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.
Read the full story: FTA issues proposed directive concerning transit worker safety
How Inequality Impacts Transit Safety
Transit workers are being assaulted by riders at alarming rates, and inequity may be partly to blame.
FTA Directive Addresses Violence Against Transit Workers
Verbal and physical assaults against transit operators have grown alarmingly in the last decade.
Perception vs. reality: NYC transit crime declined by 14% since 2019
In spite of popular perceptions, crime on many US transit systems is steadily dropping.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority