The agency says assaults on transit workers are at ‘unacceptable’ levels.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is set to enact a general directive that calls on transit agencies to address violence toward transit workers. As Mischa Wanek-Libman explains in Mass Transit, “Under the directive, each transit entity subject to FTA's Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) regulation would be required to conduct a safety risk assessment, identify safety risk mitigations or strategies.”
An Urban Institute study found a tripling of unlawful attacks against transit operators between 2008 and 2022, with the study’s author noting that the data is likely an undercount.
The directive calls on agencies in large, urbanized areas to create safety committees tasked with developing and implementing risk mitigation measures.
Last month, the FTA announced it is considering new minimum standards for hours of service to prevent fatigue for transit operators.
FULL STORY: FTA issues proposed directive concerning transit worker safety

What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like
An FRA study shows how new Amtrak lines could connect tens of millions more Americans to rail travel.

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Half of Altadena’s Black Homes Lost or Damaged in Eaton Fire
The community has higher Black homeownership rates than most of Los Angeles, but now faces an uncertain future as residents struggle to rebuild.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians
A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

Federal EV Charging Program Suspended
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program planned to fund the construction of hundreds of EV charging stations across the country.
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