USDOT seeks comment on ways to strengthen, coordinate transit safety and asset management

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is seeking public comment on the most significant regulatory step taken under FTA's new transit safety authority.

 

The Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Safety and Transit Asset Management will be published in the Federal Register next week. A safety and transit asset management rulemaking is required by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and covers several topics that signal FTA’s commitment to ensuring that efforts to keep transit systems in good working order goes hand-in-hand with efforts to keep them safe.

“This administration fought hard for the ability to provide the same level of safety oversight for people riding and working on transit that we do for other forms of transportation,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to ensure a safe, efficient and reliable future for public transportation in this country, so millions of working families have access to the jobs, education and health care they need to succeed.”

Safety advocates, industry leaders and the general public are all invited to comment on several MAP-21 requirements that are part of FTA’s new safety and transit asset management authority, including: developing and implementing meaningful national, state-level and transit agency safety plans and implementing a national transit asset management program to help transit agencies establish a systematic means for managing their assets and establishing performance measures for making improvements to the condition of their facilities, equipment, rolling stock and infrastructure.

“Transit ridership is reaching record levels and will continue to grow. Our goal is not to impose overly burdensome new regulations, but to help the transit industry better address growing demand for service while better maintaining their equipment so they may operate safely and cost-effectively,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “We need to hear from all stakeholders, including the riding public, to make sure we get it right as we implement FTA’s new transit safety authority.”

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