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Women's Rights
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Trains, Planes, and Automobiles: Transportation Security is not Created Equal
The March 11, 2004 train bombing in Madrid has left Americans on subways, trains, and buses feeling vulnerable.
Directly after the attack, U.S. law enforcement and transit authorities heightened security for mass transit. They added officers and bomb-detection teams to high-risk locations and encouraged passengers to be on the alert. Amtrak increased security personnel and began using improved electronic surveillance in bridges and tunnels.
But security for mass transit is problematic. Public transportation is easily accessible and serves about 14 million people a day, according to the American Public Transportation Association. It would not be viable to check every bag or purse on every train, bus, and subway, officials say.
Air travel, by contrast, has just under 2 million passengers a day and relatively few departure and destination points, so screening all luggage and checking each passenger is feasible. In addition, The New York Times reports that the Department of Homeland Security has spent billions on aviation safety and only $115 million on rail security since May 2003.
Local law enforcement is looking towards Congress for more money to improve security for public transportation.
Lawmakers consider rail security
In Congress, the homeland security debate has focused on aviation safety and funding for emergency medical workers, police, and fire departments. But the blast in Madrid has Senators and Representatives talking about rail safety.
Senator Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) calls the tragedy in Madrid a "wake up call" and thinks that Congress should begin investigating rail security immediately. Biden himself commutes by train daily.
There are a few measures in Congress that aim to make mass transit more secure.
In 2003, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) introduced a bill (S1608) that would increase the penalties for attacks on public transportation, including the death penalty for attacks that result in passenger deaths. However, the death penalty is unlikely to deter terrorists, who often agree to suicide missions.
According to Congressional Quarterly, Sessions claims that his bill is necessary because it places transit attacks under federal jurisdiction. Currently, such a crime may not end up in a federal court. Laws regarding crimes on trains and public transportation are not contemporary; for example, train robbery is a federal crime, but bombing a subway car is not.
Senator Earnest Hollings (D-SC) has also introduced legislation to promote public transportation safety. His bill authorizes an additional $515 million for rail security. The bill is S2216.
Hollings’ bill is similar to an amendment offered by Jack Reed (D-RI) that would have added $100 million for rail and public transit security to the fiscal 2004 Homeland Security spending bill. However, the measure was defeated 50-44; it required 60 votes.
Security spending
The committees that help to decide how homeland security money is spent - the House and Senate Appropriations Committees - have not promised more money to public transportation security in the wake of the Madrid attacks.
However, Harold Rogers (R-KY), who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, is questioning the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) spending. According to Congressional Quarterly, Rogers says that the TSA’s most recent budget request includes a mere $96 million for all ground transportation security and $5.3 billion for aviation safety. Rogers has reproached the TSA for ignoring mass transit security.
Why does it take a tragedy?
To many, the sudden concern in Congress, law enforcement, and transportation departments is behind schedule. If we are hoping to prevent an attack, why does it take a tragedy to increase security and to start asking questions about what more we can do?
Rail and subway security is mainly a concern for the Northeast, but a rail bombing would affect all of us. The upcoming political conventions are an example of rail safety as a national concern. The Republican National Convention will be held at New York’s Madison Square Garden, which rests on top of Penn Station -- more people use Penn Station each day than all of New York’s airports combined. The Democratic National Convention is at Boston’s Fleet Center, which is also a transportation hub.
Are you concerned about public transportation security? Talk to other WomenMatter readers about this issue through our online forums. When you’re ready, contact your representatives and let them know what you think. Sign up for an e alert, and we’ll inform you when something new happens in Women’s Rights.
Article Posted on: 3/22/2004
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