretically easier for the wheelchair-bound to board passenger trains.
There is just one problem, and in a metaphorical sense, it comes under the heading of the old gag, "The operation was a great success, but the patient died."
DOT has proposed a rule requiring that every single passenger train platform in the United States (1) stretches the full length of the longest train that serves the route, and (2) provides level (no steps) boarding for all doors.
Travel Buddies help get John moving
JOHN Wilson never had the confidence to travel far from home-always worried he would get stuck in his wheelchair and wouldn't be able to get back to the East End because of inaccessible buses and Tube. So he kept to his Poplar neighbourhood, never venturing much further than a few blocks form his home in North Street. It wasn't much of a life. At 58, John has spent the last 18 years stuck in his wheelchair. Now City Hall has taken a 'step' further with its 'buddy squad' of travel assistants to advise those like John on how to get around. "It has changed my life because it's given me the confidence to get out and about," he points out. "Until I got tips from my travel assistant, I never knew exactly which areas were safe to use, so I stayed close to home. "But now there's no stopping me-it's a dream getting on the DLR.
Seeking solutions: New buses may help city's struggling transit ...
Public transit is Lynchburg is struggling with deficits and bus-maintenance problems that often leave paying customers without a reliable way to get to work or to the doctor. But there may be several solutions, both long-term and short-term, that could strengthen a system that many of the city's working poor depend upon. Over the past several weeks, The News & Advance spent more than 20 hours riding nearly every Greater Lynchburg Transit Company bus route, and has interviewed numerous riders. The newspaper also reviewed hundreds of documents detailing maintenance work and costs after filing a Freedom of Information request. Those interviews and documents show that the GLTC faces severe maintenance issues and growing costs to provide service, including rising fuel prices.
|
