Thursday, May 21, 2009
DC EMS chief gets promotion despite wrongful death lawsuit
From the Washington Times. I haven't heard of this case but I really wonder if that's appropriate given how relatively recent the death and the complaint in question occurred.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Would the Southern Beltway and Mon-Fayette Expressway get built quicker by private entities?
The Army Corps of Engineers has issued environmental clearance for the last leg of the Southern Beltway, the Post-Gazette reports. But funding is evidently going to be a problem, as it is on the remaining legs of the Mon-Fayette Expressway (between Jefferson and Pittsburgh/Monroeville).
I have to say that the most relevant words in the article to explain why these highways are having funding problems are these:
It's not much of a secret that the Turnpike Commission is full of cronyism and corruption,
(bipartisanly so), and well-organized to lobby against its elimination, in the face of reform proposals.
I don't have hard data on any privately-run toll roads in front of me at the moment, but given the examples of USPS vs. UPS/Fedex currently, airlines and trucking since their deregulation in the late '70s, and Vanderbilt's unsubsidized steamships in the 1850s vs. the subsidized Collins Line, the case for serious government involvement in the operation of the various PTC-controlled roads in PA is severely undercut.
I have to say that the most relevant words in the article to explain why these highways are having funding problems are these:
the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission...is developing the beltway and Mon-Fayette Expressway
It's not much of a secret that the Turnpike Commission is full of cronyism and corruption,
(bipartisanly so), and well-organized to lobby against its elimination, in the face of reform proposals.
I don't have hard data on any privately-run toll roads in front of me at the moment, but given the examples of USPS vs. UPS/Fedex currently, airlines and trucking since their deregulation in the late '70s, and Vanderbilt's unsubsidized steamships in the 1850s vs. the subsidized Collins Line, the case for serious government involvement in the operation of the various PTC-controlled roads in PA is severely undercut.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
And we're off
Are you a person who lives somewhere within 100 miles of Pittsburgh, and leave your house regularly?
If that describes you than I'll assume that you often walk on the street, ride in a private automobile, or use mass transit. In each of those 3 cases the information on Streetlights and Sirens may prove useful to you.
I intend to provide daily updates on local transportation issues such as new highway construction, repair work, and alternate modes of transport, as well as an occasional public policy or economic analysis of a given situation.
Additionally, emergency responders may find information related to the incidents encountered specifically on the highways, such as motor vehicle accidents, the relative safety or danger of particular roads and road types, and incidents where an emergency vehicle was itself involved.
If that describes you than I'll assume that you often walk on the street, ride in a private automobile, or use mass transit. In each of those 3 cases the information on Streetlights and Sirens may prove useful to you.
I intend to provide daily updates on local transportation issues such as new highway construction, repair work, and alternate modes of transport, as well as an occasional public policy or economic analysis of a given situation.
Additionally, emergency responders may find information related to the incidents encountered specifically on the highways, such as motor vehicle accidents, the relative safety or danger of particular roads and road types, and incidents where an emergency vehicle was itself involved.
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