TESTIMONY OF THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
BEFORE THE
HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE
SENATE BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
*******
October 4, 2001
*******
SUBMITTED BY
American Public Transportation Association
1666 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 496-4800
Fax: (202) 496-4324
Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to testify on the security and safety of public transportation systems. We commend Congress for its quick response to the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
About APTA
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a
nonprofit international association of over 1400 public and private member organizations
including transit systems and commuter rail operators; planning, design, construction, and
finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations
and state departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by
providing safe, efficient, and economical transit services and products. Over ninety
percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada are served
by APTA member systems.
Overview
Mr. Chairman, we thank you, and the Committee on Banking,
Housing and Urban Affairs, for crafting the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA 21), which has so effectively improved the industry’s ability to meet
demands for capital investment and service. The legislation has significantly improved our
industry’s ability to meet the growing demand for service in urban, suburban, and
rural communities throughout America.
The good news is that TEA 21’s increases in federal investment and
the predictability of those funds has paid off. Public transportation ridership is up 21
percent over the past five years, to the highest levels in forty years. The federal
investments in TEA 21 and earlier legislation enabled the transit industry to develop new
transit services, and to upgrade and modernize older transit infrastructure. This
investment paid enormous dividends on September 11, when public transportation in New York
City and in Washington, D.C. helped safely evacuate citizens from center cities. Indeed,
this same story was true around the country, as transit systems quickly and efficiently
evacuated people from closed airports and downtown areas. Mr. Chairman, we remember that
the interstate highway program was begun by President Eisenhower as a national defense
interstate highway program. We can now certainly recognize that public transportation too
has a significant national defense component, and we are extremely proud of our transit
systems in New York, Washington, D.C., and around the country, and how they responded so
successfully to the horrific events of September 11.
Post-September 11 Activities
Mr. Chairman, APTA was honored and pleased that
Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta came to Philadelphia Monday morning to deliver the
keynote address to our Annual Meeting where over 2,000 transit professionals gathered. He
emphasized the importance of public transportation, and the critical importance of a
continuing focus on safety and security. In particular, he said "preparation equals
performance," and I want to assure you that we are taking that message to heart.
Specifically, let me respond to the Subcommittee’s questions
regarding what steps APTA is taking to assist its members in improving safety, and what
would be useful to transit systems in that regard.
- On September 19, 2001, we wrote to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) offering our
full support and cooperation as the FTA and DOT develop programs and priorities in
response to the tragic events of September 11. In that letter, which is included as an
attachment to this testimony, we provided an initial list of critical needs for
transit-related safety and security functions. These include capital items, operational
items, and research and development needs in the industry. Needless to say, considerable
investment is needed to begin to make these items available throughout our industry.
- At APTA’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, we added a special forum on the events of
September 11, and how our transit systems responded so effectively to it. Officials from
New York, Washington, D.C., and other key cities discussed what they did in responding to
the attacks and how they successfully evacuated citizens safely from center cities.
Sharing critical information and best practices among our membership is one of the
strongest resources we can provide as an association. We will be sharing these
"lessons learned" with our membership and the Federal Transit Administration.
- Together with the Mineta Institute in San Jose, California, the American Association of
State Highway Transportation Officials, and DOT’s Research and Special Projects
Administration, APTA will partner in a special invitation-only conference in Washington,
D.C. in late October to focus on a Mineta Institute study on terrorism and how to respond
to it. This is the beginning of a comprehensive industry effort to discuss security issues
on an ongoing basis at meetings, seminars, and conferences around the country.
- Discussions are underway with the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) to
coordinate efforts among transit systems worldwide to address safety and security issues.
- Finally, we will continue to work closely with DOT and FTA in making certain that safety
and security remain paramount issues in our industry and that programs being developed by
the DOT reflect industry needs and operations. We understand that FTA hopes to make
financial and technical assistance available to transit systems around the country to
assess their state of readiness to meet security threats. We strongly urge that this
initiative be properly funded. Moreover, FTA Administrator Dorn also spoke at our Annual
Meeting on Monday, and stated that FTA would be sending a "rapid response" tool
box to every transit system in the country, and we look forward to collaborating with the
FTA in that effort.
Let me now outline for you some of the things we, as the association
for the public transportation industry, do to promote safety and security in public
transportation, and explain how these plans and programs address significant issues.
Safety and Security Plans
We are proud as an association to have established the
industry standard for transit system safety program plans, which include security and
emergency response elements. In October of 1986, APTA initiated activities to develop a
safety management program for the public transportation industry. A pilot program of
high-level, formal safety audits were scheduled at six volunteer transit systems over an
eighteen-month period. Upon completion of the pilot program, APTA staff gathered
information from the auditors and participants in the pilot audits, and produced a report,
which recommended a course of action on safety accreditation. The APTA Manual for the
Development of Transit System Safety Program Plans was a result of these recommendations.
The Manual serves several purposes. It establishes a recommended format
for System Safety Program Plans (SSPP). The SSPP is developed by each transit system; it
identifies all safety-related responsibilities, and assigns these responsibilities to
proper areas within the organization. A transit system maintains oversight of its safety
status and program to ensure all responsibilities are being carried out and coordinated.
This process is known as System Safety. A transit system establishes a SSPP in a formal
written document. It implements the SSPP by policy directives from the chief executive
officer.
The APTA Manual assists transit systems with established System Safety
Program Plans in the development and definition of their safety programs. It also provides
tangible evidence to the public and governmental oversight agencies that the transit
industry possesses the means and expertise to develop sound, effective, pro-active safety
programs designed to reduce accident potential and increase the efficiency of transit
operations.
A key element of the SSPP is security. Each transit system’s
safety program should provide a pro-active, prevention-oriented approach to security. This
element emphasizes the importance of identifying potential threats and areas of
vulnerability, developing approaches that will minimize those threats and vulnerabilities,
and demonstrating a clear and pro-active approach to security.
Emergency Response Planning is also a primary component of any safety
program. As such, it must be given constant attention. A typical process for the component
includes an approved, coordinated schedule for all emergency response elements. Meetings
with outside agencies, emergency drills, and revision and distribution of Emergency
Response Procedures are activities that are then scheduled on a periodic basis with
necessary approvals and checks for completion built in. The safety unit of the transit
organization is generally responsible for coordination of these types of emergency
response functions. As part of the regular reports to general management issued by the
safety unit, status reports on emergency response activities are included. These reports
then provide an audit trail for both internal and external audits.
APTA Safety Management Audit Programs
Once having created a system safety program, the industry
next turned to ways to make sure that systems were implemented in a comprehensive and
voluntary way. As a result, the Safety Management Audit Program was created to equip
transit systems with industry-created formats for developing a System Safety Program Plan
(SSPP) and to provide formal evaluations on how well those System Safety Program Plans
have been implemented. APTA has a Director of Safety and Security and a staff of auditors
who carry out this work. The audit and program participation is completely voluntary and
is supported by dues paid by industry participants. The audits are completed every three
years. There are three different programs: the Rail Safety Audit Program, the Commuter
Rail Safety Management Program, and most recently the Bus Safety Management Program.
So successful has APTA’s SSPP and audit program been that the APTA
system program plan format and elements within the Rail Safety Audit Program (including
security) are officially recognized by the Federal Transit Administration in its Rail
Safety Oversight regulation at 49 CFR Part 659 as a way of meeting the regulatory
requirements for system safety program plans for fixed guideway systems. The audit
includes an extensive review of all safety-related functions of the organization, and
provides a mechanism for continual improvement for system safety. However, since each
system is unique, the safety plan must allow for differences unique to each system.
All but one of the nation’s 18 commuter rail systems participate
in APTA’s audit program, and we are in discussions with that remaining system.
Moreover, all rail transit systems in the country participate either in the APTA Rail
Audit Program or in state programs that follow the guidelines for system safety
established by APTA. A similar program for the nation’s bus systems is being
implemented by APTA. This voluntary program for bus operations similarly includes elements
specific to security and emergency preparedness.
The APTA system safety program plan format and elements within the
Commuter Rail Safety Management Program (including security) are recognized by the Federal
Railroad Administration as a way of meeting the guidelines for system safety program plans
for commuter rail systems. Each audit addresses policies, processes, and procedures set
out in the transit agency’s safety plan and includes a review of supporting
documentation, interviews with agency personnel, and a variety of operational field
observations.
Under our Safety Management Audit Programs, each transit operation
receives the benefit of an independent evaluation of its safety management processes by a
team of experienced safety personnel. This evaluation plays a critical role in optimizing
safety practices at each system.
This evaluation assists each system’s
ability to demonstrate its diligence for safety and the ability of our industry to
maintain self-regulation.
Other APTA Safety Initiatives
APTA has a Standing Committee on Public Safety that has a
forum for industry personnel involved in policing and security functions to share
information, experiences and resources. This very active Committee has subcommittees on
Operations; Outreach; Professional Development and Strategic Planning. The Committee also
conducts a number of workshops and seminars on transit security in conjunction with
APTA’s conferences, and has a working partnership with other security/policing
organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the
International Railway Police, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement
Executives.
APTA has developed a Safety & Security on-line
"list-serve" resource that enables its members to request information and pose
questions to industry peers on matters pertaining to safety and security issues.
APTA and its members have been instrumental in assisting the
development and delivery of programs on transit system security as provided through the
Transportation Safety Institute. Transit system personnel from numerous agencies continue
to benefit from attending these training programs.
APTA and its members have also assisted in the development and delivery
of the Land Transportation Anti-Terrorism Training Program that was a joint effort of the
Department of Transportation’s Office of Intelligence and Security, and the Federal
Law Enforcement Training Center. Many transit system personnel are benefiting from their
participation in this program.
Standard Setting
APTA is engaged in a broad-based standard-setting exercise
in a number of significant areas, and clearly, standards play a key role in safety and
security.
In 1996, APTA’s commuter rail members voluntarily undertook an
effort with $2 million of their own funds to create Passenger Rail Equipment Safety
Standards (PRESS). Our commuter rail members are regulated by the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), which participated in the development of these standards. These
standards are reviewed in an ongoing effort and are updated as necessary. As part of the
PRESS program, the FRA, APTA and the commuter railroads recently collaborated on a series
of ten courses to prepare railroad employees to meet new industry-wide training
requirements.
With the success of the commuter rail effort, APTA has turned to a
similar initiative for transit rail equipment. Some 27 APTA rail members will be
contributing over $3 million to develop a range of vehicle design and operational
standards over the next three years.
In addition, APTA has just been awarded a $400,000 grant by the FTA to
help establish interface standards in the transit industry for Intelligent Transportation
System applications.
All of these standard-setting exercises help the industry bring a
special focus to standardized products and services. These are activities that clearly
help support safety and security goals.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, these are just some of the issues that we
think can help improve safety and security of transit services. We again thank you and the
Subcommittee for your commitment to investing in the nation’s transportation
infrastructure and look forward to working with you on safety and security issues and on
the reauthorization of TEA 21.
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